Can You Really Fix Bubbled Veneer Using An Iron? Here's What We Know

There's very little less offensive to home decor than chipped, cracked, or bubbled furniture veneer. Your piece may be in otherwise great condition, but these surface blemishes can make it look ready for the trash heap. While there are plenty of TikTok hacks on how to patch chipped wood or tricks to combine superglue and a kitchen ingredient to repair wood cracks, bubbled veneer is a whole different ballgame. These air bubbles cause your furniture to have an uneven texture that can't simply be filled or painted over, so what do you do to smooth these out and make pieces like new again? One trick calls for a knife and an iron, which are both meant to work together to remove air pockets and re-adhere the veneer to the surface of your wood so you can sand and paint to get it like new. The heat from the iron is the key piece, ensuring that the veneer not only smooths down, but also stays in place.

If you have a lot of IKEA furniture, this hack will help you a lot to repair dents and cracks, but it comes in handy on a variety of wood veneer pieces. Some websites suggest using a damp cloth, which you place over the bubbled veneer and then iron on top of it. This method calls for low heat and gentle pressure on the grain to push air out of the bubble and flatten the veneer. This is one way to try and bring your furniture back, and if you notice the bubbles dissipate, you can still add some wood glue to make sure the surface adheres and creates a smooth finish. 

Some bubbled veneer may need a more intense approach to remove the air trapped beneath. This is where the knife hack comes in handy, and could help get rid of stubborn bubbles that can't be ironed flat. Start with a utility knife and cut the veneer where you notice air has collected between the base and the thin top layer. Slice down the veneer in one line, only going as far as the bubble's diameter or across it. Stay with a single straight cut so it is easy to disguise once the air is released. Next, you can add a damp rag on top and iron out the bumps, combining the first method with this option to really flatten your surface. Between the knife expelling the air and the iron reheating and reactivating the wood glue, your veneer should easily re-stick to the base layer.

From here, you are free to sand down the veneer to re-stain it, or work with it to get the finish to a place you're happy with. Whereas before you might have thought the whole piece had to be discarded, you actually have options to repair it so that you're left with a base veneer that is both even and ready to be painted, stained, or otherwise decorated. Don't be afraid to go at larger or trickier bubbles with the knife; just be careful and make smaller incisions to avoid cutting up too much of the surface area. And viola! You have fresh furniture without spending a dime.