If I have a bed that has veneer on it, does that mean it is an antique? I was told that they used veneer back before plywood was made and that the bed I have is really old and I just wanted to find out if it is an antique or not. Thanks!

Veneer doesn't mean its old... not that it couldn't be, but has more to do with the quality of the bed.

Only time makes any furniture antique. Antique furniture was made of 100% real wood.
Veneer just covers cheap wood like chip- or particleboard to give it a real wood appearance.

Modern plywood, as an alternative to natural wood, was invented in the 19th century, but by the end of the 1940s there was not enough lumber around to manufacture plywood affordably. Particleboard was intended to be a replacement.

So without seeing it I can only estimate that your bed is not really antique...

;)

Well if you want to be really technical the definition of Antique is any piece of furniture over 50 years old... which in general means it would be hardwood as cheaper plywood & presswood furniture is a more modern invention.

So I guess if your item is some kind of pressedwood boards covered in a wood veneer that's over 50 years old it can be called an antique

Only time makes any furniture antique. Antique furniture was made of 100% real wood.
Veneer just covers cheap wood like chip- or particleboard to give it a real wood appearance.

Modern plywood, as an alternative to natural wood, was invented in the 19th century, but by the end of the 1940s there was not enough lumber around to manufacture plywood affordably. Particleboard was intended to be a replacement.

So without seeing it I can only estimate that your bed is not really antique ...

;)


Well from what I can tell it has real wood underneath the veneer. When I bought the bed the veneer was coming off and I was going to rip it off and paint the wood underneath but I was told not to do that cause it was an antique and I just wondered. Could I take pictures of it and post on here?

No, veneer makes furniture cheap and new looking. Veneer is just a thin piece of wood put on top of other wood, usually cheap wood like plywood or particle board. It gives the look of real wood while only using a thin layer of real wood.

Veneer furniture is usually very cheap to buy because it isn't 100% of the wood used. If you buy an oak veneer table, only a thin layer on top is actually oak, whereas a real oak table would be all oak. The benefits of veneer, cheap, the downfall, once it gets wrecked there's nothing you can do about it, you can't sand and refinish because the veneer is very thin.

It may be an antique, but the fact that it's veneer will lower the value.

Hope this helps. :)

In the US an antique has to be 100 years old. Today, yes, veneer is used to mask cheap materials but long ago it was used over real wood to provide a thin layer of exotic or very expensive wood. Some antiques are covered in bird's eye maple veneers or crotch mahogany that was flipped over and matched to make beautiful patterns. Also original plywood was invented in the 1850's and was expensive. Its purpose was to provide strength. Craftsmen also used veneers of many woods cut into small pieces and assembled like puzzle pieces to form patterns called marquetry and inlay to beautify furniture. You can search the internet for examples and appreciate the variety and skill that resulted in museum quality antiques. Too bad it's not the case today.

In the US an antique has to be 100 years old. Today, yes, veneer is used to mask cheap materials but long ago it was used over real wood to provide a thin layer of exotic or very expensive wood. Some antiques are covered in bird's eye maple veneers or crotch mahogany that was flipped over and matched to make beautiful patterns. Also original plywood was invented in the 1850's and was expensive. Its purpose was to provide strength. Craftsmen also used veneers of many woods cut into small pieces and assembled like puzzle pieces to form patterns called marquetry and inlay to beautify furniture. You can search the internet for examples and appreciate the variety and skill that resulted in museum quality antiques. Too bad it's not the case today.

Great info, sadly this thread is from Jun 2008 and the OP never came back.

It's not a good idea to post on old threads, it bumps them to the top of the list and the newer questions get pushed down.

Please check the dates before posting. Welcome to the site. :)

Veneer of various thicknesses has been in use for hundreds of years in order to put a more quality look over a lesser quality look of wood. It doesn't mean that the item is of a lesser quality or possible monetary value. People have known for centuries how best to utilize the wood that they have to use.

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