I have a relatively small (25″ x 16″) floating panel to use as the side of a cabinet . I intend to veneer both sides and wondered if 1/8″ Masonite was a suitable substrate.
I realize that it seems a bit thin and flexible but it will be contained all four sides and I had never thought about Masonite before but really cannot see a problem – I just wondered if that is wishful thinking or if anyone has done that before.
Thanks in advance
Replies
Masonite (aka high-density fiberboard) usually has one smooth side and one "textured" side, a result of the manufacturing process. The smooth side would be perfect for veneering; it is essentially equivalent to the surface of MDF. The textured side may be a bit more difficult to work with. It's kind of fuzzy and tends to catch bits of debris, making it more difficult to avoid trapping foreign objects in the glue under the veneer.
If you can get it (I've seen it at Home Depot), I think 1/4" MDF is a better choice, as it's smooth on both sides.
-Steve
Youn can get maso thats smooth on both sides, but as Steve suggested use mdf...Jimmy
Ditto, 1/4" MDF of ply is the best choice.
Pardon my spelling,
Mike
Make sure that your next project is beyond your skill and requires tools you don't have. You won't regret it.
I used masonite in my very first veneering project. In my experience, the smooth side is likely to have bulges in the veneer; maybe the excess glue has no place to go. Since then I have always used Baltic Birch plywood and no problems. IMHO PVA-based glues work best when the substrate can absorb some glue. IMHO any substrate that has lots of resin on the surface (like the smooth side of masonite) does not present enough absorbtive capacity. But I could be wrong.
Thanks JohnH - I could see the points you made as being totally valid.Having already cut the dadoes in the various cabinet parts, I was trying to find a combination of material: veneer faces + substrate that might be LESS than 1/4" so that i wouldn't have to re-work those parts. After reading your preference for Baltic ply I realized that I have some really thin 1/16" (or whatever the metric equivalent might be) Baltic ply and two sheets of that plus my veneer faces will be the perfect solution!!Thanks for taking the time to respond.Londonlad
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