Veneering both sides of a substrate. Veneering MDF vs. Solid Wood Stock. Veneering one side of a workpiece can cause warping.

"I am new to veneering. I have been doing my veneer research and there seems to be a varied opinion on applying veneer on both sides of the substrate-I will be applying veneer to solid stock verses particle or MDF. As for the veneer, I am planning to purchase the wood-backed veneer with the PSA. I would appreciate your insights. I want to make sure I order the right veneer for what is needed when placing my order."  James

James, if you are mounting the veneer to a solid wood substrate, I most definitely recommend that you mount veneer to both sides.  If you mount the veneer to one side only, it will introduce stresses which can unbalance the stability of the substrate.  This can cause the substrate to warp.  

To mitigate warping, you should mount a similar veneer to the other side of the work piece.  The backer veneer doesn't have to be the same species as the top veneer.  The backer veneer can be a less expensive species, so long as it is the same type of product.

If the face veneer is paper backed, the backer veneer should be a paper backed veneer.  If the face veneer is 2 a ply wood backed veneer, the backer veneer should be a 2 ply wood backed veneer. And so on.

Oftentimes, people will veneer only one side of a substrate, and they get away with it without incurring any problems.  This is especially true if the substrate is fastened down, such as a table top.  

The risk of warping is especially problematic when you are veneering solid wood stock.  The solid stock is way more prone to stresses and warping than MDF or particle board.  In fact, if you have a choice, I recommend that you use the particle board or MDF as your substrate.

Bob Morgan,pres

Veneer Factory Outlet

Wood Veneer Factory Outlet