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Veneers

Furniture Essentials

Many customers mistakenly assume that veneered furniture is inferior to or cheaper than solid wood; however, veneers are often utilized in high end furniture – including some of our collections at Williams-Sonoma, Inc.. In woodworking, veneer refers to thin slices of hardwood, usually thinners than 1/8 of an inch. Since veneer is glued with a waterproof adhesive to a stable substrate (engineered wood) it produces surfaces not prone to warp or splitting or seasonal movement (see module #1 for definition).

Types of Veneers

Solid Wood

As outlined in module one, Williams-Sonoma, Inc.. utilizes a variety of hardwoods within our furniture construction process. Veneers can be manufactured from any of the outlined hardwoods, and are especially useful when value and quality are a desired outcome. (See module one for types of hardwoods)

Exotic Veneers

Smoked Eucalyptus

A veneer that is created by fuming the wood created a dark brown tone. Eucalyptus veneer has a wide range of colors, textures and figures. Higher end furniture makers are quick to utilize this veneer, especially when a pink to golden brown color is desired.

Bird’s-eye Maple

The lumber from an American maple, typically the sugar maple, that contains eyelike markings, used in decorative woodwork. The first known use of Bird’s-Eye maple was in 1793.