What are wood veneers? To put it simply, they are made from thin pieces of natural wood that are subsequently laminated to other, thicker materials. Wood veneers are used as structural panels that are a great alternative to thick hardwood. However, it is important to bear in mind that wood veneers are still largely made up of real wood, but they are just sliced into thin slices because modern technology has allowed for it. This ensures that there is minimal waste, as compared to the unnecessary waste that is generated when sawing wood into thicker boards. When you opt for sustainable wood veneers, you can also rest assured that you can do the same things with them as you would with thick boards. You can choose to rotary cut, quarter saw, plain saw the wood veneers to create a variety of grain patterns as well.
How is it Processed?
Wood veneers are typically processed at a mill. They are processed from veneer logs, that are only a small percentage of all wood logs. The logs are first placed in vats of hot water in order to tenderize the wooden fibers so that slicing becomes much easier. Once the logs have been soaked, they are then prepped for slicing. While there are many different ways to slice the veneer logs, they all involve using a sharp blade to slice the logs into ‘leaves’. It is also worth noting that using the different methods of slicing as described above will allow for different specific grain patterns in your wood veneers. Once the leaves have been sliced, they are then dried thoroughly and placed in bundles.
Eco-Friendliness
Using wood veneers has more benefits than using standard hardwood lumber. The most important benefits are that wood veneers are much more affordable and eco-friendly. In fact, using the same amount of wood veneer as compared to thick hardwood board will enable you to yield up to 40 times more in terms of decorative surface area. The fact that we can harness so much more from small amounts of wood veneer means that The main advantage of using wood veneer is that it is extremely flexible. As such, it is much more possible to decorate surfaces that might be hard to do with thick, inflexible wood. Furthermore, wood veneers offer a lot more options that hardwoods cannot offer. For example, you can choose to stain your veneers with different finishes according to your own liking.
Versatility of Sustainable Wood Veneers
Although wood veneers are most commonly used for interior design or building purposes, it is very versatile. Designers and architects can also use wood veneers to complement their interior designs by incorporating them into other mediums. Wood veneers can be used to enhance display fixtures and an almost unlimited range of other products. In fact, there has been a recent trend to use wood veneer for different homemade crafts and DIY projects. The one thing in common with all these products made in part or fully by wood veneers is that they offer a unique aesthetic and character.