Repairing damaged veneer

[Wandering Star]

I’ve jut finished stripping the varnish/laquer off the entire interior of my Sadler, not an easy job but it’s done now, I’ve also sanded it all down. During the process Ive discovered a couple of patches where the veneer is blackened, dried out and lifting away from the underlying plywood substrate. The 2 areas in question are both vertical surfaces, on area has obviously been subjected to a leak of water as the plywood substrate is also in poor condition (rotten). The first area, a half bulkhead by the cooker, is the rotten area, the affected area of rot is about 4” x 4’ although the veneer is damaged over an area of about 12” high x 6” wide - is there a recommended product I can use to fill the rot rather than cutting the rot out which neither my own skills (nor my wallet if I pay a wood butcher to do the job) are up to it?

The second area is about 24” x 8” and this is just very dry and cracked veneer lifting off the surface of the sound plywood substrate.

So I’ve bought some teak veneer from Temu, arrived today and looks good. As well as the rot cure solution, I’d like recommendations for the adhesive to use bearing in mind my woodwork DIY skills are poor to adequate. What’s the easiest and most forgiving method for gluing this stuff to the plywood substrate. Any advice gladly received. Both areas are reasonably out of sight so I don’t need an expert finish, just a reasonable one!

 

[PCUK]

I now use Sabatack 750 polyurethane adhesive sealant with a fine tooth spreader for veneering. Any equivalent Sikaflex product would work equally well. Apply the product to both surfaces and once applied roll down with a roller for Grp or a heavy duty flooring roller. Clean off any leakages immediately with acetone or similar.

 

[ducked]

Ｉ’ｄ　ｃｕｔ　ｔｈｅ　ｒｏｔ　ｏｕｔ，　ａｎｄ　ｅｉｔｈｅｒ　ｐａｔｃｈ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｐｌｙ　ｏｒ　ｆｉｌｌ　ｔｈｅ　ｈｏｌｅ　ｗｉｔｈ　ａ　ｐｏｌｙｅｓｔｅｒ　ｏｒ　ｅｐｏｘｙ　ｂａｓｅ　ｆｉｌｌｅｒ，　ｔｈｏｕｇｈ　ｔｈａｔｓ　
ｑｕｉｔｅ　ａ　ｌｏｔ　ｏｆ　ｆｉｌｌｅｒ　ａｎｄ　ａ　ｐａｔｃｈ　ｉｓ　ｐｒｏｂａｂｌｙ　ｂｅｔｔｅｒ．　Ｉ　
ｈａｖｅ　ｈｅａｒｄ　ｏｆ　ｅｐｏｘｙ　ｔｏ　ｒｅｉｎｆｏｒｃｅ　ｒｏｔｔｅｎ　ｗｏｏｄ　ｂｕｔ　ｓｅｅｍｓ　
ｐｏｉｎｔｌｅｓｓ．　Ｉｆ　ｙｏｕ　ａｒｅ　ｃｏｖｅｒｉｎｇ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｎｅｗ　ｖｅｎｅｅｒ　ａｎｙｗａｙ　ｙｏｕ　ｄｏｎｔ　ｎｅｅｄ　ａｎ　ｉｎｖｉｓｉｂｌｅ　ｒｅｐａｉｒ　ｔｏ　ｔｈｅ　ｂｕｌｋｈｅａｄ．

 

[Zing]

Re-veneering the whole boat. That’s a challenge. Kudos.

