From Forest to Furniture — A Look into the Veneer Manufacturing Process
The making of wood veneer combines nature’s beauty with cutting-edge tech in a planned process. At Mercavio Pressed Wood Manufacturing Factory L.L.C, we create each veneer sheet with care to keep quality and consistency while showcasing wood’s unique charm.
We’ll walk you through the whole veneer manufacturing process to show you how we turn a tree trunk into those stylish pressed veneer panels you see in interior design and furniture across the UAE and GCC.
1. 🌲 Log Selection — The Key to Quality
The forest marks the starting point of the journey. Picking the right log plays a crucial role. wood with specific traits—like straight grain uniform color few flaws, and top-notch species—gets picked to make veneer.
- To create natural veneers, people choose logs based on how their grain looks and how uniform they are.
- To produce burl or exotic veneers unusual and ornamental growths are valued.
Mercavio gets its wood in a responsible way from FSC-certified forests and worldwide suppliers known for their quality and commitment to sustainability.
2. ♨️ Conditioning — Making the Timber Softer
Before slicing, manufacturers soften the logs using steam or hot water baths in large vats or steam chambers. This process makes the wood flexible and helps to prevent cracks or splintering during the slicing process.
- Softening also helps to maintain the integrity of the grain.
- Manufacturers condition logs for several hours or even days depending on the species and moisture content.
This step is crucial to cut more , achieve a better surface finish, and increase sheet yield.
3. ✂️ Veneer Cutting — Crafting the Look
This stage brings out the artistry. Manufacturers cut logs into thin sheets using different cutting techniques depending on the desired grain pattern, aesthetic, and panel size.
Here are the most common veneer slicing methods:
🔸 Flat Slicing (Plain Slicing)
- Loggers slice the log parallel to its center revealing cathedral-like grain patterns.
- This method has the most popularity for oak, walnut, and teak veneers.
- It creates elegant traditional wood looks.
🔸 Quarter Slicing
- Cutters slice the log at 90 degrees to its growth rings producing straight and uniform grain lines.
- This technique is perfect to create contemporary or minimalist designs.
- Woodworkers often use it for oak, maple, and ash.
🔸 Rotary Cutting
- Workers rotate the log against a stationary blade similar to peeling an apple.
- Creates broad unbroken sheets—cost-effective and high-output.
- Typical for reconstituted veneers or underlying layers.
🔸 Rift-Cutting
- Resembles quarter slicing but employs a particular angle to reduce flecking.
- used for white oak to achieve a straight clean appearance.
Each slicing technique produces a unique grain pattern, which impacts the end visual result of the pressed veneer panel.
4. 🌬️ Drying — Getting the Moisture Right
After cutting, the thin veneer sheets still have some moisture in them. They need to be dried right away in special dryers to get them to a good moisture level between 5–10%.
- Too much drying can make them brittle and crack.
- Not enough drying can make the glue fail when pressing.
At Mercavio, our exact drying machines make sure the veneer is flat, smooth, and ready to be glued.
5. 📏 Trimming, Grading, and Matching
Once dry, workers check and sort each veneer sheet. This step makes sure big projects like hotel interiors corporate offices, or kitchen cabinet builds have the same look throughout.
- Trimming gets rid of flaws and makes sizes the same.
- Sorting depends on color, grain pattern, and how good the surface looks.
- Matching creates even patterns like book-matched or slip-matched designs.
This is when layons (pre-matched veneer designs) are often made to make it easier to put on doors, panels, or big furniture faces.
6. 🧪 Gluing and Pressing — The Heart of Quality
The veneer is now prepared to be glued to its base—MDF, plywood, or particleboard.
At Mercavio, we apply high-quality adhesives (low-VOC and heat-resistant) to create strong durable bonds.
Two main pressing methods are used:
- Cold Pressing: For basic applications and small batches.
- Hot Pressing: Used for large-scale production and improved adhesive setting.
Mercavio’s cutting-edge hydraulic hot press systems guarantee uniform pressure distribution, temperature regulation, and consistent bonding across each panel.
This process produces pressed veneer panels that have structural stability and are ready to finish or cut.
7. 🎨 Finishing — Getting the Surface Ready for Use
As the final step, we sand, clean, and if needed, stain, paint, or seal the surface based on what the customer wants.
- Clear coats bring out the wood’s natural beauty.
- Stains and tints change the color to taste.
- UV coatings or melamine films shield high-traffic areas.
From an oak wall panel with a matte finish in a Dubai showroom to a kitchen with glossy walnut veneer, the finishing stage turns your ideas into reality.
8. 📦 Quality Control and Packaging
Before the veneer panels leave our factory, they go through tough quality control checks to make sure:
- The surface has no bubbles, peeling, or visible flaws
- The glue sticks well enough to meet global rules
- The sizes match what was ordered
- The moisture level works for the weather in different areas
We pack the panels so they don’t get hurt during shipping when we send them across the GCC.
Summary: From Forest to Finish
Each part of making veneer needs know-how, machines, and close attention. At Mercavio, we bring all this together to make pressed veneer panels that look great even in the toughest indoor spaces.
Whether you need custom veneer pressing, bulk production for furniture, or high-quality decorative panels, you can count on Mercavio’s production process to guarantee reliability, consistency, and sustainability—manufactured right here in the UAE.
