Grain, Grade, and Great Design: What You Need to Know About Wood Veneers

Wood veneer doors offer a natural, elegant look for many architectural and design projects. However, selecting the right veneer for your project requires understanding the standards that define veneer grades, appearance, and performance. These standards, set by the Window and Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA), provide guidelines to help architects and designers specify optimal products, balancing cost, aesthetics, and quality.

What Are Veneer Grades?

Veneer grades refer to the quality, appearance, and allowable imperfections in the veneer. The WDMA plays a crucial role in establishing these standards for both interior and exterior wood veneer doors, ensuring consistency across the industry. The most common grades are A (Custom) and AA (Premium), each offering different levels of quality for various project needs.

• A-Grade (Custom): This is the default grade for architectural doors when no other grade is specified. It’s considered high-quality and is appropriate for most furniture, cabinetry, and decorative applications. A-grade veneer offers a cost-effective solution for a wide range of projects while still delivering excellent aesthetic value.

• AA-Grade (Premium): Reserved for special projects where appearance and quality are paramount, AA-grade veneer is the highest standard. It is typically used in featured areas, such as courthouses, luxury offices, or religious buildings, where the control over veneer quality is more stringent. Due to its higher cost and limited availability, it’s usually specified for the most visually demanding applications.

WDMA Standards for Veneer Width

The WDMA also defines the minimum width requirements for veneer slices, referred to as the nominal minimum width of face components. These standards vary depending on the type of veneer cut and grade:

• Rift and Quarter-Cut Veneers: Both A-grade and AA-grade veneers require a minimum leaf width of 3 inches.

• Rotary and Plain-Sliced Veneers: For premium (AA) grade, the minimum width is 5 inches, while custom (A) grade has a minimum of 4 inches.These width standards help ensure that the visual impact of the veneer is balanced and consistent across the door’s surface.

Customizing Veneer Specifications

In addition to standard grades, it’s possible to customize certain attributes of veneer, such as flitch selection, color ranges, or leaf widths, to meet specific design needs. For instance, an architect may require A-grade veneer with leaves that exceed the standard width or may want to ensure the veneer is knot-free. By working closely with spec writers, it’s possible to create a tailored specification that aligns with the project’s aesthetic and functional goals.

Key Characteristics of Wood Veneer

Because wood veneer is a natural product, it brings unique characteristics that add richness and texture to a project. However, these characteristics can also pose challenges, as each species and even individual trees exhibit distinct traits. Here are some common characteristics to be aware of when specifying wood veneer:

• Color Range: Different species can exhibit wide variations in color. Natural maple and birch, for example, may have significant color differences due to the inclusion of both sapwood and heartwood. These variations aren’t considered defects, so understanding the natural color ranges of different species is essential when specifying veneers.

• Mineral Streaks: Caused by minerals absorbed from the soil, these streaks can appear as gray, green, or dark brown lines within the wood. They add character to the veneer but may not align with every design’s goals.

• Worm Tracks and Glass Worm Tracks: These are markings left by wood-boring insects during the tree’s growth. While some designs value these rustic features, others may avoid them to maintain a smoother veneer appearance. Certain species, like maple and ash, are more prone to these tracks.

• Knots and Open Knots: Knots, or areas where branches once grew, can range in size from small pin knots to larger open knots. While knots add character in rustic designs, their reaction to stains and coatings can differ from the surrounding wood.

• Gum Pockets: Most common in cherry, these small resinous areas can create texture variations in the veneer, affecting the way finishes are absorbed.

• Flake (Fleck): Often associated with oak, flake is produced when veneer is cut along the medullary rays, creating ribbon-like markings. This grain pattern is often valued for its decorative effect, but it can be minimized through rift-cut methods if desired.

• Grain Slope and Sweep: The angle of the wood grain in relation to the edges of the veneer can result in distinctive patterns. While grain slope can add visual interest, it can also make taller doors appear misaligned. WDMA standards allow for some degree of grain slope and sweep, particularly in quarter and rift-cut veneers.

• Figure: Refers to the wavy, irregular patterns in the wood, such as burls or fiddleback. These naturally occurring features contribute to the wood’s unique appearance and are often highly sought after in veneer.

How Veneer Grades Impact Project Costs

The grade and characteristics of wood veneer can have a significant impact on project costs. AA-grade veneer is more expensive due to its superior quality, precision, and visual consistency. In contrast, A-grade veneers offer a more cost-effective solution while still delivering high-quality results for most architectural projects. Beyond the grade, characteristics like color range, knots, or figure can also influence the cost depending on the design’s aesthetic demands.

Oxidation and Its Effects on Veneer

One of the challenges of working with wood veneer is its susceptibility to oxidation. Over time, exposure to light and air can cause certain species, such as cherry or mahogany, to darken, while others, like walnut, may lighten. This natural process can make it difficult to match new veneers with older ones, especially during renovations. To mitigate these effects, it’s essential to store veneer doors in protective coverings, such as black polybags, during transport and installation.

For projects that require matching new doors to existing oxidized veneers, custom color specifications can help achieve a closer match. However, in some cases, replacing all doors in a set may be necessary to ensure uniformity.

Final Thoughts

Understanding veneer grades, characteristics, and industry standards is essential for architects and designers specifying wood veneer doors. Whether you’re aiming for a premium look with AA-grade veneer or a cost-effective solution with A-grade, the natural beauty and variability of wood will play a major role in the final product. By adhering to WDMA standards and customizing specifications where necessary, you can achieve the perfect balance of quality, aesthetics, and cost for your project.