Expert: Eileen Cronk - 8/25/2007

Question
I have a dresser with the name of united furniture manufacturing etawah, tenn. on the back. it has a round mirror and mirror in bottom on shelf. the veneer is coming off in places how can i fix this and how old is it.

Answer
Hi Frances
Nice to hear from you.
If the veneer is missing, you cannot fix it yourself.
If the veneer is still there only loose, it can be glued back down with care.
It can be a tricky job Frances. You have to assemble clamps, weights of some description, protective wood blocks.
The idea is to force glue under every single spot of the loose veneer.
Then the clamping or weights applied after protective wood blocks have been placed over the area.
The clamping or weights are done in any fashion that will ensure the entire loose veneer has pressure applied to it.
The good news is this works well if the veneer has not expanded. Veneer will expand as any wood will over time.
If the veneer has expanded, it will not go back into place properly.
Not a job for the faint hearted LOL.
You can easily tell the age of your dresser by removing the back of the mirror.
The date of manufacture will be stamped on the back of the glass.
Hope this helps
Regards
Eileen