Iron-On Veneer Glue is the latest craze in veneering because it's easy, convenient, and inexpensive. This glue is applied to the substrate and the veneer back and allowed to dry. The veneer is then placed on top of the project panel and heated with a clothes iron. Heat Lock™ is excellent stuff... especially for small, curved or oddly shaped pieces. Click here to learn more. This adhesive is not a replacement for a vacuum press; it's a complement to it.

Liquid Cold Press Glue such as Better Bond X-Press™ is typically much thicker than yellow glue which often means less bleed-through. Yellow glues typically do not cure with a rigid glue line. X-Press veneer glue dries to a hard film that does not allow as much "creep" or movement of the veneers on the substrate.

X-Press veneer glue is available is 3 wood colors (light, medium, and extra dark). The use of a glue which is tinted to match the tone of your veneer is completely optional.

The benefit of a colored veneer glue is a less conspicuous glue line and a significant reduction in the after-effect of sanding the veneer too much. It is also great for filling voids in burl veneers. If you're not doing a lot of veneer work and just need a general purpose veneer glue, go with the medium tone version.

Keep in mind that X-Press is not suitable for use on crotch grain or extra-thick wood veneers. Consider a PPR glue for those types of uses.

Pre-Catalized Powdered Resin (PPR) Glues are suitable for cold and hot pressing. The choice between a PPR adhesive and standard cold press glues is largely based on where the veneered panel will be used. PPR glues such as Ultra-CAT™ are heat and water resistant. This type of glue is also ideal for bent laminations, crotch grain veneer, and thick veneers.

Epoxy can be used in veneer work but its expensive, requires mixing, and has a short life once it is mixed. Epoxy is best used for substrates where ordinary veneer glue will not adhere (plastics, etc).

The good news is that it's a highly effective grain filler for veneer that you are not going to stain or dye. The key is to use a plastic spreader and use just a little more hardener than you normally would. When it's dry, hand sand the panel with 150 grit paper and finish with your favorite top coat.

Polyurethane Glue bonds to anything. It is suitable for veneering when the veneer has to be pressed to a non-porous surface such as plastic. I would suggest using this glue only on small panels because it is difficult to spread, and it bleeds-through more than most adhesives due to the foaming action. It's also quite expensive.

Yellow glue (PVA) is probably the first glue that comes to mind when you say "glue" to a woodworker. Despite the recommendations of many woodworkers, I have never found yellow glue to be suitable for veneering. This type of glue never fully hardens, and thus allows the veneer to "creep" or move during seasonal changes in humidity. And because of its thin consistency, yellow glue also has a tendency to bleed through and discolor the veneer. Lastly, since yellow glue dries with a soft glue line, it is also very difficult to sand.

Hide Glue is the most traditional veneering adhesive. Its use dates back over 4,000 years ago to Egyptians who used it on furniture for the pharaohs. The method is called hammer veneering which derives its name from the use of a tool called a veneer hammer. The hammer is used to press the veneer sheets onto the substrate.

The method also requires a means of heating the glue typically in a "double boiler." Hide glue is very durable and it can be re-heated and reactivated if bubbling occurs. Hide glue can not be used in a vacuum press unless the appropriate salt or urea is added. For those interested in hammer veneering without the use of hide glue, check out the FSV adhesive below.

FSV Adhesive such as Flex-Pro™ is a good adhesive for paper-backed veneers when a vacuum press and a cold press veneer glue can not be used. This type of adhesive is not suitable for unbacked wood veneer.

It is applied in a manner similar to contact cement and has a very high initial tack but it dries harder and doesn't allow delamination when cured. Generally speaking, it should be used on porous substrates but I've had success using this glue to veneer over painted window and door jambs as well as stair stringers. It is also an excellent adhesive for those who prefer the traditional hammer veneering method.

Contact Cement is available in two versions. One is solvent-based and is highly flammable. It emits dangerous fumes that can linger in the shop for days.

Thanks to advances in chemical technology, there are now water-based contact cements which are non-toxic and work as well or better than the solvent-based type. For several years, water-based contact adhesives were considered inferior to the solvent-based cements, but this has changed dramatically with the introduction of a new breed of water-based contact cement such as Titan DX™.

Keep in mind that contact cement is only suitable for use with paper/wood backed veneers. There has been a lot of debate over this and it's one of the most common emails I receive. Check out this link.