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Interior Design vocabulary · Materials & Finishes

Veneer

Meaning in interior design, with examples

/vəˈnɪə/nounCommon term

In interior design, veneer means: A very thin sheet of real wood or stone glued onto a cheaper, more stable board such as MDF or plywood, giving the look of the solid material.

In Turkish: ahşap kaplama, doğal ağaç kaplama, kaplama

How it is used

Widely used for cabinets, doors and wall panelling. Designers specify the species (oak, walnut), the cut and how the leaves are matched. Unlike laminate, a wood veneer is real wood and can be stained, oiled or lacquered.

Example sentences

  1. The wardrobe doors are oak veneer on MDF, so they won't warp like solid wood.

  2. We matched the walnut veneer across all the wall panels.

Common collocations

  • oak veneer
  • wood veneer
  • stone veneer
  • veneered panel
  • laminateA hard, man-made surface made of layers of paper and resin pressed together, often printed to look like wood or stone, used on worktops, cabinets and floors.
  • MDFShort for medium-density fibreboard: a smooth, stable board made from wood fibres and resin, used for cabinets, shelves, panelling and painted furniture.
  • joineryFitted woodwork made for a specific space, such as built-in wardrobes, shelving, kitchen units, panelling and doors, and the craft of making it.
  • finishThe final surface of a material, or the material used on a visible surface, such as paint, tiles, wood stain or polished stone; also how that surface looks, for example matt or glossy.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Materials & Finishes

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