Wood veneer is a wood product that is made with thin slices of real wood. Its history dates back to ancient Egypt, where artisans would use veneers to decorate the tombs of the pharaohs. Today, wood veneer is used to craft everything from furniture and decorative objects to moldings and wallcoverings. Because it is bonded to a substrate, veneer offers a rare blend of strength and flexibility. At Jacaranda, we craft fine wood veneer wallcovering with a range of matching options that enable you to customize your space in the way that best meets your needs.
Veneer matching refers to the way you arrange the strips or sheets of veneers to create specific designs. This can dramatically alter the results, creating eye-catching looks, repeating patterns, or visually stunning effects.
You can use several matching techniques with our wallcoverings, including:
Book Matching
This is the most popular match in the veneer industry. It is so named because the pieces of veneer are matched like the pages of a book. Every other piece is “flipped” to create a mirror image at the lines of a joint, ensuring maximum grain continuity.
The symmetrical nature of book matching highlights the natural beauty of the wood’s grain and its innate figure. The right stain and finishing technique can further highlight these characteristics to produce a stunning look in any environment.
Book matching is particularly popular with flat, quarter, and rift-cut veneer wallcovering and can produce a “barber pole” effect.
Block Planking
For more natural-looking results, leaves from different logs from the same species are deliberately mixed and matched with end joints on the face. Your veneer wallcoverings will have a beautiful lumber effect that can be especially appealing with certain species.
Random Match or Full-Length Plank
As its name suggests, random matching randomly matches the leaves. Each piece of veneer is chosen from one or more logs and one or a variety of widths and orientations and placed randomly to create a board-by-board effect. By varying shades and textures, this type of matching can bring out the wood’s natural beauty and can be remarkably effective as a statement wall.
Slip Matching
Slip matching is most commonly used with quarter-sliced, comb grain, and rift-sliced veneer wallcovering. Instead of flipping veneer, as with book matching, slip matching “slips” each leaf of veneer over the other one so that pieces are placed in sequence, which results in a repeating grain figure rather than a mirrored effect. Slip matching eliminates the barber pole effect that can occur with book matching.
Each type of veneer matching can create specific looks and feels in a room. At Jacaranda, we can help you determine the best look for your environment. With more than 100 species from which to choose and a wide range of stains as well as custom stains and finishes, you can create exactly the look and feel you want for any space. Contact our offices today to find out more about our wood veneer wallcovering or schedule an appointment with a member of our design team.
