This is my first Instructable YAY! In this Instructable I will show you how to apply a wood veneer finish to your laptop to achieve an old school look to modern tech.

Disclaimer: I'm not responsable for any permanent damgage to your laptop, if you don't want to permanently change your laptop than this is not for you.... this is not reversable. Be sure to take proper percaution when using liquids near laptop.

Step 1: Materials

The materials you will need for this project:
1) Laptop
2) A sheet of wood veneer(you can pick this up at most hardware stores like home depot)
3) Gold paint( if you can disassemble your laptop safely then use spray paint to give an extra shinny smooth look, I simply used a gold paint pen, I tried many different paints including enamels and acrylics,but they all chipped too easily... but the paint pen held up well. use a plastic primmer if possible(any tips you could leave me in the comment section of better ideas would be appreciated))
4) Brass wire(for edging)
5) Misc. ornamental jewelery(for decorating the top)
6) Paper(for tracing design)
7) Xacto knife
8) Super glue
9) Masking tape
10) Wood stain (i used cherry)
11) Polyurethane
12) Double-sided heavy duty adhesive sheet

Helpful Links:
flink Suggests:
"When choosing wood veneer, please be aware that there are different types of veneer as well as different wood species. Veneer can be found unbacked, paper-backed, and adhesive backed.

Make certain you have the right type. Needless to say, adhesive backed is what you should use here unless you have experience with contact cements :-)

Some sources of decent veneer:

www.rockler.com

www.woodcraft.com

The borgs have veneer, but seldom have a wide selection. From Rockler or woodcraft you can get some really exotic stuff. Some real lumberyards have veneer, too. Typically those that carry a good selectino of hardwoods.

You could also try www.woodfinder.com to search for a veneer supplier in the US or Canada."

And heres a good link for hardware suggested by XaqFixx: Whitechapel, ltd.

Step 2: Tracing the Design

Place a piece of paper or tracing paper over the back the laptop and trace out where you want the wood to go.(This has to be exact or else you'll have problems later fitting it like i did)

Then cut out design.

Repeat for front.

Step 3: Cut Out Design

First apply the Double-sided heavy duty adhesive sheet to the other side of the veneer.(Leave the paper backing on of course)

Then sand the wood veneer to give it an extra smooth appearance.

Then tape design to Wood Veneer.(make sure to plan on which way you want the grain to go and what part of the wood looks the best)

Then cut using a sharp Xacto knife. (the wood is really thin so you should have no problem cutting through it like butter)

Be sure to cut a diagonal line on the corners so they fold properly.

Step 4: Soak Veneer for Bending

I soaked the Veneer in hot water so that i could bend it around the edges without it splintering.

I then dried off the excess water to avoid any possibility of water damage. It may be a good idea to remove the battery as well... just to be on the safe side.

I then used masking tape to hold the wood in place on the laptop so it would dry and retain the bent shape.

Step 5: Stain! Stain! Stain!

Now its time to stain, I used 2-3 coats of cherry wood stain, follow the directions on the can, be sure to allow to fully dry between coats.

Of course this step is optional, natural wood is beautiful too! Especially if you plan on sanding instead of polyurethaning.

Step 6: Paint Laptop

Time to paint the laptop.

I used a Gold paint pen, experiment to see what works best for you.

Be sure to mask off the important bits that you dont want gold paint on(this is impotant for giving a very professional finished product)

I chose not to paint the inside of my laptop so i left the black edges black.

Step 7: Adhere Wood Veneer

Remove adhesive backing and carefully lay the wood onto the laptop being careful not to press down until it is properly lined up.

When it lined up press firmly taking extra care at the corners and cutting away excess material.

Step 8: Polyurethane or Sanding Finish

Mask off everything you don't want polyurethane on, you don't want this stuff seeping in and ruining your computer.

Apply a thin even coat of polyurethane across one side, make sure not to glob it on, be patient and do multiple thin coats.

Pay extra close attention around vents, holes, and moving parts. (Did I mention I'm not liable for any damage you do to your laptop? Do at your own risk, but if your careful it shouldn't be a problem)

Apply about 3 coats allowing it to completely dry in between. (While its drying place laptop where no dust or cat hair can collect on it)

Then repeat for other side.

Another option instead of Polyurethane would be to finish the wood with sandpaper, progressively using finer and finer sand paper on up to at least 1500. You'll end up with a super shiny smooth finish, and then finish with boiled linseed oil to protect it.(This was sugested by a good friend of mine who specializes in wood crafts and detests polyurethane finishes, i may actually redo mine with this technique instead, much nicer end product.)

Step 9: Finishing Touches/ Troubleshooting

After the the polyurethane is completely dry you can add the finishing touches, I added a copper pendent to the center and some corner accents that i picked up from hobby lobby.

I painted them with gold paint and super glued them into place.

To finish the edges on top where the wood meets the plastic i cut and bent a brass rod and glued it into place.

On the back of the laptop I used some rub-on Old English lettering for my name and glued some rivets into place over the screw holes.(Note: Keep in mind that this may cause problems with upgrading later on)

Then apply one last coat of polyurethane to each side to lock in everything.

And your done!

Troubleshooting:
You can fix small mistakes with the placement of the wood with wood filler, be sure to stain the wood filler so it matches.

If you get super glue where you don't want it, invest in some de-bonder to clean it up.

Leave me comments on what you think,

Good luck!