How to Repair the Wood on Delaminating Bent Plywood Furniture

Bent plywood furniture was very popular in the mid-20th century. It was made by heating and steaming plywood and then inserting it into powerful presses that shaped it into graceful curves for chairs and other furniture. The problem with this furniture is that the plywood is under pressure, so if any of the joints start to weaken, parts of the surface of the furniture are prone to bending outward and delaminating.

Wood glue
Small foam brush
Clamps

Instructions

- 1
  Pull the delaminating part of the plywood gently away from the part to which it is attached; be careful, and don't make the problem worse. Look into the gap between the two pieces to determine if it is clean and smooth or full of grit and dirt. Clean out and smooth the opened joint as well as you can.
- 2
  Apply wood glue to both surfaces of the opened lamination. Use a small brush so that you can get glue all the way up into the tight part of the joint where the delamination is just beginning.
- 3
  Pull the two parts of the plywood together, and apply clamps to the outside surfaces of the two parts. Use many small clamps rather than one big one. Try to spread the clamping pressure around so that all points of the joint are pressed together.
- 4
  Leave the clamped assembly for 24 hours to be sure it is absolutely dry.
- 5
  Remove the clamps, and clean off any glue that has squeezed out of the newly repaired joint.

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