Expert: Eileen Cronk - 8/25/2008

Question
Hi Eileen,

I recently found for free a lovely old buffet with water damage to the top on the veneer.  It has buckled in several areas which I was able to just peel off easily.  The veneer that is not damaged is my problem and I want to know how to get it off.  It seems to be thicker than most veneers.  Once I get it off I am just going to paint it black.

Answer
Hi Lisa
Nice to hear from you.
This is going to be a wonderful fix and should extend the life of this lovely old piece.
Veneer is easy to remove if you know how.
Use a hot iron. If you have an old one great as it messes it up a bit LOL.
Set it on hot.
Place it along an edge to get started.
Have a 3 inch metal scraper at hand to get under the veneer at the edge as the glue softens.
Then just continue in this way..heating and lifting from underneath with your scraper. You'll get the hang of it in minutes.
That answers your question but I'll add my two cents worth too LOL.
You will find under the veneer, wood that is not so great.
You want to paint it so you need a super nice surface.
There are likely knot holes and cracks that need filling and sanding.
Also you may find the boards do not all run the same way.
So be prepared for lots of filling and sanding.
A random orbit sander is a must for this sanding.
If you don't have one try to borrow one.
Any problems get back to me.
Great project
Regards
Eileen