How to Fix Veneer Banding || Tutorial

When I purchased this dresser, I knew it would need a little work and elbow grease to get it to the beauty I saw in it.  As I am refinishing it to use as my kitchen island, fixing the chipped veneer on the edges of the dresser has been a really easy (and fast) project.   Many people, including myself, steer clear of veneer or even the word veneer.  Veneer can seem scary, even cheap to some people.  After my experience in repairing veneer, I have a new found respect for it.  And let me just tell you, some veneers are not cheap!  A local woodworking shop in my area is selling veneer for as much as $70!!!  My banding, which came in a roll 2" x 25' long, was $18.  That's a bit expensive for the little work I needed to do, but I had to buy it.  I'm glad I did too.  Not only did I need it for my dresser, but I will be able to use this veneer for other applications, like my kitchen cabinets.  But I will show you what I did with that at a later date. 

This tutorial will show you how to replace chipped parts of veneer banding, the edge along my dresser.  If you have a larger area of veneer that needs to be replaced, you will need to buy different veneer and cut it differently from what I am showing you today.  Veneer can be stained and painted.

Items needed to repair veneer banding:

A roll of veneer banding with adhesive
Hot iron on cotton setting
Foil or cloth
Razor blade or sharp instrument to cut the veneer off the furniture

The first thing you will need to do is score the old veneer really well.  Just take a sharp knife or razor blade and mark a line through the old veneer.

Pop off old veneer with your blade.

Prep your surface by sanding and cleaning the area to remove debris.  Cut your veneer a little longer than needed, and place it along the edge.  While holding the veneer, place foil or a cloth over the veneer, and press your hot iron onto the veneer.  Don't leave it in one place too long.  As the glue melts, which doesn't take very long, double check your position of the veneer.  You can move things around if necessary.  Heat all the way through making sure the veneer is bonded on all sides.

Let the veneer cool, and use your blade to trim off the excess.

The edges will still be rough, so you will need to sand and smooth them, including the area where the old and new veneers meet.   Naturally, I wouldn't like the look of this corner, BUT my dresser has some distressed areas.  So this corner blends in nicely with the rest of the dresser, and it doesn't look too done up. 

*If you make a mistake.  No big deal.  Just cut off the part that messed up and start over.