Veneer Acclimation

Acclimation of sheet veneer is extremely important in the installation process.
The fact that wood moves with temperature and humidity is a natural process and efforts must be made to lesson the extreme movement that will occur when material is shipped from one location to another.

If veneer is applied to a substrate before it has a chance to adjust to a local climate, the resulting movement that will occur can cause splitting and cracking, bubbling and ultimately total surface failure. 

It is important the when your veneer arrives, it should be laid out and sandwiched between two sheets of plywood for approximately 5 days, to let the material acclimate to your area to minimize excessive movement once it is glued in place.

The Ideal humidity is 35% at approximately 70 degrees fahrenheit. 
While this is a general "rule of thumb", depending on the season and relative conditions, adjustments will need to be made to improve the overall results.

Once you have veneered your project

Just as important as acclimating your veneer, once your project has been built it is extremely important to finish your project in a timely manor. 

Once the veneer is affixed to a surface by way of an adhesive you have limited the movement of the back side of the veneer while allowing the surface of the veneer itself to take on and expel moisture freely.  If left for extended periods of time, the excessive movement from the transfer of moisture can and will cause problems, either by way of cracking and blistering to de-lamination issues.  

If you must ship a project unfinished, avoid shipping unfinished projects during periods of high humidity, or from one climate to another, like from Michigan to Florida or California without protecting the surface by wrapping the project in shrink wrap until a proper protective coating can be applied as soon as possible.