TommyC Posted September 11, 2005 Share Posted September 11, 2005 Hey guys. I have offered to help a friend of my stepson refinish some garage sale Heresies that she uses in her dorm room. The factory oiled walnut veneer is completely trashed. There are several gouges all the way through to the ply. Is it possible to strip the veneer off? Af first we were thinking fill all the gouges, sand smooth and paint, but after reading posts on here about veneering, you guys have ruined her! Her plan is to get out the ole belt sander and just let'er rip till she has removed all the veneer. I guess it will work, but I wanted to chech with you guys and see if there is other alternatives. If worse comes to worse with the belt sander o' doom, we can always go back to fill and paint! [] On a side note, the drivers in the pair are completely different! She doesn't care as all she wants right now is Loud and they do that just fine! [Y] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Mobley Posted September 11, 2005 Share Posted September 11, 2005 belt sander will work, get the finest grit belts you can. Hopefully, you can find 80 or 120. the 60 grit deal on a belt sander is brutal. Regardless, the main trick is to keep the sander moving at all times amd don't let it like teeter on the edges. It will round off edges instantly. It will also dig holes if left stationary. If you can find a piece of plywood scrap to get a little practice with it will be well worth your while. Or, consider starting on the bottoms. really, if you're going to re-veneer there's not much point in stripping the old veneer off. fill the gouges with Bondo or other wood putty. try to fill the corners and edges to keep from having hollow areas under the veneer. Run a belt sander with finest paper over the old finish to give it a little tooth, start veneering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyC Posted September 11, 2005 Author Share Posted September 11, 2005 Thanks for the info Tom. I am just providing technical support, tools, and working space. She is doing the work. What ever I tell her, she will proably end up doing it the way she wants anyway! (ever tried reasoning with a 19 y/o girl?) [] I just don't want to see her ruin her speakers! She spent an hour with the belt sander today practicing on some old shipping crates and is actually pretty steady. I just need to get some new belts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted September 11, 2005 Share Posted September 11, 2005 No, no, no! A belt sander is not a good idea unless you are exceptionally good with it. It is the easiest way to ruin the cabinets. At the very least you are likely to wind up with a wavy finish and rounded corners. The veneer job is only as good as the substrate. There is no need to remove all the veneer. Just remove loose veneer. Fill cracks, splits, etc. with wood putty, bondo, glue and sawdust or whatever your favorite filler is. Sand gently and carefully with a finish sander or by hand so you don't get waves or rounded corners. Then veneer. And I would recommend practicing that before you do it if you haven't done it before. FWIW IMHO it is easier and faster to build new cabinets for Heresys than to prep the old ones and reveneer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted September 12, 2005 Share Posted September 12, 2005 If she's stuck on removing the veneer, maybe try a heat gun? I agree that cutting loose with the belt sander is the worst technique to use. Every little gouge will show through in the final veneer. Better to just use chisel of putty knife to remove the loose- don't sand!- and fill the gouges. Then BLOCK SAND for a smooth finish prior to putting on new veneer. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyC Posted September 13, 2005 Author Share Posted September 13, 2005 Well. I talked her out of the belt sander idea. (actually, I think the damage she did to the shipping crate did!). She has now spent several hours removing loose veneer and filling all the gouges with wood filler, and they are starting to look a lot better. All she needs to do is perfect her corner restoration technique and do some finish sanding, and they will be ready for new veneer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popbumper Posted September 13, 2005 Share Posted September 13, 2005 Tommy: I work in a cabinet shop here in Plano; get the surface FILLED and SMOOTH, and then get new veneer on there with contact cement. If you need some guidance, please phone me at 972 578 1049 (shop number), I'll be happy to help - and I work with a guy who has 10 years of veneer experience, and helped me with my Cornwall cabinet construction/veneer. Also, I am on the DFW hornheads group. Chris Munson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted September 13, 2005 Share Posted September 13, 2005 Man, I kind of liked the heat gun idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylanl Posted September 13, 2005 Share Posted September 13, 2005 This is going to be a tough job no matter what you do.[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg928gts Posted September 15, 2005 Share Posted September 15, 2005 Filling and sanding is the proper way to prep these for new veneer. However, do not use a belt sander. You do not need to remove the old veneer unless it is loose. Try a random orbit palm sander and use the old veneer as the base to guide the sander over the surface. The old veneer is flat and if you use that as a guide while sanding the filled areas, the new substrate that you make will also be flat. Use a setting-type filler, like bondo. I use Minwax high-performance wood filler, which is basically bondo. It sands very smooth and can be shaped to re-form a very sharp corner. It is also durable, much more so than regular wood filler. NBL backed veneer with contact cement is the easiest way for a novice to apply new veneer. Practice on another small object first to get the hang of cutting the excess off and making nice edges. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyC Posted September 20, 2005 Author Share Posted September 20, 2005 Well, after a lot of filling and sanding, she has arrived at two very smooth cabinets with nice sharp corners. She just happened to use the Minwax wood filler recommended here, because the man at the place where she bought it told her it was the best for her purposes. She wanted me to ask if you guys think she should fill the staple impressions on the front and the small gap around the board the drivers mount to before she repaints the black part. I think it will look better if she does, but she wants to make sure she doesn't do something that she shouldn't after all the work she has put into them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted September 20, 2005 Share Posted September 20, 2005 yes, fill the staple holes and any voids in the wood with the filler. I'd use a latex paintable caulk for the seam between motor board and sides. Smooth it down real well after application with a finger or damp sponge. Do not use silicone, it will not take paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyC Posted September 20, 2005 Author Share Posted September 20, 2005 They are now officially ready for veneer. she filled all the staple holes, calked the seam around the motorboard and painted the black parts back to a nice flat black. then.... she surrendered! [] She has decided after a few test runs that she is not ready to do veneer on these cabinets so she sweet talked her dad into paying to have them done. She said thanks for all the help and suggestions, but she just does not want to ruin these now that they are starting to look so good! A smart move in my oppinion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg928gts Posted September 22, 2005 Share Posted September 22, 2005 I always wait until after I apply the veneer to paint the backs, that way I can also paint the back edge of the veneer. Then I tape and cover the new black backs while I do the last sanding and finish on the new veneer. Professionally done is a good thing. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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