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Clear Veneer Finishing

Clear coating over veneer is the opposite problem to colour. There is nothing to hide behind: the grain is the finish, and every mark in the sanding shows through it permanently.

Substrates
Timber veneer · Solid timber · Veneered MDF and board
Finishes
Clear satin · Clear gloss · Full UV protection
Timber veneer panelling beside a kitchen
Rodrigo Rodrigues / Unsplash · Placeholder photography, licensed and clearly credited. It shows the kind of work described, not jobs done by Coastal 2PAC.

Veneer is thin. It sands through far more easily than solid timber, and once it is through there is no repair that does not show. Preparation here is about restraint as much as effort.

The clear carries full UV protection, which is what stops a pale veneer going orange and a dark one going grey over a few Queensland summers. That protection is in the coating, not in the timber.

Grain raises when it is coated. It gets cut back between coats so the finished surface is smooth rather than furry, which is a step that is easy to skip and impossible to hide.

How it runs

  1. 01Assess the veneerThickness and existing finish checked before sanding.
  2. 02PrepareSanded with restraint: veneer goes through easily.
  3. 03SealSealer coat, then the raised grain cut back.
  4. 04ClearTwo-pack clear with UV protection, built in coats.
  5. 05Cure and inspectChecked across the grain under booth light.

Questions we actually get

Will the veneer still go orange over time?
The clear carries full UV protection, which is what slows that down. No coating stops light entirely, but the difference between a UV-protected two-pack clear and an unprotected finish over a few Queensland summers is substantial.
Can you clear coat over damaged veneer?
Sometimes. Because clear hides nothing, anything sanded through or badly water marked will still be visible afterwards. Send photos and we will tell you honestly what it will look like.

Jobs of this kind

Timber veneer panel finished in clear two-pack

Timber veneer panels, clear finished

Feature panels and island end, veneered board

Related services

2PAC Spray PaintingColour Matching

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Quotes are worked against our published rates, with pick up and return delivery included. Final pricing is confirmed once we have seen the job.

  1. 01What needs sprayingKitchen, robe, doors, panels, trim
  2. 02A little about itHow much, new or respray, and when
  3. 03Where to reach youName and phone. We call you back with a quote
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