Patching Sanded-Through Veneer

How to cut and patch a small area on a veneered panel. May 23, 2007

Question
I just veneered a mohogany table top and after staining it I realized that I had slightly sanded through the veneer. It’s a small spot on a seam where the two pieces of veneer ever so slightly overlapped. Anyway, my question is can I put a new layer of veneer over the first layer? Also will the glue adhere properly to the stained first layer after heavily sanding it? I’m using urea resin glue.

Forum Responses
(Veneer Forum)
From contributor F:
I am guessing you are short of veneer and that is why you would prefer to veneer one side of the old work instead of two sides of a new substrate, or maybe you applied moulding and don’t want to lose the time. It is always recommended that the same amount of veneer (thickness) be applied to both faces of a substrate. If the stain was oil based you might run into adhesion problems even if you sand it with the accuracy of a wide belt.

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From contributor J:
If I understand right, you need to repair the spot where you sanded through. I've done that before and the thing to do is take another piece or scrap of the same veneer (a patch) and lay it over the area to be repaired. Line up the grain and figure as good as you can and cut a curved shape out of the veneer that is on the surface. Clean the area of the veneer down to the substrate, then cut the patch to match the area you cut out. Apply glue to the substrate and apply pressure by whatever means you used to veneer in the first place. (This is where a vac bag is great.) Then be really careful when you sand again since that area of original veneer is slightly thinner than the patch. It sounds far harder than it is but it does take some time and patience. This trick is detailed in several veneer books also.