Kexodus, I didn't use any screws or nails but just titebond glue. You must countersink your screws and then get some of that wood putty to cover the holes. Then you must sand it smooth. If its not smooth, then when you veneer it will show the imperfections, especially if using a darker color. The most important thing I have found is to sand, then sand, and then sand some more until its perfect. Don't put anything on it unitl you have sanded out all the imperfections. Then you can seal and paint, stain or whatever. Trust me on this one. Put the extra effort up front on the sanding because later on the down the line the imperfections don't go away but get worse. I know from experience on this one. LOL. I've never veneered but I think the peel and stick vinyl veneer would be a lot easier to do than real wood veneer. PE has about 4 colors to choose from. You can probably get it locally at home depot or paint store also. Probably a lot cheaper too. PE has raised there prices again so my new vendor is madisound. Have a good one. Paul.