Veneer made easy

Applying veneer to construction plywood is much cheaper than buying ready-faced ply – and it’s not a difficult job, says Tony Davies

Apply veneer to construction plywood – it’s cheaper than buying ready-faced ply

Whether you are undertaking a total restoration project or simply managing running repairs, veneering can save a fortune compared with using faced ply. To many this seems a black art, yet it need not be difficult and can quickly and economically transform a tired interior.

As part of this sea fisher’s two-year restoration, we built an entire cabin and superstructure, keeping the basic fit-out work as simple as possible. There are no fancy joints, just strong wood glue (Cascamite) and stainless steel selftapping screws. The basic construction consists mainly of good quality exterior ply. I emphasise good quality as there is some real rubbish about, but shop around at builders’ merchants and you can find good quality hardwood ply at reasonable prices. If you want to use marine ply you’ll pay four times as much for very little difference – marine ply is not essential unless it’s for exterior use.

We went for teak veneer but the choice comes down to the look desired in the boat’s interior. One point worth considering before deciding on the final species of veneer is cost. Teak veneer (just like teak faced ply) costs twice as much as just about every other veneer. For our next project we’ll be using light oak veneer, which has a very attractive grain. With dozens of different veneers available the choice is almost unlimited.

This door, which came from the boat salvage yard, is moulded GRP but with a little care a teak veneer finish has transformed the interior to match the rest of the boat