How To Remove Veneer

So with my vanity project, I have been running into every issue that could come up. With the heat and humidity, it made all of the veneer on it bubble and crack throughout the piece. So I needed to remove it. I have come up with some steps on removing the veneer.

1. Pull off/ peel off any veneer with your hands.

If there is any part of the veneer that seems like it would be easy to peel off, try to do it since it will peel off in large chunks. I suggest that you where gloves when removing the veneer, so that you don't get any splinters

2. Use a metal scrapper or putty knife to loosen up pieces to peel.

Only use the corner of it to get underneath the veneer and not straight on. If you go straight on, you will more likely gouge the wood underneath.

3. If the veneer is still stubborn, use a hair dryer on high when the scraper is underneath the veneer.

You want to blow the hair dryer underneath the veneer, so that the glue will loosen and will make it easier to scrape up the veneer and possibly pull up.

4. Use a wet towel, if there is any hard/ stuck on pieces. 

Use an old towel and wet it with hot water and let it sit for about 20 minutes and they should just come up.

5. Blow Dry the glue and scrape up.

I have been told to use an iron to heat the glue, but I don't trust it and used the blow dryer. It still works, but takes a little bit longer. You want to keep the heat in a small area and scrape up the glue.

I hope my tips help you remove the old veneer on any of your pieces.

Four Drawer Coffee Table

So yet again I forgot to take pictures before I started working on this project. I know I get caught up in the moment of working on a new project. I found this piece at a local flea market for only fifteen dollars. But when I found this table it was a dark brown, almost black, with a lot of gouges all over the top of it. Now it is beautiful as ever and has been given a new life.

Walnut stain with Behr's White paint

I love, love, love the original hardware that came with the coffee table so much that I kept them and reused them on this piece. The one thing you can't tell in these pictures is that the drawers go both ways on the table so you put items in them on either side.

Up close of one of the drawer's handle

Side view of the coffee table

Handle on the side

I love the finished product so much that I will be using this once I have a place of my own. I can't wait to share more about the vanity project, once I have more work completed on it.

My first sale

So I finally feel like I accomplished something with Refurbishing From The Heart. I was able to sell the teal and white nesting tables on the 7th.

If you live in the Greater D.C. or Baltimore area and are interested in a piece I have completed email me at refurbishingfromtheheart@gmail.com.