“After some trials and errors, we came up with the solution. A core of particleboard and a layer of solid wood on the outside – or thick veneer,” says Johnny. “It’s a combination of traditional craftsmanship and modern manufacturing methods. Paper-thin veneer has been used in fine, decorative furniture making for centuries, but for our worktops we’re using a much thicker layer of wood.” The thick veneer makes the surface hardwearing, and it saves raw material – a lot of it. From the same amount of wood needed to make one solid worktop, it’s possible to produce five thick veneer worktops.
Product features
25 year guarantee
Thick veneer worktops combines the best of solid wood and veneer. With efficient use of natural resources, it offers a unique pattern and a durable surface that can be sanded. Available to take home today.
Article Number704.371.59
Product details
25 year guarantee. Read about the terms in the guarantee brochure.
The worktop is made of particle board covered with a top layer of solid wood. This method allows us to use less wood in production.
You can cut the worktop to the length you want and cover the edges with the 2 included edging strips.
Worktop with a top layer of oak, a hard-wearing natural material that can be sanded and surface treated when required.
Layer construction adds stability and makes the worktop less sensitive to humidity, thus, less likely to bend, split or crack than solid wood.
For quick installation and easy maintenance the worktop is pre-treated with hard wax oil.
Designer
IKEA of Sweden
Good to know
Oak is an exceedingly strong and durable hardwood with a prominent grain. It darkens beautifully with age acquiring a golden-brown undertone.
Not suitable for use in wet rooms.
Please note that the actual colours of our products may vary slightly from the colours shown online.
Not suitable for outdoor use.
Every worktop is unique, with varying grain pattern and natural colour shifts that are part of the charm of wood.
IKEA of Sweden AB SE-343 81 Älmhult, IKEA.com
Materials and care
Material
- Top/ Backside/ Edge:
- Thick oak veneer, Oil-acrylic
- Basematerial:
- Particleboard
Care
Areas where the worktop may dry out, such as edges and areas around the sink and hob, require frequent treatment.
The worktop surface is pre-treated at the factory with hard wax oil. Due to the nature of the material, treat the edges and cut-outs with wood treatment oil, prior to installation.
To ensure that your worktop ages gracefully, treat it regularly with wood treatment oil; it gives the surface a beautiful sheen, protects the wood and prolongs the life of the worktop.
Safety and compliance
Supporting legs are required when an overhang exceeds 25 cm. The maximum distance between these legs should not be more than 80 cm.
Assembly and documents
Assembly instructions
VRENA Worktop704.371.59Weight & measurements
- Length: 246 cm
- Depth: 63.5 cm
- Thickness: 2.8 cm
Package details
VRENA
Article Number704.371.59- Width: 65 cm
- Height: 4 cm
- Length: 253 cm
- Weight: 30.23 kg
- Package(s): 1
Reviews
Great top for a custom deskAnonymous reviewerI used several metres worth of Vrena to create a custom computer desk and shelving for my office.
It's been up for nearly two years, still looks great. It cuts quite easily and the finish is generally excellent. I haven't had any issues with lifting veneer as others have mentioned, but as this hasn't been used in a kitchen or wet area I wouldn't expect it.
I have another project coming up soon and I think we'll use this again.
Really good productAnonymous reviewerReal good product, great value for money. Easy to maintain
Poor quality and customer serviceAnonymous reviewerThe surface appears to be flawed during manufacturing and there have then been attempts to roughly filled in these imperfections with wood filler. I was able to get round this in the piece I had for the sink area when I cut out the sink insert. However this was not possible for the other section. When I took the second section back to the store to complain, highlighting the imperfections, I was told it couldn't be exchanged as I had cut part of it whilst starting initial fitting but before I realised just how bad the manufacturing imperfections are. The kitchen manager then the audacity to suggest the imperfections were not manufacturing faults, but done by me and I had then applied the filler.
Don't buy IKEA laminate worktopsAnonymous reviewerAfter 7 months the laminate has already lifted on the manufacturer join. Absolute waste of money and ruins the whole kitchen. Wish I could add a photo.
Poor design idea: veneer and knots.Anonymous reviewerIf you’re going to use thin veneers, you should select the best ones - instead you get knots, filled with some polymer by the look and feel of it. Those filled knots come out easily - it’s been in less than 2 weeks and now I feel like I need to replace the entire worktop because of a 5mm hole that’s appeared in it.
Customer reviews
2.4Average rating
5Reviews
SustainabilityPeople and planet
Sustainable life at home
Better worktops with fewer trees
At IKEA we have a tradition of trying to utilise materials in the best possible way. For our worktops in thick veneer it means that we combine old craftsmanship with modern manufacturing methods. It makes the worktops easier to install, more stable and more resistant to humidity compared to solid worktops. And since we use the whole tree – even the crooked branches and the small twigs – we can save natural resources too.
Story
Better worktops by using wood smartly
Wood is a precious natural resource. Even though it’s a renewable material it needs to be handled responsibly. One way to do it, is to use the wood more efficiently. That’s what we do with our kitchen worktops in thick wood veneer.
“At IKEA we have a tradition of trying to utilise the materials we have in the best possible way,” says Johnny Rietz, who’s been involved in developing the kitchen worktops in thick veneer. The work started in 2008 when IKEA founder, Ingvar Kamprad, visited one of our suppliers and asked a simple question that took some time to answer: ‘How can we make this product using fewer trees?’
Less is more
No wood is wasted
Another advantage with this production technique is that you can use the whole tree; the stem as surface, and scrap bits – curvy, bent branches and small twigs – for the particleboard on the inside. The end result is a worktop that is every bit as genuine as solid wood, only more stable and more resistant to humidity. “Sometimes a small, harmless question can make a big difference. That’s exactly what happened with our kitchen worktops. It started as a challenge to use resources wiser, and proved to have positive effects not only for the environment, but also the quality. I think it’s great when that happens!” says Johnny.
Material
Thick wood veneer = craftsmanship + innovation
With thick veneer we’ve taken the best of solid wood and combined it with advantages of veneer to create beautiful and hardwearing surfaces. The layer construction is less likely than solid wood to bend or crack and the worktop is pre-treated with hard wax oil to create an easy-care surface that does not require oiling before the first use. What’s more? This innovative technology enables us to create unique and distinctive expressions while efficiently using the whole tree.
Quality
Built and tested to last
We believe that our kitchen worktops should meet your highest demands when it comes to design and performance, without compromise. That’s why we test our worktops, and put them up against the everyday challenges they’ll face in your kitchen: liquids, oil, food, steam, heat, bumps and scratches. When they’ve passed our testing, we know they’ll last, and we guarantee it for 25 years.