Many people believe they purchased furniture that is solid wood but when there's damage they realize it wasn't solid wood after all. At Mohawk Consumer Products we get inquiries on how to repair damages to furniture. Before you can make a repair on your furniture, it's important to know what your furniture is made of. Is it solid wood, veneer, or laminate furniture?

Let's briefly explore the three types of products furniture is typically made of; laminate, veneer and solid wood.

Laminate

Laminate furniture is made by pressing together multiple layers of plastic resins and flat paper.

The wood grain is made through a printing process. With today's technology, some laminate includes a texture to simulate real wood. Most laminate furniture has a clear, protective film over it preventing scratches and increasing life durability. Because of its shiny smooth surface, laminate furniture is the easiest to spot.

Veneer

Furniture made with veneer is even more difficult to separate from a solid wood piece because veneer is made from real wood.  In these photos you can see how veneer is made by having a

machine shave thin layers from a log.

Veneer can be placed over a wood base or particleboard and even have live edges glued around it convincing a lot of furniture buyers they are purchasing a solid wood piece of furniture when in fact, it is veneer. Some furniture makers will place a thin protective clear film on top for protection.

Solid Wood

Solid wood, as the name suggests has no veneer or laminate. As it is more costly, solid wood is much more durable. Solid wood furniture has much more craftsmanship involved. And, as many of our followers can attest, many solid wood furniture pieces are a work of art.

Once you know what your furniture is made of, you can know best how to clean and repair it. Repairs can be made in all three types of furniture by using a variety of Mohawk Consumer Products including Epoxy Putty Stick, Hard Fill, Background Markers, Brush Tip Markers, etc. It's important to know that the only type of furniture that can be refinished is solid wood.