Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

I've just been emailed this latest product. I bought my walnut veneer from this company, but it sems they don't do a stick on one. Might be of interest to 2 seat owners though.
http://www.thewoodveneerhub.co.uk/wood- ... ck-veneer/

I wonder how well the adhesive will hold-up over years of the conditions it will be exposed to in the car.

Well, the S1 I bought in Germany had kind of PVC film put onto the dashboard, and I have to say, 38 years later at first and second glance it did fool me, and although it did peel off easily, the glue was still "in working order".
A car that would be parked outside in California maybe another thing ...

From personal experience, this is a very demanding application. When I made my new dash, my woodworking experience with stick-on veneer led me to immediately reject that as a viable solution (for pretty much any term.) And so I used three coats of brush-on contact cement on both surfaces, which once stuck together "never" unsticks again. Each coat was dried thoroughly before recoating and the veneer applied with the recommended J-roller after the final coat dried.

It didn't take very long (months) for sections of that to lift. Leaving me to wonder if the less-durable stick-on veneer might actually handle the temperature and humidity swings better then 'more durable' solutions.

It also led to a greater respect for whatever was used on the originals (which I always assumed was contact cement 'cause that's been the stuff to use for veneers and countertop laminates for as long as I've been conscious of them.)

At least stick on veneers might not crack after a few years...

With adhesives, it's usually a good idea not to over apply or use too thick a coat. I wonder if a single moderately heavy coat would have been better than 3-coats. Also, not all contact cement is crated equal. Some are more water/moisture resistant than others. Perhaps a contact cement compounded for the marine industry would be the best solution?

Bill