Veneer Repair & Refinishing Furniture: Cocktail Cabinet

Furniture restoration video. In this video I repair some damaged veneer and refinish a vintage art deco 1930s style cocktail cabinet for a client.

Tools used in this video:

MY TOOLS:
For links to the tools I use, plus some of my favourite consumables, finishes and more see links below. As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases.

#repair #restoration #veneer

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[arthilliker]

I'm here because I just learned that one DOES NOT use an electric orbital sander on veneer .... THE HARD WAY. Just as I was about to call it good I touched a spot ON THE FRONT (of course) of a beautiful old Cedar Chest that I'm refinishing for my wife ....ooops. Apparentyl there was a "blister" under the finish where the glue either let go or was never there. I came to YOU TUBE looking for help AND HERE WE ARE !!! You have been a wonderful help !! Thank you !

[Preso]

One method I've used to make veneer patches is to put the new veneer over the broken area and cut through both at the same time. The patch will always fit perfectly. You can temporarily Mark the cut line with tape to ensure you get all the damaged veneer removed.

[marko]

I like the attention to details and the honesty at the end

[fradren]

You can rebrass steel by running a brass wire wheel over it at high speeds, the heat sticks a thin layer of brass to the steel and makes it look shiny gold again

[TNgrandee]

I sure hope your customer was pleased with this restoration. I certainly would have been.

[marymascorro]

I appreciate that you spoke about the work, the technique and your process for refurbishing the piece of furniture. Thank you

[anitamil]

My grandmother was a cabinet maker at a young age in his homeland of Jamaica. He joined the Military based in England. He loved carpentry and after WW2, he moved to Canada and worked as a carpenter for over 40 years at Massey Ferguson. You used all the tools he used. Love the work you do, keep up the great work!!!

[markduggan]

We all learn with each thing we do. I like your honesty. Thank you.

[therealnikajae]

AMAZING! incredible technique and application!

[BiglinesNL]

angling the cuts on the veneer about 15-20 degrees might help with fitting them without gaps (marquetry trick)

[armandoriccio]

True craftsman. Nice work. Thanks for the education.

[Mike-bhsh]

Congratulations.
When you said this was only your second time doing veneer patching and you had learned a lot from this - that is the big point. Paying attention to how and what you do - then seeing the results, and then taking the time to consider how you could have done it better. That is missing from a lot of people working in these trades.

Being that it is from the 1930s - I am guessing it is shellac.
In the 1930s the manufacturers really transitioned over from shellac to nitrocellulose lacquer. After WW I there was a lot unused cellulose nitrate left over (used for making gun powder). With the end of the war - a method was developed to make this into a fast drying finish.
The reason I think it is shellac is that the finish looks in relatively good condition. Shellac (while considered weak by modern standard) really does hold up well to age. Lacquer on the other hand tends to "alligator skin" with age, and other modern finishes all have their problems.

I don't do a huge amount of veneer work, but enough lol.
Here are some ideas you can maybe use... or possibly others.


- The cracking looks more like the veneer is split - pretty common with burls.
- Could use sandpaper to clean the old glue out from under the loose veneer. I will take a piece and fold it so you have abrasive on both sides. Slide it under and push on the veneer while pulling it out. Repeat a few times to get the old glue off.
- When making patches, it will look better to do "boat bow" () shapes, triangles (if the bottom flat is an edge), or even diamonds. Flat edges should only be placed only going in the same direction of the grain. The cross grain edges should be angled or bowed so the seam isn't straight. The larger the angle the harder it is to see. ** Not at 9:32 - there is veneer patches on the upper right and left. This is not uncommon and the manufacture probably had holes in those areas... and if you look over the very top on the same frame you can see a few others.
- When finding a veneer patch - look not only at grain, but pores as well. You can also check wood color by wetting it with paint thinner - though if you are applying shellac or lacquer will probably make it look slightly darker than those finishes will.
- You might get a tighter patch by placing the new piece on top of the damage and cutting both at once - Though I have also made tracings like you did... and then used sandpaper to fine tune the veneer patch edges until they fit perfect (this means you might want to cut the patch a hair bigger to give room for tuning).
- To help prevent the dark seam with patches - You might try holding off on coloring the patch. Get a few coats of finish on and sand to have it flat (with no dip at the seam). Then add color to the patch area (this is technically called toning). It can help reduce that darkening of the seam (because you have sealed the edge grains with the finish and so the stain doesn't seep into it).
You can also use acrylic paints. Seal the wood with your finish (just a coat or two). Make up a color that is the same as the wood background (light) color. Use a fine art brush to dot along the seam. This will break it up and help hide it. Since acrylics dry slightly darker than they are in liquid state - you will need to go slightly lighter... and do not apply a finish for at least a few hours as the acrylics need to completely dry so you don't cause blushing or bad adhesion.

A note on patching and coloring...
It is inevitable that wood darkens as it ages. This means the stains we apply (and the acrylics) may (may) eventually become more noticeable as the wood around it changes. There really is nothing we can do about this. Use a metalized stain (which resists fading), but really it is just a fact of life and something we have to accept (unless someone knows something).

Now I want to go watch a more up to date video of yours.
Keep at it.

[francescawest]

We just moved into a house built in 1960, and all the inside doors are wood. Some have veneer areas missing at the top and bottom. I'm hoping to save them by making veneer patches, and I love your method of using the masking tape to make a template for the cut away area! Brilliant!!

[stevebosun]

Hi Keith, I applaud your honesty at the end. Life itself is a big learning curve.

[katabrontes]

I was impressed that you did such a good job after very little previous experience. Halfway through the video I assumed you were a furniture restorer!

[jgg]

Not to bad for being your second time, I could still see the vaneer moving on the edge when you were taping your finger and I seen a little piece you didn’t put any glue in. You will learn more as time goes and reading the comments really help you to problem solve. There are some really smart and more experienced people out there!

[NathanielKraft]

this was a FANTASTIC video, and I learned several tricks I had never seen or thought of. Thank you!

[suecox]

What an absolutely beautiful piece--it's so good to see you bring it back to useful life again and to its former beauty. Very skillful repair of that veneer, too. Lovely.

[nancyjm]

Great. I really learned a lot. I'm repairing veneer for the first time with no help, running into the same issues you talked about, so this was helpful to me, and I don't feel so alone!

[romanbaczynski]

I didn't think you were going to get the cabinet though your workshop door 🤣. Great work