Removing Veneers

I don't know if I have already said this or not, but I have a serious addiction to picking furniture up off the curb. The other day, my neighbor was throwing out this dresser that has really seen better days. It sat outside for a couple of days before I finally broke down and dragged it home.

Obvously, it needs some major help. The top had a veener that was peeling up in the corner. A quick Google search returned a few thousand results on how to remove the rest of the veener. They suggested using a heat gun to loosen the glue, and that may have worked if my husband put his tools away but I have to pick my battles.

Another result brought up the fact that the reason a veener peels is due to moisture. What easier way to remove it by adding water? I decided to try it. I used a wet towel and layed it over the top and let it "marinate" for a couple of hours.

Next step was to use a scraper and scrape the layers of veneer of the top. Unfortunately, it was very SLOW going. I worked at it for a couple of hours and only got a little bit off.

My husband then suggested I a cold chisle (sharper than the scraper that I was using). I was afraid I was going to damage the wood underneath. I took extra care removing only the top layer.

I reverted back to my first method with the wet towel. I let it soak overnight just to make sure it would come off. Sure enough, it worked like a dream. The entire second layer came off in a single sheet.

The top still needs some wood putty and to be stained and sanded, but that is another project for another day.