# Any Techique for Repairing a Sanding-Thru Cherry Veneer Plywood Mistake?



## gerrym526 (Dec 22, 2007)

Guys,
Got a little too aggressive sanding down solid cherry edging to even out the surface with the cherry ply piece it was edging.
Now I have about a 1/8 inch square sand-thru of the cherry veneer ply that exposes the much lighter birch ply layer under the cherry-ouch!
Any way I can darken the color of the birch to take attention away from the goof up?
Finish will be General Gel Topcoat, no stain to hide the different color vs. the cherry ply.
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Gerry


----------



## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

Switch to paint or start over.

I don't mean to be so flippant - but I've done the same thing and I know no way to fix it.


----------



## huff (May 28, 2009)

Gerry, Here's a little tip I've used to touch up something like that or where you may have rubbed or sanded thru a stain. Trying to use a regular stain or a touch up pen like you find in Lowe's or HD usually won't take or add any color. I've found some colored pens in one of the major craft stores ( Like A.C.Moore's, Michaels or JoAnn fabric & craft stores) I believe they're called LePlume II Markers. They come in assorted colors and each one has a fine point on one end and an extra fine on the other end. They have 3 or 4 different colors in tan to brown. I use these a lot for touch up. With the extra fine tip, you can really color right up to the solid wood without it bleeding over. Go over the top with a clear coat, should be fine. You will have to play with colors some, but worth the try. Good luck.


----------



## rhett (May 11, 2008)

If you are lucky enough to have a scrap piece of the cherry ply with the matching grain pattern you can cut off the top layer of veneer "thin" and glue it down over your mistake. If clamped with a soft caul and glued down you can feather out the patch to almost hide the flaw.


----------



## canadianchips (Mar 12, 2010)

You never mentioned where or what this piece is used for. I would try inlaying veneer. It takes time, but you will learn from it. A sharp utility knife, a sharp chisel, some glue and some clamps. GOOD LUCK


----------



## uffitze (Apr 23, 2010)

Like canadianchips and rhett say, inlay some veneer … it's called a dutchman patch.

You can't stain your way out of the situation because the cherry will get darker as it ages, and the birch won't.


----------



## CharlesNeil (Oct 21, 2007)

The best veneer guy i know… hope it helps http://www.monsterwoodshop.com/articles/RepairingVeneer.pdf


----------



## gerrym526 (Dec 22, 2007)

Guys,
Thanks for all the input. I did some Google searches and found this link-it describes exactly what I did (i.e. sand thru the super thin veneer on cabinet grade plywood) and describes the fix (pretty close to the technique Huff described). I'm trying it tonite and will let you all know how it turns out.

http://www.hardwoodlumberandmore.com/TipSheets/VeneerRepair.html

Gerry


----------



## uffitze (Apr 23, 2010)

Do what you want Gerry, but that cherry ply is going to darken with time, and your "artistic" staining of the core laminations will not. A dutchman patch can be done in such a way that it is next to invisible … the trick is to get your inlay piece to match the grain pattern of the patch area, then follow the grain when you cut out the defect area.


----------

