Photo: Matthew Byrne / Flickr

When a piece of furniture is veneered, it means that a thin layer of expensive cabinet wood is glued to an ordinary wooden base. Over time, the glue can loosen and the edges of the veneer can chip or warp. Often small pieces of the veneer will break off, leaving ugly gaps on a good piece. While it’s best to leave any serious damage to a professional furniture restorer, there’s no harm in repairing any minor blisters on veneer yourself.

Veneer blisters – ironing method

Little bubbles or blisters in veneer can be seen and felt. You’ll know for certain that it’s a blister if you can press down on a slightly raised area above the base wood. To repair such a blister, it may well work to iron it.

Dampen the blistered area with some hot water, place brown paper over the spot and top it with three layers of rag or cloth. Put your iron onto a medium setting and place it on top of the cloth for half a minute.

Remove everything from the veneer and place a cold and heavy item onto the blister. Leave it for the night by which time the old glue should have softened and hardened again.

Another option – cut and glue method

If the ironing trick doesn’t work, use a razor blade to cut a fine slit (along the grain) through the centre of the blister. Place a hot wet cloth over the area for a couple of minutes until the wood feels moist and flexible. Use a table knife to gently lift one side of the slit and squirt some glue into the area. Glue the other side in the same way.

Wipe off any remaining glue, place wax paper over the area and weight the section overnight or until it is dry.

Tags: furniture