Dark Ash Phenolic-Backed Veneer for Architectural Millwork
The Pura Vita PVFS22 Frassino Scuro is a 1.3 mm phenolic-backed loose real wood veneer sheet in a dark ash finish, sold in a 49 inch by 120 inch format for fabricators who need genuine wood character on components a standard panel size cannot cover. The total sheet thickness combines 0.5 mm of real ash veneer over a 0.8 mm phenolic backer, giving the sheet enough body to handle, cut, and bond cleanly.
Key Features
- Real ash wood face: The Frassino Scuro decor is genuine ash veneer in a dark, smoky tone with natural grain variation inherent to the species.
- Phenolic backer construction: A 0.8 mm phenolic carrier stabilizes the 0.5 mm veneer face, keeping the sheet flat and processable through standard shop operations.
- 49 inch by 120 inch sheet size: The format is sized to extend the Pura Vita program onto tall door faces, curved work, and components that exceed standard panel dimensions.
- 1.3 mm total thickness: The combined sheet thickness works for bonding directly to substrate or over a curved form without the bulk of a full panel.
- A-Grade front, B-Grade back: The show face is held to the tighter A-grade appearance standard; the reverse is real ash to a looser B-grade, not a substitute backer.
- Natural grain and tone variation: Color and figure shift leaf to leaf as expected of a natural material — that movement is the wood, not a defect.
Where This Veneer Fits the Job
Fabricators reach for a phenolic-backed loose veneer sheet when a panel-based program runs out of geometry. Tall frameless cabinet doors that exceed a standard panel's length, column wraps, curved reception desk faces, and radiused soffit skins are all jobs where bonding a veneer sheet to a formed substrate is the right move. At 49 by 120 inches, this sheet covers a full-height door in one piece without a horizontal seam, which is the practical reason the format exists. The dark ash of Frassino Scuro suits contemporary interiors where a wood tone with visual weight is preferred over a light or neutral species — think charcoal-stained oak territory, but in ash. It pairs well with matte hardware and dark stone countertops in kitchen and bath millwork.
Construction and Handling
The phenolic backer is not a decorative face. It is a structural carrier that prevents the 0.5 mm veneer from tearing during handling and gives the composite sheet enough stiffness to feed through a panel saw or a CNC flat table without folding. Bond the sheet face-side out with a contact or cold-press adhesive suited to phenolic-backed veneer. The A-grade face is the show side — orient it before cutting and mark it before the peel coat comes off if the product ships with one. Because both faces are real ash, the B-grade back has natural figure of its own, but it is graded to a looser standard and should not be the visible face on finished work.
Who Orders This Sheet
Architectural millwork shops, commercial fixture fabricators, and high-end cabinet shops working on hospitality and retail interiors are the primary buyers. This is not a sheet for a first veneer project — bonding phenolic-backed veneer well requires a flat substrate, correct adhesive selection, and adequate press pressure or vacuum time. Shops already running Pura Vita panels use it to carry the Frassino Scuro color onto components the panel program cannot reach. Interior designers specifying real wood in a contemporary dark-wood palette will find the Frassino Scuro tone useful for feature walls, custom furniture, and built-in cabinetry where a dark ash is the right call.
Is the B-grade back usable as a finished face?
The B-grade back is real ash veneer, so it carries natural grain. However, the B-grade standard permits more natural character variation — knots, color movement, and grain irregularity — than the A-grade front. It is not intended as a show face on finished work, but for a concealed back panel in a built-in where a glimpse of wood is acceptable, it reads fine.
Can this sheet be bonded to a curved substrate?
Yes. The 1.3 mm total thickness is thin enough to take a gentle curve over a formed substrate. Tight radii will require vacuum pressing and a flexible adhesive. The phenolic backer limits flexibility compared to an unbacked veneer, so test the bend radius against the sheet before committing a full panel run.
Does Pura Vita offer matching edgebanding or HPL for Frassino Scuro?
Matching ABS edgebanding is available within the Pura Vita collection. There is no matching high-pressure laminate for the Pura Vita program — HPL is not offered for this collection.
How does the 1.3 mm thickness break down between veneer and backer?
The total 1.3 mm is 0.5 mm of real ash veneer over a 0.8 mm phenolic carrier. The wood you see and finish is the 0.5 mm layer; the phenolic backer provides the handling stiffness but is not visible in the finished piece.
Does ash veneer show color variation between sheets?
Yes — ash is a species with natural variation in tone and grain pattern, and the dark Frassino Scuro finish deepens but does not eliminate that variation. Adjacent sheets on a large run will differ slightly. Order enough from a single lot for the job, and lay out panels before bonding to confirm the sequence reads correctly.
Real Wood on Every Component, One Sheet at a Time
The Pura Vita PVFS22 Frassino Scuro sheet puts genuine dark ash on the parts of a project that a panel cannot reach — the right material format for shops that need the color to carry through without compromise.