 

[Sea Change]

I think veneer is overrated.
Last week I was aboard a classic Herreschoff which was finished in a beautiful cream colour... possibly the nicest yacht interior I've ever seen

 

[Ian_Edwards]

I've recently used epoxy wood hardener to repair small area rotten plywood and I was surprised by how well it worked. The plywood needs to be dry, simply paint it on, allow go go tacky. Then paint on some more, until you have filled the holes.
Then I applied some epoxy micro balloon filler and sanded that back to a smooth even surface. That's the hard bit to get right.
I made a template out of thin card (cut from a breackfast cereal box) to match the shape. Then shaped the veneer patch using a sharp scalpel and used waterproof PVA to glue the veneer on.
PVA allows some "slide" to get the patch lined up. I used a damp cloth to squeeze the air out and clean off the excess PVA.
You need to do this carefully, PVA stains the wood if left to dry. Which is difficult to remove on veneers.
I would class this as a quick, rough and ready repair. I wouldn't do it on my boat, but it might be the sort of repair you are looking for.
There are multiple brands of wood hardener onsale and you might find a better nonstaining glue than PVA, it was what I had to hand at the time.

 

[Concerto]

Wandering Star, I had a similar problem on my boat. This is how I solved it. Luckily my plywood was not rotten.

I would clean off any finish from the darkened wood. Check this by using a damp cloth and seeing moisture is absorbed into the veneer. Now use cheap supermarket bleach, it has no perfume, diluted 1 part bleach to 4 parts water. Brush this on and leave for 10 to 15 minutes. Wipe it off. If still too dark repeat the process until you are happy with the colour. Now thoroughly wash the treated area with fresh water several times and then leave to dry. Stabilize the wood with a wood hardener. I would not bother trying to reveneer the area, but cover it with a piece of wood. If the wood is the wrong colour, use a water based wood stain to make it match. Finish the area with your surface treatment to match the rest of the cabin.


This shows the affected area opposite the loo compartment. There was a similar area near the galley as well.


This shows the hardwood strip I used to cover the affected area before I stained it slightly darker and lacquered it to match the rest of the wood work.

 

[Daydream believer]

View attachment 196830
This shows the hardwood strip I used to cover the affected area before I stained it slightly darker and lacquered it to match the rest of the wood work.

At least you will know where the mice are getting in

 

[Concerto]

At least you will know where the mice are getting in

It's the rats I worry about. I believe the Cruising Association encourage rats.

 

[Blue Seas]

I think veneer is overrated.
Last week I was aboard a classic Herreschoff which was finished in a beautiful cream colour... possibly the nicest yacht interior I've ever seenView attachment 196824

Looks lovely, which Herreschoff was she Sea Change?

 

[Sea Change]

Looks lovely, which Herreschoff was she Sea Change?

A Fishers Island 31. The number just refer to the LWL, she was over 40ft.
Immaculately preserved and on display at the Herreschoff museum in Bristol, Rhode Island.

 

[Blueboatman]

I’ve jut finished stripping the varnish/laquer off the entire interior of my Sadler, not an easy job but it’s done now, I’ve also sanded it all down. During the process Ive discovered a couple of patches where the veneer is blackened, dried out and lifting away from the underlying plywood substrate. The 2 areas in question are both vertical surfaces, on area has obviously been subjected to a leak of water as the plywood substrate is also in poor condition (rotten). The first area, a half bulkhead by the cooker, is the rotten area, the affected area of rot is about 4” x 4’ although the veneer is damaged over an area of about 12” high x 6” wide - is there a recommended product I can use to fill the rot rather than cutting the rot out which neither my own skills (nor my wallet if I pay a wood butcher to do the job) are up to it?

The second area is about 24” x 8” and this is just very dry and cracked veneer lifting off the surface of the sound plywood substrate.

So I’ve bought some teak veneer from Temu, arrived today and looks good. As well as the rot cure solution, I’d like recommendations for the adhesive to use bearing in mind my woodwork DIY skills are poor to adequate. What’s the easiest and most forgiving method for gluing this stuff to the plywood substrate. Any advice gladly received. Both areas are reasonably out of sight so I don’t need an expert finish, just a reasonable one!

I used to use contact adhesive for Formica and such
Now I would just use PVA for reveneering as per Ian Edwards above
If it’s really bad , you can overlay veneer across the whole panel. If there is decent solid protruding wood trim then in some ways this is an easier approach , no faffing mixing n matching veneer infills.

You have done well to safely strip the cabin. Long term quality to enjoy