Veneer Disaster...can anyone help???

[tin can luv]

Early last week I veneered one of five doors that had the old plastic wood grain veneer. IT was too hard to remove the old veneer, so I sanded the door down, used the contact cement recomended by the veneer dealer, followed all of the rules, and ended up with a disaster.

I waited the alotted amount of time before adhering the veneer to the door. We used the J roller to compress the surfaces, and after two days, there was a bubble we couldn't get rid of. Then when I checked it around day five, the veneer had buckled EVERYWHERE!!!...The picture attached is dark, to show the bumps.

The cement container said that no additional pressure would be needed after rolling it the first time....

So.... how the heck to I get the veneer off to try again??? Does anyone know what might have gone wrong? I have to get this done, but terrified to continue with the four doors in the bedroom.

Thanks for any help.

Ron

[tin can luv]

Dark picture shows bumps, that can't even be rolled out at this point...

[Edie]

EEEEWWWW!

Did you contact the dealer who sold the products and gave the advice? That's where I'd start.

BTW - were the humidity and temperature controlled while setting/drying?

[tin can luv]

I didn't even think about the humidity....what an idiot. Last week the humidity was 100%...I'm screwed arent I???

[campcollector]

Can you use a heat gun to soften the glue and remove the veneer?

[Katt]

I guess making a pin hole, like they do in wallpapering, wouldn't work. I came across this website though.

http://www.oakwoodveneer.com/tips/hints.html


maybe it will help.

[thenewkid64]

You could sand them down and do it again............

Here is what I will guess happened. The door has a vinyl plastic laminate ( not like formica) on it from the factory. You mention sanding it. That is normally a good thing, but not really necessary with a contact style cement. In this case I would assume that in some spots the sanding cut through the plastic coating. The Glue that you used was likely solvent-based glue. This glue came in contact with the OEM glue and had a reaction AFTER the veneer was stuck to the old vinyl so the gas that was formed could not easily get out. If the glue used was water-based glue I don't think this would have happened.

The way to tell what kind of glue you have is based on the clean up instructions, water, or mineral spirits. If it says mineral spirits then it is solvent based. It could also have been a reaction between the solvent and the vinyl itself.

[Holzarbeiter]

What kind of backing is on the veneer, if any? There are paper, foil and laminate backers as well as veneers with no backing that need an underlayment. Since you are going over a laminate that you sanded i would recommend a laminate backed veneer. What kind of contact cement did you use? Depending on what type of backing, a heat gun and a putty knife work well for removing veneer that has not been down for too long. You can try cutting the bubbles with a razor blade following the direction of the grain and rerolling the area, apply some heat and see if it will lay down. If this works you may need to retrim the other side of the cut since now the veneer might lap.
Good luck,
Felix

[87MH]

....it's hard to determine from just the photos, but I don't think that sanding is an option at this point.

The next step I would consider would be to minimize the voids (cut the bubbled areas out, or take them off with a really course belt sander), and scab a piece of 1/8" or 3/16" level-finish board over the exposed surface, and then install your laminate over the leveling board.

Ron,
Was the glue coverage 100%, as ant even small areas that weren't may cause that area to swell, greating bubbles. Also on laminates you coat both surfaces before applying the finished surface. You can use brown paper or news paper betwee the two two surfaces to make your alignment. It wont stick to the glue as long as there is no pressure and the glue is dry, as it shoul b.Just slowly slip it out as you apply the veneer. It just helps to make sure your grain is truly running vertical before you reach that point of no return. And then of course roll everthing out.
jack

My typing skills leave to be desired.
JACK

[joel]

One of the problems you may have is the solvent in the contact cement may have disolved some of the old plastic laminate causeing it to turn loose.The only way I know to remove the new veneer is to scrap maost of it off with a sharp putty knife or a 1" wide wood chisel. You can use a stripper specifficaly for glue to remove it . I have found Bix to be one of the best. Try it on a small area first to determine if it will melt the plactic finish too. I would try to use a water base contact cement to glue the veneer down next time and if you use the water base you can do it inside if the label says non flammable.That will solve the humidity problem

[tin can luv]

Thanks for all of the help, as always. I think I will try the water based cement first. The screwed up door is the only one in the kitchen area, the other four I have to do are in the bedroom. The screwed up one can be replaced if necessary, with a piece of plywood. It will be heavier, but I figure not too much to worry about since it's just one door.

I'll keep you all posted, off to work on the aluminum veneer inside........Hope that goes better LOL

Thanks again
Ron

[Edie]

Originally Posted by tin can luv

The screwed up one can be replaced if necessary, with a piece of plywood.

You might contact a salvage yard like Colaw's and sse if you can get an original style door for the replacement.

Better luck with the next doors!