Veneer and Laminates in Residential Construction

Veneer and Laminates in Residential Construction

Steve KellyAdvanced Diploma in Building

Design(architectural) June 2009

Timber veneer in Residential Construction

• Decorative


• Decorative • Furniture


• Decorative • Furniture• Joinery


• Decorative • Furniture• Joinery• Panelling


• Decorative • Furniture• Joinery• Panelling• Flooring



• Structural



• Structural• Plywood



• Structural• Plywood• LVL

Veneer Manufacture

Decorative timber veneer is generally produced from the highest quality logs. This means that there are no faults such as knots , discolouration or gum vein. It is a visual grade rather than structural

Slicing and peeling

• Veneer logs are steamed or pickled to soften their structure and are then sliced or rotary peeled into leaves. The thickness of these leaves generally varies from 0.80 to 3mm

Crown cut

Quarter cut

Rotary peeled

Grading and Joining

• Veneers are next graded for quality, width appearance and length and selected for use

Bundles of veneer are next selected for use . Much goes into the production of veneered panels for use in architectural situations such as wall and ceiling panels

The individual leaves of veneer are then straightened and cut to a consistent width on a guillotine, before being joined

Matching

• One of the main advantages in using timber veneer is the ability to produce panels consistent in colour and pattern. This is achieved by several methods.

• Book and Slip matching are the most common but there are many other variations

Pressing

• The resulting sheets of veneer or ‘Lay ons’ are then pressed onto sheet material. This substrate may be MDF , Particleboard or Plywood depending on the end use

Environmental issues

• There are a few environmental issues to be considered in the area of veneer and veneered product manufacture.

• The rate of material recovery in slicing or peeling a log is very high.There is little wastage to sawing and machining.

• VOCs are extensively used in the production process. Adhesives to glue the veneers to substrate, and in the production of the substrates themselves.

• Veneered panels are usually finished with polyurethane based finishes to prevent discolouration. These substances are generally high in VOCs

High Pressure Laminate in Residential Construction

• Decorative


• Decorative• Furniture• Joinery



• Structural



• StructuralWet area panellingFlooring

Decorative Laminates

• Decorative laminates are used in the manufacture of furniture and joinery

• Benchtops• Doors • Panels

Laminate manufacture

• High pressure laminates are made from layers of Kraft paper impregnated with phenolic resins, a surface layer of melamine with printed pattern or solid colour, which are then combined under heat and high pressure.

• The resulting sheet of material can then be glued to a substrate such as MDF

Melamine

• While it is not a laminate but a hard wearing coating, I have included melamine because it is widely used in the manufacture of joinery.

• It is available applied to MDF and Particleboard in numerouus colours and textures

Laminate flooring

A prominent use of laminates in residential construction is in overlay flooring . Used as a hard wearing and easily installed alternative to floating timber floors. These floors require no finishing and clip together showing no fixings. They are made by applying the laminate to an HDF substrate.

Laminate and veneer flooringthese types of flooring systems show many similaritiesThey are overlay floors meaning they are layed over a substrate such as concrete or particleboard floors.

They are made from a substrate such as ply ,mdf or particle board which has the laminate or veneer glued to it.The boards have a finish coat or layer applied as part of the manufacturing process.

They are free to move seasonally .By using clip together profiles rather than fixings and leaving gaps for expansion around the perimeter of the room. Skirting and architraves are fixed after the floor is laid to hide these gaps.

LVL and Plywood

LVL and Plywood

• An important use for veneer is in the production of Laminated Veneer Lumber and Plywood

• As their names suggest, both these products use multiple layers of veneer glued together under pressure.

• Both products most commonly use rotary peeled softwood veneers.

• LVL is available as a stronger and more lightweight alternative to solid timber structural members

• Plywood is manufactured in sheet form and has many structural uses.

LVL and Plywood

Codes and Standards

References

Questions?

Veneer and Laminates in Residential Construction

Documents

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