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Furniture Essentials
Veneers
Many customers mistakenly assume that veneered furniture is inferior to or cheaper than
solid wood; however, veneers are often utilized in high end furniture – including some of
our collections at Williams-Sonoma, Inc..
In woodworking, veneer refers to thin slices of hardwood, usually thinners than 1/8 of an
inch. Since veneer is glued with a waterproof adhesive to a stable substrate (engineered
wood) it produces surfaces not prone to warp or splitting or seasonal movement (see
module #1 for definition).
Types of Veneers
Solid Wood
As outlined in module one, Williams-Sonoma, Inc.. utilizes a variety of hardwoods
within our furniture construction process. Veneers can be manufactured from any
of the outlined hardwoods, and are especially useful when value and quality are a
desired outcome. (See module one for types of hardwoods)
Exotic Veneers
Smoked Eucalyptus
A veneer that is created by fuming the wood created a dark brown tone.
Eucalyptus veneer has a wide range of colors, textures and figures. Higher end
furniture makers are quick to utilize this veneer, especially when a pink to golden
brown color is desired.
Bird’s-eye Maple
The lumber from an American maple, typically the sugar maple, that contains
eyelike markings, used in decorative woodwork. The first known use of Bird’s-Eye
maple was in 1793.