Veneering ply is not exactly an arduous job – it’s pretty simple when you know how.

Many people, however, worry about which glues to use.

I’ve been veneering boat interiors for over 20 years and all I’ve ever used is thixotropic contact adhesive.

The first veneering job I did was with Thixofix, and this was something of an experiment as I was worried about the longevity of the adhesive.

Decades later and it hasn’t fallen off!

Nowadays, I use the trade equivalent of Thixofix, Evo-Stik TX528, which is available from builders’ merchants in large sizes.

I’ve also used Evo-Stik Timebond when I ran out of TX528: this works just as well, but is more expensive in retail sizes.

The technique I use relies upon the final finish to protect the veneer and the underlying adhesive, so it is important to properly coat the finished veneer with a high quality varnish rather than just waxing or oiling the surface.

Where a waxed finished appearance is required, I use a satin varnish, then wax over that.

Whether a gloss or satin finish is required, I always use Hempel Dura-Gloss or Dura-Satin as I find it gives among the best finishes and long-term protection of all the varnishes I have used.

You will most likely have your own favourite, though, so use whatever suits you best.

I would emphasise that I only recommend veneering for boat interiors – it wouldn’t have much of a lifespan in the open, exposed to the weather.

Learning the basics of veneering

The first step is to build whatever it is you are planning to veneer: in this case, it is the roof of a heads compartment in the wheelhouse of a 26ft (7.9m) sport fisher.

A simple design motif is being incorporated into the veneered panels, which makes this job a little more complicated.

It could almost be called marquetry – but it’s still not rocket science!

1. The first stage in this particular project is to mark out the position of the rectangular motif on the ply panel which will become the heads roof.

2. The length of each piece of veneer is then marked.

3. The end is squared and marked ready for cutting. The leaf can now be carefully cut using either scissors or a craft knife and straight edge – whichever you feel more comfortable with. Number each one as it is cut to ensure they all end up in the correct positions!

4. The rest of the set is cut to size and laid in position to ensure they are a neat fit together.

5. Adhesive is now applied to the ply within the marked area.

6. This is followed by an application onto each of the cut veneers. They are left for a few minutes for the adhesive to become touch-dry.

7. The first veneer is then carefully placed into position, followed by each subsequent piece in turn.

8. Use a roller to apply pressure and ensure the veneer is properly bedded down onto the adhesive. I am using a glassfibre roller here, but on larger areas, I use a vinyl flooring roller which covers a large area more quickly.

9. Next, I use a palm sander to smooth the veneer surface: at the same time, the vibrations help force it more firmly into the adhesive. Sanding dust will fill any tiny gaps between the veneer pieces and be held by the glue. Excess dust can then be brushed from the surface. Ensure you wear appropriate PPE.

10. Now the veneer is given a final trim using a straight edge and craft knife.

11. After trimming, the excess veneer can be lifted with a sharp chisel – the adhesive will not be fully cured for 24 hours.

12. For the next stage, I am using teak iron-on edging, bought in 50m rolls from eBay. The first step is to cut a 45° angle for the first corner. I have some vinyl trimming snips with built-in guides, but a protractor and craft knife are just as accurate.

13. The corner is carefully positioned and the iron (set on medium heat) is applied to the end of the edging and pressed down to melt the edging’s heat-set adhesive and hold it in place.

14. Before glueing down the entire length you need to cut the other end of the strip after carefully marking its length. The remaining section can then be heated with the iron and fixed.

15. The central panel is now finished and I’m ready for the next stage. First I double-check the length of the panel….

16….so I can mark the veneer and then cut it to length.

17. Adhesive is applied to the back of the veneer and to the face of the ply.

18. Each piece is placed into position and rolled down.

19. Carefully trim excess veneer using the craft knife with a new blade to ensure it does not pull the veneer. Once all pieces are glued down, the entire surface is sanded to smooth and embed the veneer.

20. The edges of the panel are now carefully sanded, taking care to keep square with the front face.

21. An iron-on edging strip can now be applied all around the perimeter.

22. As each corner is reached the position is marked and the edging cut off square.

23. Overlap from the edging is now trimmed from both the underside and the top of the panel. Take extreme care when trimming the excess from the face side.

24. The whole panel can now be given a final sanding. Be careful not to over-sand the edges of the panel – it is very easy to sand right through the veneer.

25. Finish off the sanding by hand, especially along the delicate edges.

26. A first coat of varnish can now be applied to keep the finished surface clean. This is a satin varnish, which will lose its gloss as it cures.

27. With the varnish cured the completed panel can be placed in position to see how it looks – and it looks pretty good!

Veneered design features

Curved edges to built-in furniture

There is no doubt that rounded corners in boat interiors look very professional and, of course, fewer sharp corners means there’s no likelihood of injury when falling against something in rough weather.

To obtain the look, you either have to perform some very fancy carpentry with solid wood or, if you are using veneer, you can easily achieve the same effect with a slice of plastic drainpipe.

1. Once the basic structure is complete, a piece of 100mm (4in) plastic drainpipe is cut down lengthways into quarters, and a single section is placed into position in the recess in the corner of the structure and temporarily held with masking tape.

2. A layer of lightweight mat and resin is applied over the pipe section to secure it in place. This is rolled out to exclude air in the normal manner, then left to cure before starting to apply the veneer.

3. As with our previous panel, an adhesive is applied to the ply structure: I find a brush easier to use than a spreader.

4. Adhesive is applied to the veneer leaf and, again, both are left for a few minutes to become touch-dry.

5. When ready, the veneered leaf is offered up to the ply, taking care to align it perfectly with the previous leaf before pressing into place. Carefully take it around the curve and align it before pressing firmly.

6. The roller is used to ensure the leaf is perfectly flat and properly stuck.

7. Here, the heads compartment, its door and an adjacent locker door are ready for varnishing. All carrying the rectangular motif – but in this case, they are applied to the face of the veneer rather than being cut in flush.

Frames around windows

If you have different thicknesses of superstructure side panels, it is impossible to keep all the interior frames looking the same.

Boxing them in using veneered ply will give a smart, uniform finish.

1. The side windows look neat enough, but to help them match the forward windscreen panels, a veneered frame will be required.

2. A simple frame made up of narrow ply strips was bonded around the window interior frames using polyurethane adhesive.

3. Iron-on edging was applied to the inside and outside edges of the strips. I used a hot air gun to melt the glue, while an ordinary bristle (not plastic) paintbrush smooths the edging into position.

4. I used the handle of the brush to press the edging down to ensure good adhesion.

5. Shaped pieces of veneer were cut to form the corner faces while iron-on edging was used for the straight runs. Once in place, they were then trimmed and sanded in the normal manner.

6. The finished frames provide a simple but smart, uniform appearance.

A quality look for an instrument panel

The ultimate car dashboard is still traditional burr walnut, and it is often applied to boats – so I thought ‘why not?’

1. Four specimen leaves of burr walnut were bought from a specialist supplier on eBay.

2. The instrument panel was prepared from a piece of 12mm ply. Carefully cut holes in the veneer after it has been glued to the panel.

3 After many coats of varnish, the finished panel looks pretty impressive. The rest of the surround will later be covered with black vinyl.

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