Wood Veneer Cabinet

Wood veneer is thin slices of wood that are glued on to the surface of a solid core. The core will typically be made of plywood or fiberboard. The panels thus created are used to make cabinets, desks, etc. A wood veneer cabinet can have the beauty of an expensive solid wood cabinet.

Ask whether the core board and glues are formaldehyde-free to minimize off-gassing of formaldehyde, and look for FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council) Certification of the wood materials.

Look for high quality veneer, with edges designed so they won't peel over time.

The making of wood veneer makes full use of logs compared to making thicker, solid wood boards. The veneer is shaved off with a rotary lathe or a slicing machine, rather than cut with a saw the way thicker boards are.

The internal core can be medium-density fiberboard (MDF), which is made from sawdust and wood chips, hence potentially using a product that would otherwise be waste.

The use of wood veneer goes back at least 4,000 years. Early forms of veneer objects have been found in the tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs.