
How to finish a wood slab table top. Brush on a coat of amber shellac as shown to seal the wood and give it a warm hue. Step by step guide for live edge wood slabs. But a desktop must be flat. When the finish is dry in about 30 minutes lightly hand sand with 320 grit paper and top coat with a more durable finish as explained in the next step.
With the slab in hand you probably have a general idea of what you want to build large table small table long bench short bench for example. Hand sanding with the grain removes swirls and torn wood fibers left by the orbital action of the sander. On the other hand if the slab has natural edges checks also known simply as cracks bark inclusions areas where the surface of the slab is bark tissue rather than wood and even voids then there are added details to deal with. A random orbital sander is perfect for most of the sanding.
Check it out 5 tips for better. Now consider the following in order to match the unique characteristics of the slab to your personal tastes. A slab with an uneven face top surface would work great for a rustic side table. Do a final sanding by hand.
Finishing it can be a bit trick. On the one hand slabs are just thicker pieces of wood and are finished using exactly the same techniques that woodworkers have been using forever. Finish the table in halves. If youre thinking ok lets get these cracks and openings filled up as the first thing to do stop.
Sand every square inch the same. Step 13 oil the top. You dont need to finish sanding both the top and bottom faces. I wanted to share some of my tips on how i get it done.
I use three simple step. But do a five minute final sanding by hand using the same grit. Wipe the top and edges with denatured alcohol to remove any dust. I give a few tips and techniques that are super easy that anyone can do.
In this video i show how i finish my live edge slabs. How to finish a live edge slablive edge slab furniture is all the rave right now even though it has been around for a long long time. The face of a table bench or headboard might look good with a little waviness. Start on one side then rub out the finish with a dry cloth.