Expert: Jamie Yocono - 1/10/2010

Question
I'm just curious and would really like to know what would cause the edge of my coffee table wood to bubble up over the years.  And I think after it started it kept getting worse.  All I could guess is maybe humidity or something spilled and I wasn't aware of it.  I always asked other people but no one seems to have an answer.  Thanks so much.

Answer
Hi Kathy,

When you say "bubble", do you mean the actually piece of wood edging on your table top, or do you mean the finish?  This is just a guess, because it's hard to know without seeing the actual area, but it sounds like it's the veneer coming apart from the substrate. It's probably occurring because the glue is failing.

Veneer is simply wood that is cut very thin. It saves furniture manufacturers money, because they can use a piece of particle board, and glue veneer down on it, giving it the appearance of solid wood. On the ends and edges, veneer must be applied, too, to cover the areas where the particle board shows.

So if your wood is bubbling, I'm guessing that the glue is failing, and the veneer is bubbling up. Sometimes this happens from moisture getting into that area and destroying the glue bond.

If you have access to wood clamps and an old syringe, you could try injecting a little bit of glue into the bubble. Yes, just like giving a person a shot, you're giving the wood a shot of glue. Try to get some glue under that bubble, then clamp it flat and see if the bubble disappears. Make sure you put a piece of wax paper between the clamp and the wood, or you might glue your clamp to the wood, leaving a bad mark. And be careful not to dent the wood with the clamp, either.

Another method to try - try ironing the bubble back into place. Sometimes, manufacturers use a heat activated wood glue. So if you can carefully to this - try putting a cloth over the bubble, then ironing it, to warm and remelt the glue. It's just a shot, but this might work. Hard to know what sort of wood glue they used.

Hope this helps. If either one of these suggestions don't work, I'm not sure what to tell you. Good luck,

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com
My woodworking blog: www.wooditis.blogspot.com