# Refinishing veneer wood?



## Farmgirl22

Is it possible to refinish a bedroom set that has a veneer laid over the wood in some areas? I have a beautiful antique bedroom set that has some scratches on it, and would love to refinish it. However, I don't want to mess up the veneer which offers multiple shades of wood tones in a design. Can I do this? Or should I just leave well enough alone?


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## iltos

Farmgirl22 said:


> Is it possible to refinish a bedroom set that has a veneer laid over the wood in some areas? I have a beautiful antique bedroom set that has some scratches on it, and would love to refinish it. However, I don't want to mess up the veneer which offers multiple shades of wood tones in a design. Can I do this? Or should I just leave well enough alone?


veneer is often just a 1/32 if an inch thick....as thick as an unmanicured fingernail, roughly.....so sanding is not really an option....and most stripping solutions will loosen the glue as well....

without actually seeing it, i'd say leave well enough alone.


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## kiwiguy

Agreed, we would need to see the scratches, modern veneers are as thin as 1/50 of an inch, older ones could be A lot thicker (1800's furniture may have had 1/4" veneer, hand cut). 

It would depend on the definition of "antique" as to the possibility of thick hand cut veneer that could be sanded. 1/50" would need to be avoided, you would be straight through afetr mild sanding!


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## Farmgirl22

It's from the early 1800's, and there wasn't a scratch on it until I moved out and my parents threw it in a box trailer parked in the lot. It got thrown in with a bunch of other stuff and got scuffed and scratched from when they moved the trailer away from the house and over to the lot. It's not terrible, if you put that colored "old english" oil stuff on it, you don't see the scratches, but that stuff only covers them for a short time.

Is there maybe some sort of covering I could put over the wood after putting that oil on there to kinda keep it from dissapating? Or maybe some other suggestions for hiding scratches?


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## JohnWill

Actually, it's quite possible to refinish veneer furniture. I have a neighbor that refinishes the wood in investment and show cars, and almost all of that is veneer. He did a couple of pieces of furniture for me that are amazing! 

If this is really from the early 1800's, I would NOT touch it with anything until you talk to a professional. I'm assuming that it probably has some, perhaps significant antique value.


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## iltos

JohnWill said:


> If this is really from the early 1800's, I would NOT touch it with anything until you talk to a professional. I'm assuming that it probably has some, perhaps significant antique value


excellent point....learned it on the antique road show



> Actually, it's quite possible to refinish veneer furniture. I have a neighbor that refinishes the wood in investment and show cars, and almost all of that is veneer. He did a couple of pieces of furniture for me that are amazing!


interesting...didn't know this....imagine it's costly, tho


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## hewee

used to be they say refinish your antique's but now they say do not because it effects the value so what John said is true.


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## JohnWill

In my case, the "investment" value of the piece was minimal, and he actually replaced the veneer on a old "radio desk" that I bought with an Atwater Kent radio, and it surely increased any value that it had. OTOH, anything made in the 1800's is clearly something that should be evaluated carefully before ANY action is taken.


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## vicks

There are 'stain pens' that work very well to cover scratches. We used to own a furniture store and used them quite regularly. Guardsman, min-wax are 2 brands available... available at Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowes and other stores.
Good luck.
Vicks


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## guitar21

beeswax i was told is good buy someone who drove past me when i was moving an old bed and oferd antique $250 i just got it for free off nebour so i was pleased(could of got more)
he owned a shop and told me ir you got an antique don't sand or paint or laquer it sell it and go to ikea if you want a new one if you luckey you might have money left over for new manchesta


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## wacor

guitar21 said:


> beeswax i was told is good buy someone who drove past me when i was moving an old bed and oferd antique $250 i just got it for free off nebour so i was pleased(could of got more)
> he owned a shop and told me ir you got an antique don't sand or paint or laquer it sell it and go to ikea if you want a new one if you luckey you might have money left over for new manchesta


Whatever you say.

I am sure it made sense to you.  

Not me though


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## hewee

I have heard to that you can devalue a antique's by refinishing them.
Things you used to do they now say don't.

That was on the Antiques Roadshow.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/roadshow/

restoring antique furniture
http://www.google.com/search?aq=t&oq=restoring+antique+&hl=en&q=restoring+antique+furniture

Better to restore then it is to refinish.

Giid reading here.
http://antiques.about.com/od/furniture/a/aa062905.htm


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## JohnWill

hewee said:


> I have heard to that you can devalue a antique's by refinishing them.
> Things you used to do they now say don't.


See post #5.


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## hewee

I seen that John.


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## JohnWill

Almost any real antique will be seriously devalued by the incorrect "restoration". Any piece of furniture made in the 1800's probably has some antique value.


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## WeStudioS

I've been a cabinet maker for about 20 years and one of the best ways I've found to hide minor scratches is to touch them up with a similar coloured wood stain. Always try it on an inconspicuous area first, especially if you are using a non water based stain.


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## JohnWill

WeStudioS said:


> I've been a cabinet maker for about 20 years and one of the best ways I've found to hide minor scratches is to touch them up with a similar coloured wood stain. Always try it on an inconspicuous area first, especially if you are using a non water based stain.


See port #15.


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