How Not to Remove Veneer

When I started working on this dresser it had a mess of veneer peeling on the drawer fronts. Almost like the previous owners left just the drawer fronts out in the rain for months on end. The rest of the dresser was in excellent condition but the veneer was a serious mess.


There was a raised panel of veneer applied to each of the drawer fronts. First, I tried to repair it with wood glue and clamps. No go. Then I thought I might just remove the big chunks and then use wood filler to fill in the gaps. Ummm, yeah, no. Then I had the bright idea to just remove the first layer of veneer and sand down the second layer and paint that. Again, a bad idea. The second layer was too damaged and was peeling beyond repair. Yikes!

Finally, I noticed that the actual drawer was a  pretty maple and I thought that removing all of the veneer should be simple. Right? Of course, wrong. What was I thinking? Somewhere, I remember reading that if you warm the wood with an iron, it warms and loosens the glue on the veneer making the removal easier. Not at my house. It actually adhered it to the wood better than ever. Lovely. Nothing but old fashioned hard work helped. And a chisel. And a hammer.


A huge pile of veneer later...

Ta daaaa! All of the veneer was gone.

After a good sanding, I stripped the top with Citristrip and stained it with General Finishes Gel Stain in Java, then 3 coats of poly. Next, I painted the body of the dresser with ASCP in Country Gray and the drawer fronts with only a very light coat of Old White because I wanted them super distressed. 

Lots and lots of hard work later, here it is. I love it. Would I do it again? Absolutely not. I think I might pass on this dresser given the chance. I am glad I had the opportunity to learn what not to do and that the result was good. But, man was it a lot of work!!

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