Q. "We're trying to wrap two posts in a cedar red finish to match the rest of our project.
Do you guys have a veneer that's 8'-10' tall, that could wrap a diameter of around 4'?"

A. Some of our veneers are 10’ long. If you are looking for a reddish color, I suggest that you use our Cherry veneer for this. The red cedar veneer has knots, which makes it unsuitable for bending around a pole.

We have cherry veneer in 10’ lengths. The cherry veneer will give you a reddish color. You will use our 10 mil (1/64”) paper backed peel and stick cherry veneer. The peel and stick cherry veneer will wrap into a 4” diameter, but it will be somewhat springy.

Wrapping a sheet of veneer around a pole has some challenges.

Your biggest problems are how to adhere the veneer securely, how to keep the veneer from “wandering” when you wrap it around the pole, how to make a tight joint where the ends meet, and how to assure that the veneer won’t eventually pull up at the ends.

Unless you have a high tech way to glue the veneer down, here’s what I recommend:

Clean the pole thoroughly. If the pole is made of metal or plastic, scuff sand it. Whether metal, plastic, or wood, apply 2 or 3 coats of paint. When dry, scuff sand the painted surface somewhat. This will help the veneer to adhere.

From the bottom of the pole to the top of the pole, apply a 2” wide coat of contact cement along the whole length. Let dry. Apply a second coat of contact cement. Let dry.

Cut your sheet of 10 mil psa (peel and stick) veneer that is wide enough so that it will overlap itself by 1 or 2 inches, once it is wrapped around the pole. On one of the long sides of the veneer sheet, cover the wood veneer side with some strips of masking tape, to about about 3” wide all the way along the long edge .

Peel off the release paper from the back of the veneer sheet. Stick down the edge with the tape on it, adhesive side down, onto the contact cement, about 1” into the contact cemented area. This will leave approximately 1” of the contact cemented area that is still exposed.

The psa peel and stick adhesive will stick to contact cement like a gorilla. This will mitigate any pulling up or loosening of the veneer along the edge.

Carefully wrap the veneer sheet around the pole, pressing it down in place so that the peel and stick adhesive sticks to the pole. When you come back to the starting point, the psa adhesive veneer will stick down onto the remaining 1” or so of the contact cemented area, and it will overlap and stick onto the masking tape, about 1" or so.

Use a blunt piece of wood or a 1” wallpaper seam roller to apply pressure all over everywhere on the veneered surface to help the adhesive to bond securely.

Use a razor knife to cut down through both layers of veneer the whole length where it overlaps. Once you have a clean joint, pull off the masking tape, bringing the excess veneer with it. Your pole will now be wrapped with veneer and both ends of the veneer will meet to make a tight joint.

Regards,

Bob Morgan

Veneer Factory Outlet

Wood Veneer Factory Outlet