Date: 2010-03-01
Gene Wengert
Q: We are a large manufacture of white oak veneered panels and have recently had some issues with dark lines that range in width of 1 inch or a bit wider at times across the width of our panels. We found stripes in our raw veneer as well as finished products. When we first noticed the stripes they were faint and hardly visible. However after the panels reach the customer and were finished and installed, they became very obvious. Do you have any suggestions?
A: You have encountered a rare situation that is peculiar to white oak. The living tree develops small zones of grayish areas that run across the grain. I believe that they are fungal in origin. They occur at random locations up and down the tree.
In lumber they are confused with sticker stain, except that they are not spaced the right distance apart. In veneer they will run across the face of a veneer sheet. They are typically very faint before the wood is finished. Unfortunately, I do not know of any way to remove this discoloration. Hopefully your veneer supplier will replace the veneers at their cost, but I doubt that they will cover your other losses.
Updated: Jul 01, 2010
This article appeared in CabinetMaker+FDM, March 2010. ©Copyright 2013, All Rights Reserved.