Tips and tricks

Removing the veneer from old furniture

The process of removing veneer from old furniture may be easy, or it may be difficult.  First start by gently prying the layers open with a putty knife.  Sometimes entire strips of veneer will peel up without much difficulty.  If that doesn't work, try a heat gun.  Don't be afraid to blacken the veneer.  Sometimes this will melt the adhesive, allowing the veneer to be pryed up.  If that doesn't work, try wetting towels and leaving them on top of the veneer for 1 1/2 hours or longer  They must be saturated.  Water will soak through the veneer and loosen most wood glues.  If that doesn't work, you can try using a chisel, but be warned that the chisel must be sharp, and may leave gouges behind.  Hold the chisel such that the flat unbeveled edge of the chisel faces down, and the edge of the chisel is between the veneer and the surface.  This will work on the edge of a piece, but after that you will have to turn the chisel over and carefully push it forward along the bevel.  If your chisel is sharper on one side than the other you may find yourself with a shallow cut on one side and a deep cut on the other, leaving gouges were you don't want them.  If that does't work, the choices become more limited.  One possibility is to use a portable planner, and the other is to use a sander.  If you use the planner, you will still need to use the sander, to take out gouges left by the planner.