Solid vs. Veneer Wood Curios

A buying guide

Questions concerning the differences between solid wood and veneer construction are common whenever the typical consumer begins a search for wood furniture. In fact, consumers have been arguing this debate for about four thousand years.

The history of veneer

The ancient Egyptians are credited with the first use of veneer construction, which takes thin layers of wood (or other materials, such as ivory or marble) and permanently bonds them to a center core usually made of a coarser wood. The purpose of veneer construction is to create a balanced or uniform surface design. Thin, consecutive layers from one log could be used to create a matching or repeating grain pattern - an impossibility with solid wood.

Before the Industrial Revolution of the late 19th century, slicing such thin pieces of material was a costly, labor intensive process that required skilled hands and the most advanced cutting tools of the age. With such high production costs, very few people could afford the uniform beauty of veneer. Still, despite the poor quality of adhesives at the time, many centuries-old veneer pieces have been preserved in museums and private collections, due mostly to the fact that veneers provide greater dimensional stability than solid wood.

The layers of veneer are placed so that their grain is at a 90 degree angle to underlying layers, which means that when the wood shrinks and swells, it will do so uniformly in all directions. Solid wood is not as adaptable to natural shrinking and swelling, which renders it more prone to splitting and cracking.

Until the 1930s, the use of veneer was slightly compromised by the adhesives available at the time. The glue was simply not good enough to match the endurance of the solid wood core. Even then, however, veneer was regarded as more beautiful than solid wood because of the balance and symmetry it offered.

With advances in technology, veneer became more affordable and naturally became more popular. Today, nearly eighty percent of wood furniture in every price range is manufactured using veneer construction. With the progress made in adhesive technology over the past few decades, furniture made with veneer construction is stronger than ever, even more durable than solid wood.

A case for solid wood

Solid wood furniture offers its own brand of unique, natural beauty, though it is not as "solid" as its name implies. It is simply not cost feasible to carve an entire piece of furniture from a single piece of wood, even if the tree were of sufficient diameter. Solid wood furniture is actually made up of several narrow planks cut to a desired width and laid side by side.

The verdict?

So which furniture construction is better, solid or veneer? The answer to that age-old question is still not absolute. Veneer offers beautiful symmetric and consistent grain patterns and can be shaped into graceful curves not possible with solid wood. Plus, veneer is stronger and more durable than solid wood. But there is also something very special, too, about the nostalgic, natural beauty of solid wood. Choosing between solid wood and wood veneer furniture is really just a matter of taste.

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