What is Veneer Furniture?

Veneer furniture is furniture made from plywood or fiberboard that is made to appear like furniture made from solid hardwood. This is done by gluing thin strips of hardwood onto the outside surfaces of the plywood or fiberboard furniture. This technique is very commonplace in items bought from modern furniture stores due to the ability of veneer furniture to be mass produced quickly and cheaply, reducing prices and increasing variety of the furniture they are able to sell. Veneer furniture is also easier to package and ship because it can be made thinner and lighter than furniture made of solid hardwoods.

Veneer furniture can be an attractive alternative to solid wood furniture because it is, more often than not, cheaper than solid wood furniture, and looks at a glance like the real thing (depending on the quality of the piece). There are, as in all consumer products, different tiers of quality within the veneer furniture spectrum. Depending on your budget you can get a beautiful piece of veneer furniture that looks very similar to a piece made from solid wood. On the other hand there are cheap veneers out there that aren't even made of wood, but rather paper printed to look like wood and glued on. This all depends on the brand and price range of the furniture you are looking at.

 Veneer can be an attractive alternative to solid wood furniture due to its economical prices in comparison to solid wood, but it has its down sides. Veneer furniture can't stand up to water as well as solid wood can. Once the fiberboard on the inside of the veneer gets wet it will expand and compromise the appearance of the piece. It also can not be repaired as solid wood furniture can. there is no sanding it down and putting another layer of sealer to get rid of the scratches. Once scratched it will, more often than not, remain that way.