Bob

Your veneer videos are most instructive, thansk you for them...

I do, however, have two questions:

1) for applying a paperbacked veneer to a substrate, do you prefer contact cement or Tightbond II.

2) Do you have any suggestions on how to apply a paper backed veneer to an inset kitchen door panel?

I cannot remove the panel and alignment and measurement are real issues.

Thanks for any help or insights you might provide.

Hi Rick, and thank you for your email –

That’s a great question.And, you aren’t the only one who has ever wrestled with this problem (including me).Here is what you can try:

I would use the peel and stick veneer for this.Wood backed peel and stick veneer or paperbacked peel and stick veneer will work equally well.

First, use a piece of cardboard or paper to cut the exact pattern of the inset panel.Next trace the pattern onto your veneer sheet and cut the veneer sheet to the exact pattern.

Be sure to prep the panel (see my videos and tutorials) to give a good bonding area for the peel and stick veneer. Position the veneer sheet on the panel for an exact fit.Clamp a board on top of the veneer sheet along one edge of the veneer sheet.Lift up the other end of the sheet and peel away about half of the release paper.

Lay the veneer down from the center out.Unclamp the board from the veneer, lift the end of the veneer sheet upwards and peel off the remaining release paper.Now, lay the veneer down (center outwards) smoothly.

Apply pressure all over everywhere with a 1” wide blunt piece of wood or a 1” wide roller. This helps the veneer to bond well to the substrate. A wallpaper seam roller (no crown) works well for applying pressure to the veneered surface.

Narrower is better – don’t make the mistake of using a wide roller when applying pressure to the veneered surface.Here’s why:A 20 lb force onto a 1” wide roller yields 20 pounds of pressure across the surface of the veneer.A 20 lb force onto a a 2” wide roller yields 5 lbs of pressure across the surface of the veneer.As you can see, the wider the veneer roller, the less pressure onto the veneer surface.

If you search the net for how to apply pressure to a veneered surface using a roller, you will find a myriad of people who recommend 3” or 4” wide rollers.They are wrong!

Bob Morgan