What is birch veneer and where is it used?

Birch veneer is a very popular facing material. It is cheap, environmentally friendly and has high decorative qualities. A wide variety of types will allow you to choose the right type of veneer for any construction or decorative work.

Veneer is a thin cut of birch. The maximum thickness of this material is about 1 cm. The color range varies from beige-yellow to light brown shades. Most of the raw materials for birch veneer come from Europe and America. Moreover, some trees can be damaged by pests, and this only increases the decorative qualities of the material and, as a result, its cost.

The veneer production process includes several stages.

1. Quality material is carefully selected. There should be no big defects on the raw material: diseased bark, huge knots, damage to the wood.
2. Next, the bark is removed from suitable samples and placed in containers of hot water.
3. Then, using special equipment, thin layers of wood are cut off from the tree and placed in a dryer.
4. After the material has dried out, it is sorted and sent to the workshop for gluing.
5. The sheets are covered with a special protective varnish, which reliably protects the product from external influences.

Birch is a very popular material for veneer production. This is possible due to the high indicators of decorativeness and quality, as well as the availability of this wood species. Birch is highly durable, which means that even thin products from this tree can withstand significant loads. Birch veneer is a budget material, however, if it is made from Karelian birch, then its cost increases significantly. Products made from such raw materials belong to the premium segment and are among the most expensive.

Veneered wood sheets have good performance characteristics, but only if certain temperature and humidity indicators are observed.

Veneer, depending on the production technology, is of several types.

1. Sliced. Made from the finest parts of the birch trunk. Has a pronounced noble texture and color. The veneer made in this way is indistinguishable in appearance from solid wood. Possesses high moisture and wear resistance.
2. Natural. This type of material fully conveys the individual pattern and structure of the wood. Has a natural appearance. In order to obtain a natural veneer, the wood is cut into shavings. It is used for the production of plywood and "wood" plastic.
3. Peeled. This material differs from all other types of veneer in its small thickness in the range of 1.15-2.5 mm. This is the most budgetary option for facing material. It has a low decorative effect, therefore it is rarely used as a decoration. The most common product made from this material is matches.
4. Sawed. This type is one of the most expensive. In the production of such material, about 60% of the wood goes to waste (sawdust). Sawed veneer has high performance and decorative properties.This is a very beautiful material that is often used to decorate luxury furniture and the production of musical instruments.
5. Fine Line. This type of veneer is widely used due to the fact that it can be easily painted in any color. That is, the sheet material made of cheap wood can be given the appearance of valuable species. Fine Line veneer is very elastic, easily takes the shape of bulky objects. In addition, the canvas is notable for its democratic value.

Veneer is a natural material that is not inferior in its decorativeness to natural wood, but costs an order of magnitude cheaper. It is these parameters that make it possible to widely use this material for a wide variety of purposes.

It is used for the production of multilayer plywood sheets, boxes, matches. And also they are faced with blanks from MDF, chipboard and drywall. The material is also perfect for renovation work. So, with its help you can repair old furniture - both cabinet and upholstered.

The material has proven itself well as cladding for facades of furniture, doors, floor coverings, as well as sports equipment. It has high decorative characteristics, therefore it is very often used in design work.

Sawed veneer is used for the production of art objects, luxury furniture, parquet, decorative panels. Decorative boxes and souvenirs, eco-dishes and magnets are often made of this material.

Birch veneer is environmentally friendly, and its field of application is wide. Many things that surround a person every day are made of this beautiful and safe material.

For the production of veneer, see the next video.