Veneer

A very thin slice of wood generally less than 3mm. Usually the veneer has decorative grain pattern and is applied to a piece of furniture to finish the piece. The advantages are economic, as a piece will use far less of an expensive wood in a veneered piece, but it also adds dimensional stability to a piece as some woods will twist and crack in the solid. A good example of this is the traditional Oak table, which in the solid can be perfectly square to start with but will start to twist and split over time. An Oak veneered table would not do this.