Suitable veneer?

[perky416]

Hi all,

I have recently became intrigued with wood working and im looking to build a computer desk out of MDF for a hobby project. One problem im having however is finding a suitable veneer. I did try to post a link of the surface id like on my desk but I guess as i have just joined the forum I am not aloud. Please go onto google images and search for "Home Zone Hollywood Chest of Drawers - Walnut Veneer" to see what I am trying to achieve.

Please could someone advise what type of veneer i could use to get this finish? I have found an iron on type however at around £25 for 98" x 11.5" it would cost me around £100 just to cover the top board of the desk.

All help is greatly appreciated.

 

[barkwindjammer]

Can help with the image but not a product I'm afraid Perky

 

[Chrispy]

You could buy a 2.4m x 1.2m sheet of MDF already veneered for less.

 

[perky416]

Thanks for the image.

Is veneer generally that expensive? I can buy a ready made desk for around £135. Id like to make my own to my own specification however if the price is silly it wont really be worth it.

 

[carlb40]

Veneer like timber will vary in price depending on the quality and size. You can buy a veneer sheet with plain grain cheapish. But once you start looking at the nice figured stuff the price will go up.


This is about half the price of the one you mention, but you will need to factor in glue aswell

 

[perky416]

Does anybody know where I can find a veneer like the one in the picture and what type of veneer it should be? The only walnut i can seem to find for sale is american black walnut.

 

[carlb40]

Does anybody know where I can find a veneer like the one in the picture and what type of veneer it should be? The only walnut i can seem to find for sale is american black walnut.

Well if you don't want black walnut, you would need to ask/search for english/european walnut

I may be mistaken but the pic looks like black walnut to me

 

[perky416]

Ahhh right, I have been searching for European walnut but I cant seem to find any that looks like the picture. Black walnut seems to be darker. Its as though the picture above is somewhere in between.

 

[carlb40]

Depends on the shading. As it's a natural product you will get various shades of brown. If you look on ebay for walnut veneer you will see a big difference in shades. Plus the cabinet in the pic has been professionally lit so may look lighter than it is in real life

 

[perky416]

I see what you mean, what a pain , do they do an artificial variant? I have tried searching for walnut effect wood laminate but keep getting laminate flooring and worktops.

 

[carlb40]

Well they do make a plastic walnut laminate. Which would be the same as what is used on worktops.

It would be stuck on with contact adhesive, and normally comes in 10ft x 3 or 4ft sheets.

Not sure what part of brum you are in, but have a look for barlow boards in tysley they do a walnut laminate

http://www.barlowsboards.co.uk/laminate.htm


PS i have no affiliation with barlow boards. I just live 5 min from them

 

[carlb40]

Does it have to be walnut veneer?

How about teak?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Real-Teak-Ven ... 3ccf3aee2c

 

[perky416]

How about that im from marston green, not far from the wheatsheaf, tysley is about 15 minutes away. It doesn't have to be walnut i just love that colour in the picture. Is veneer typically what mdf, chipboard etc.. furniture is finished with or are there other types of wood effect surfacing?

 

[carlb40]

Most of it nowadays is mdf/chipboard but think the cheaper stuff doesn't seem to use a real wood veneer.
Any type of additional surface would be a veneer. You can still get that stick on vinyl veneer popular in the 70's/ 80's :shock:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Peel-and-Stic ... 460bed2f9f