Expert: Eileen Cronk - 11/14/2007

Question
Hello, I have several old family bureaus that are veneered, and I am hoping that if I remove the veneer, I will have a pretty pine bureau instead of one with 'alligatored' and broken veneer.  
We bought a 'Silent Paint Remover', which gets really hot, and I wondered if I could use that on the veneer to heat the glue so that I could peel off the veneer?
I looked at the inside of the drawers, and they look like they are solid wood, not scraps glued together, so isn't there a good chance that the bureau is solid wood too?
I just think that pine would be so much prettier than veneer which is trying to make the piece look grander than it is.
Is this crazy?
Thank you SO MUCH FOR YOUR ADVICE,
Sara

Answer
Hi Sara
Nice to hear from you.
This gadget you mention should certainly remove veneer.
I use an old iron set on high, and a 3 inch putty knife.
Start at an edge and heat that area.
As the glue softens, you can get the blade under the veneer.
Thats the good news LOL.
Heres the bad.
I have never seen nice wood under veneer. And I've seen under a lot of veneer LOL.
I have never seen pine under veneer either.
Pine is a soft wood, and hardwood is usually found under veneer.
Yes I have attempted what you want to do, but it doesn't work as the underlying wood is never uniform. I have seen several kinds of hardwood under a single veneered piece, and the look is quite ugly.
But if you think about when it was being made, the appearance of the underlying structure was not important as long as it was made correctly.
Most often you come across unsightly knots and holes which have been filled with putty.
But lets just say you went ahead and removed the veneer, and were not too disappointed with the underlying wood.
You are going to find that the glue used to hold the veneer just will not come totally off. It cannot even be sanded off enough to put an exceptable finish on.
In some cases though hot vinegar is sucessful in removing old glue. Just depends
Sara my intent is not to discourage you.
I understand you have these pieces and are looking for a way to make them presentable and usable...I don't quarrel with that I applaud it.
And if nothing else, you could make this a learning experience. So I would go ahead and get the broken veneer off of the worst piece. Who Knows, you could come up lucky and find something presentable.
And if its not to your liking, you can always paint.
If you painted, all that needs to be done after the veneer is removed is a good sanding to smooth the surface (the surface will tend to stay shiny, but thats the glue so just a nice smooth surface) and a coat of primer.
And what you will have is a dresser thats made a whole heck of a lot better than any you buy today.
Good Luck and great question which I enjoyed answering.
Kindest Regards
Eileen