Carpentry and Woodworking - veneer chipped top

I have a dining table that I just purchased that has a 2 X 2 in. area of veneer gone. Am I replacing the whole table top or is there a way to patch veneer? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Debra

Debra: Welcome to the forums! Veneer, when damaged to that extent, almost becomes a "do away with it" item. So, if you are able to remove the remainder of the veneer, via heat and scraping, then you can re-veneer it. However, being a nail driver, I like pure wood, so if it would be possible to make a top that will stain up and match the remainder of the table, that would be my choice. I like the look and feel of solid wood. Do you have shop and tool access? We can help you build it if you want to.

Do you mean strip the whole table? 4' X 8' or just a small area? Debra

Go big or stay at home!! Yep, it would be difficult to make the top look good with the veneer and just the underlayment. The underlayment is not finish grade material, so stripping the veneer and relaying a finish strata would be the best thing to do.

The challenge in repairing wood veneer is in matching the grain pattern. I would remove the veneer and replace it so that the entire top matches.

This is not a trivial task. You might check out some books on applying veneer to get a look at what the project entails.

If you live in a large metropolitan area, you might be able to find someone who does vacuum veneering. This might be a more affordable solution.

Hope this helps.

:) :) That was the answer I was looking for. I am up for the challenge as long as I know what it entails anyway. I will do some research and check it out. I have alot of work ahead of me anyway I bought the dining table, 6 chairs, and buffet that all needs some work. But they are Duncan Phife for $175.00. to me they are a steal. Anyway Thanks again for the help. Debra