Hi,
I'm veneering a pair of speakers made from raw oak ply. I haven't assemebled the speakers yet. I want to veneer PSA Rosewood 10ml backed. I first brushed on one coat of poly to the raw oak panels and sanded lightly before and after. Do I need to give the oak another coat before I veneer it? It seems to be sealed well. I rolled out the Rosewood and am letting it sit overnight. I have it flattened it with wood planks. The big question is if I can apply the veneer to the plywood and then make my cuts? How much time does the PSA need to bond?
Thanks in advance
From contributor Ri
PSA is like double back tape. It needs no time to bond. It does need as much pressure as you can apply. It's likely the grain of the oak is going to telegraph through the rosewood unless you fill the oak grain completely and sand it flat. As far as I am concerned, PSA veneer is not an option for quality work. Double back tape has no place in making furniture.
From contributor Fr
I did a kitchen with PSA Red Birch and it held up fine. The doors and drawers were solid but the refacing of the frame was PSA. The kitchen gets a lot of moisture, steam and humidity. Maybe I was lucky. Red birch is one of my favorite woods.
From contributor Ka
Frank,
One coat of poly or sealer should be enough to seal the oak. I do agree with Rich in that the open grain of the oak might telegraph to the surface and trap small amounts of air which would compromise the the bonding. The flatter and less porous the surface the better. The PSA does require as much pressure as you can apply to it with a veneer scraper. I have to disagree with Rich as in the PSA adhesive, which is usually a 3M product, is more than just "double back tape." 3M has a variety of adhesive films that are formulated for different types of applications. Some of these films are used to adhere the model and make emblems on your car. The 3M adhesive does have a good initial grab and tenacity which makes it seem that it bonds instantly. However, it is recommended that you wait 24 hours after applying and scraping (burnishing) the veneer before you do any further processing. I typically scrape the veneer two or three times usually allowing the veneer to sit for a little bit between scrapings (or burnishing). Below is a link to our guidelines for PSA application. It might shed some more light on the process. Good luck.
From contributor Fr
Thanks for the info. The PSA is more expensive than using a press but it saves in time and mess. I plan on using Waterlox for the finish and building it up slowly. Hopefully the smell won't knock me out. (: Oak wasn't my first choice but I have some of it lying around. MDF beats up my saw blade and I hate working with it. Next time I will use maple or birch to start off with. I gave the oak 3 coats of poly to smooth the grain out as much as possible. I guess I should use a grain filler but it's fairly smooth now so I may give it a try. I read where some guys use a paint primer but it seems messy to me. Do you guys think it's to late for a grain filler?
From contributor Ka
Frank,
No problem. It is too late for grain filler. You can use primer or sanding sealer to cut the cost for prepping the surface on future projects. (I lean toward the latter.) At this point, with 3 coats of poly, i would say you are ready to PSA as long as the surface is to your liking. Keep in mind that any imperfections have the potential for telegraphing to the surface. As with anything the devil is in the details and in the surface prep.
From contributor Ji
Been using PSA veneers for over 20 years without any significant problems on my part.
It's a matter of good surface preparation and cleaning. When I need to use a painted veneer I turn to a Phenolic backed product and apply it with 3M fast Bond Contact.
