Reconstituted veneer, also known as engineered veneer, composite veneer, or man-made veneer, is a type of material used in furniture making and interior design to provide a wood-like appearance on surfaces. Unlike traditional veneers which are sliced directly from hardwood logs, reconstituted veneers are manufactured through a process that reconstructs wood to form sheets with consistent grain patterns and colors.
Here is how reconstituted veneer material is created and its properties:
Source Material: Reconstituted veneer is made from fast-growing tropical species or plantation woods, which are more ecologically sustainable compared to slow-growing hardwoods. The original wood material is often of lower quality and may not be attractive or even in its natural form, but it serves as a suitable base for reconstituting.
Processing:
The wood is first rotary cut or sliced into very thin sheets. These sheets are then dyed to achieve the desired color. The dyed sheets can be layered and glued together in a manner that allows the grain patterns to be manipulated, creating uniform and repetitive designs that would be hard to find in natural veneers. The wood is then processed under heat and pressure, which bonds the layers into a solid block.
Re-slicing: After the dyed and glued wood has been fused into a block, it is again sliced into thin veneers that can be applied to various substrates, like particleboard, MDF (medium-density fiberboard), or plywood, providing the look of real wood on furniture and paneling.
