Strengthening what nature gave us
Boasting availability, cost-effectiveness and stability and durability options over natural wood, wood veneer is less prone to warping and splitting. It is produced by gluing together thin layers of wood to reduce the chances of splitting or cracking and boasts greater stability when temperatures fluctuate and humidity is present – wood veneer makes it possible for achieve a natural wood finish when solid lumber would not be an option.
The veneer finish is achieved by either peeling the tree’s trunk or slicing large blocks of wood – cutting through a tree’s growth rings at a careful angle is what results in the grain and figure appearance. The slicing process gives a distinctive type of grain, depending on the species of the tree.
How veneer is made
The way in which the wood is cut and matched determines it’s end appearance.
Veneer slicing
The three most frequently used slicing methods are Crown cut, Quarter cut and Rotary cut, with the Crown cut being the most popular. The style of cut references the face of the veneered boards—the reverse may be either cut.
Veneer jointing
There are three techniques to join veneer slices to form the final sheets—book match, slip match and reverse slip match. All of our veneered boards are book matched, meaning they are joined in mirror-image pairs to reflect the previous one and allow for running patterns, unless stated otherwise.
Veneer grading
All of our standard Veneered MDF boards are manufactured in a commercial grade A/B and are suitable for a range of projects from furniturebuilding to shop fitting and wall panelling. The A grade veneer covers the face of the board, and B goes on the reverse.
In the UK, White European Oak and Black American Walnut are the two most popular wood veneers. As they are so in demand there is a lot of strain on manufacturers to remain competitive, which is why these two veneers often fall short of customer expectations – this is why we buy these products in a higher, A+ grade whenever possible.
For high-end projects, we supply a selection of veneered boards in a Superior grade. These are the highest quality in terms of appearance, with grading criteria including natural defects, colouration, veneer leaf-width and the overall appearance of the panel. Superior grade boards are veneered and labelled in batches for maximum appearance consistency when used on larger projects.
Superior grade
The highest quality of veneer guaranteeing appearance continuity on several sheets.
Commercial grade A
The veneer is attractive and has a good structure, with some small variations in colour and appearance.
Commercial grade B
The veneer is varied and irregular in structure, and sometimes also colour. There may be knots and other natural imperfections.