Repairing Splintered Veneers

Turning Bondo™ Plastic Body Filler Into Mahogany

The work outlined here required use of a variety of repair and touch-up techniques and materials: CA glue, plastic filler, basic wood stain, padding laquers, powder pigments, graining pens, bulk laquer, etc. The damage was severe. It was caused by the removal of signage which had been attached with contractor's glue. Replacement of the veneer was not an option for our client at this time due to the cost.

Stabilizing the Damage

There are three panels with matched grain veneers that run from ceiling to floor in this elevator lobby. Replacing all three panels would be too costly for our client at this time, so we were hired to patch & simulate the mahogany.

Click image for larger image, or click here for a close-up of the damage.

The damage consists of a large area where the veneer was ripped away, taking a partial layer of plywood with it, and leaving loose plywood fibers and torn flaps of veneer behind.

The first step is to stabilize the loose plywood fibers and veneer flaps. This has been done in this photo by applying thin cyanoacrylate adhesive (water-thin super glue). Each area was soaked, then sprayed with an activator to cause the glue to seize immediately.

Once stabilized, the damaged area was sanded with 80 grit garnet paper and a cork block. The process was repeated until all loose veneer areas were stabilized and all high spots were leveled, leaving only the low spots to be filled with plastic filler.

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Filling the Damage

Bondo™ is a brand name for plastic filler - we use different brands, but in this case we're using Bondo™. This photo shows how we mixed some powdered pigments into the Bondo™ in order to get a color similar to the color of the bare, unstained mahogany.

Doing Bondo™ work right usually means multiple coats. Here's the first coat, which we put on a little heavy. Once it becomes solid as cheddar cheese, we begin shaping it (leveling it in this case) with a razor blade (actually a utility knife blade.) Then it's sanded with 80 grit garnet and cork block.

This is the second and final coat of Bondo™, which is spread very thin, and meant to fill any leftover low spots, as well as the "pits" left from small bubbles in the first coat. It's worked the same as the first coat, except that the 80 grit sanding is lightly done, and followed with 120.

Here the filler work has been completed. The surface is now perfectly flat, with no high or low areas. we sanded with 120 grit far past the previously sanded areas to remove all 80 grit scratches and to feather the finish around the repair area. Click here for a tight shot of the fill.

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Applying the Color

We began the color work with an application of Minwax Red Oak wiping stain. As you can see, the stain alone will never match the existing finished color.

Next, we padded a clear coat of padding lacquer over the area. This locks in the stain, seals the surface and shows the true strength of the stained color. We prefer Mohawk's Wil-Pro padding lacquer for this, and apply it with trace cloth.

In this shot, we've just padded two streaks through the center of the Bondo™ patch to match the natural ribbon pattern in the mahogany. We did this by putting dark red mahogany pigment on a fingertip, streaking it onto the surface, and locking it in with the padding agent.

Now we've begun to add background color to the right side of the repair. We used burnt sienna first, then a thin layer of dark red mahogany. The pigments were rubbed in small circular patterns, then padded, until the light repair area was covered. Click here for a tight shot of this work.

The right side of the repair has been completed in this photo, and the padding with burnt sienna has begun on the left side. You can see from this photo and from the closeup (link above) that the application of background color obscured the original two "stripes", they are padded back in afterward.

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Finishing the Repair

After padding in the background colors, we padded the dark "ribbon" streaks over the repair, then prepped and sprayed the entire panel with semi-gloss laquer.

The repair is complete in this photo, and the masking paper removed.

In this shot, we tried to get a close-up of the finished touch-up. The repair turned out well; in fact, the last time we were in the building, we had difficulty finding where the work had been done!

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Tips for finishers and enthusiasts . . .

Stabilizing the Damage
• We use thin, nitrile gloves in this step in order to work the glue in with an index finger
• We keep four items at hand while doing this: Glue bottle, spray activator, putty knife for holding pressure on loose veneer, and an old rag for catching glue runs.
• We use the cheaper garnet paper because both the original finish and the superglue will glog it quickly anyway, so there's no benefit in using more expensive aluminum oxide.

Filling with Bondo™
• Adding a little color to the filler at the same time you mix in the hardener will help you to acheive a really uniform mix by watching the uniformity of color.
• Whether you use a Bondo rasp (cheese grater) or a blade, it is important to carve away the "skin" of the filler, it will save time and sandpaper expense.
• Once you've spread the filler, watch it closely so that you can begin shaping it as soon as it reaches the texture of cheddar cheese. Don't let it get too hard!
• Bondo should be worked with a heavy grit paper in order to shape or level it quickly. 36 to 80 grit is sufficient, depending on the size and shape of the job.

Applying the Color
• If you are unfamiliar with the padding process, look for other articles or video clips elsewhere on this site.
• When learning to pad on pigment colors, I suggest a light touch, and counting your strokes.
• You should apply 20 strokes each time you add color, watching the nuances of the application closely, until you get the feel for padding.