Kitchen cabinets: what is a wood veneer?

What exactly is a wood veneer?

A veneer is essentially a thin decorative covering, and a wood veneer is a covering that’s made from ultra thin layers of natural wood, which are sliced or ‘peeled’ from the log and then bonded to both sides of a strong core material. Typically in modern kitchen manufacture a hardwood veneer will be added to a high-quality MDF base.

The process of veneering allows the natural grain patterns of the original wood to be retained, resulting in a beautiful product that has its own individual character, but is also durable and will stand the test of time.

What are the benefits of using a wood veneer?

The most obvious advantage of veneered cabinetry is affordability. A wood veneer is more cost-effective than solid wood, while still looking stunning and allowing you to showcase the beautiful natural patterns of the wood grain.  But veneering isn’t just a ‘cheap alternative’ to solid wood: there are many ways in which it’s a better, wiser, more ethical choice. The benefits include:

• Sustainability – a wood veneer is created from a piece of solid wood that’s been sliced into multiple layers, meaning you can make much more from a single piece of wood.

• Durability – a wood veneer is more stable than solid wood and less susceptible to environmental factors such as changes in temperature and humidity, so it’s less prone to splitting, cracking or warping over time 

• Aesthetics – wood veneers can come in a wide variety of different colours, styles and finishes, making them perfect for creating beautiful, bespoke kitchen cabinets tailored to your favourite look, whether that’s traditional, minimalist or very contemporary.

• Versatility– A wood veneer is lighter and easier to manipulate than solid wood, meaning it can be more easily manipulated into a range of different shapes and designs, allowing for a truly bespoke kitchen layout built for your home and life.