Gluing veneer without clamps

Vacuum press will do the job, or good old hide glue and hammer veneering.

-- I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso

Second the hide glue and veneer hammer. It has excellent initial grab but can be taken apart if necessary.

http://www.inthewoodshop.org/2005/hideglue.shtml

-- Steve, Webster Groves, MO

Now let me understand this, you would be applying the veneer to a cove ceiling? So that means you would be doing the work overhead?

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

right. It is a drop down ceiling with a continuous curve on the inside and an outside shape of a rectangle. All work is done overhead.

This is a tough one.

I would never use contact cement with veneer. It always creeps and cracks over time.

I had a lively debate with a guy from one of the local shops because they did the cabinets and teller stations for my local credit union. They used contact cement and within 5 years it looks like CRAP!

Score one for the American Craftsman workshop and zero for the local commercial shop. But they don’t give a crap about quality and the construction company wanted it cheap, so …

I am not sure that there is an easy solution to this one. You are being asked to put veneer over something that is already stained and finished. This is not going in a good direction.

Without being on site it is very difficult to make a solid recommendation.

Is there a chance of toning or glazing to get it to come around to an acceptable or complimentary color? Is painting it a complimentary color an option? Keep in mind if it is oak, the grain texture will show through the paint.

I have said “no” to jobs that I did not feel comfortable backing up.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

is it possible to veneer it correcty to a bendable substrate and then glue the substrate to the ceiling? not much experience in veneering but maybe that would allow you to use your contact cement

-- James, Bluffton, IN

We have run up against this sort of thing before. Generally speaking, this is the kind of job you walk away from. The client wants something inexpensive, AND it can be done…..BUT, not cheaply.

It is possible to actually build a new ceiling that would fit into this one and do it right. But, if that were the case, it would probably be just as cheap and most likely better to rip out the old one and do it right from the start.

Fixing the mistakes of others is almost always more expensive and more problematic than demo and rebuild. I walk away from these. This is what we call “polishing a turd.” [no matter how shiny you get it…..it’s still a turd.]

-- arborial reconfiguration specialist

See if this procedure might work for you. http://lumberjocks.com/tenontim/blog/8856

-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com

It is a red oak plywood that has been butchered with stain. There is no finish on the ply. They slapped wood filler all over it and tried to stain it and it looks like garbage.

My plan was to sand the existing plywood smooth. Glue and brad nail 1/4” cherry on the underside and flush trim it to the curves. Then go through with the cherry veneer and glue it to the inside and outside vertical sections (using the veneer to cap the edge of the new plywood).

I’m confident they will like the results as the sample was appreciated, I just want to make sure that the veneer sticks up there well and I have time to reposition it to follow the contours of the curves.

I would politely decline doing the job as is or suggest ripping the ceiling down and doing it over.

-- http://www.furnituremann.ca/

Just for the sake of knowing what you are trying to do, can you take a few pictures and post them for us to see. I just did some curved brow windows and I am getting ready to do a blog on how I did these. Maybe I can help if I knew what exactly the ceiling looks like.

-- Jerry--A man can never have enough tools or clamps

OK. I can’t get a picture but I drew it up on sketchup to try and give you a visual of what it looks like.

Here is the general idea of what is existing.

Picture it all in oak plywood. I want to add the new cherry ply on the bottom, then stick the veneer to the inside and outside parts.

Thanks for the help

Ok. How tall is the inside and outside portions you want to veneer? I’m thinking this may not be as bad as it looks.

-- Jerry--A man can never have enough tools or clamps

10 inches top to bottom

there are some bad butt joints in the existing plywood that I need to fill and sand down smooth to accept the veneer. I have some hide glue that I planned on using for the veneering.

I think you would be ok with contact cement on this project. You could spray your veneer and when it is dry to touch you could roll it up backwards where the glue is against the front of the veneer and then apply it carefully. You have the ceiling to keep it straight and if you do it this way you could press it on by hand and then roll it with a j-roller. I would definitely sand all the finish off first and then apply 2 coats to the wood and on coat to the veneer, but be sure the first coat on the wood is dry before applying the second coat. If you need any more info please PM me with your questions.

-- Jerry--A man can never have enough tools or clamps

Yes be sure to fill all the bad places and sand smooth or they will show after applying the veneer. I use bondo for filling cracks and voids when applying veneers. Wood filler will sometimes shrink and show.

-- Jerry--A man can never have enough tools or clamps

I would go with Jerry’s plan

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

I’m in the middle of a veneering job my self and i’m using 2 different methods that are working very well. First never use contact cement, 50/50 chance it will fail in the future. They do sell a peel and stick veneer that i’m using and getting very good results. I know a lot of people hate this stuff but if you really, really hammer this stuff down it will stay. The other method I’m using is Heat Lock glue. Apply it to both sutfaces and let it dry. Place the veener on the substrate and heat with an iron. Start at one end and just keep going. You will probably need an edge banding iron for the inside curves. This stuff does work very well and is almost goof proof and lets you apply at your own pace. You can read about it at veneer supplies . com. One more thing get paid by the hour.

-- Mike, Westport MA.

You wouldn’t believe how shotty the existing work was on this project, the drop down ceiling is held in place by 2×4 blocks that are nailed to a piece of 1/4” plywood that is screwed to the ceiling. You can wobble and yank the blocks right out… Amazingly bad.

So I had to tear out the bottom half of the ceiling and redo it, I will let you know how the veneering comes along.

thanks for all the help

You might want to check out the destructive bond dual-sided tape mentioned in this thread…

http://www2.swaylocks.com/forums/hollow-surfboard-rail-laminating

I have never tried it before, but it sounds like it would be ideal for your project.

-- Scott, San Diego