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finishing a live edge slab - suggestions to achieve certain finish

42K views 46 replies 16 participants last post by  diydreamer 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Greetings all! I'm getting ready to dive into my first live edge slab piece (bathroom vanity counter top) and I need some advice on how best to finish it to get the desired look.

Here is an example of the finish I'm looking to get (super smooth, satin sheen):
Table Wood Rectangle Floor Flooring


Since this is going to be in the bathroom and likely getting wet, I'll need to make sure I take that into consideration when finishing (meaning if I can't get waterproof with a satin finish, then I'll chose a different finish).

The wood I'm probably going to be working with is Bishop wood (of which I know little about). This is a finished board I found a picture of:
Light Black Blue Automotive tire Textile

I'm hopefully getting a really nice slab of this. If not, I'll be using a piece of black walnut that I already have.

So, the questions:
- depending on which of the two woods I'm using, will I need to take different steps to achieve the finish or will both types essentially take the same steps?
- what products and process would you recommend for prepping and finishing to get the desired finish? I've read and see some guys sand then use hot linseed oil first, then a shelac seal coat, finer sanding and more shelac, then rubbing out the finish.

Thanks all for any recommendations! I'll post photos along the way.
 

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#7 · (Edited by Moderator)
Wood Building Rectangle Wall Flooring


Here's a picture of a live edge stool I made, finished in waterborne poly. I think it was old masters. Something happened to the finish in the can as it came out like pudding, the tech support guy suspected it probably froze at some point. At any rate, it turned out better than I expected and further sanding between coats could have easily resulted in an even smoother finish. The higher than normal viscosity did help with bark a little.
 

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#8 ·
so…
- oil based shleac or satin lacquer like this

- 1200 grit on my random orbital + lube (he uses soapy water)
- 2000 grit abralon pad + lube

then what? he doesn't speak to anything beyond that. Will that be where I stop or should I be applying something further (wax, etc)?

My biggest question then is what about BEFORE I start hitting it with the shellac? I get it sanded to perfect. Then what? Is there anything I should hit it with before the shellac to seal it, bring out the color/grain, fill pores, etc?

Once more..thanks all!
 
#10 ·
Hey Charles. Thanks for chiming in. Great videos, btw. Very helpful for someone green (excuse the pun) like me. I've done plenty of work with wood, but never a serious focal point piece like this.

I have the Walnut slab now.
Tire Wheel Sky Automotive tire Wood


Hopefully I'll have the Bishop wood soon. Even if I DO get the slab of Bishop, this hunk of Walnut is going to be the next project, done is the same exact satin smooth finish for my living room. The only difference is that it won't need to be super waterproof, but living in South Florida, I do have to deal with the humidity.
 

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#12 ·
I definitely want to leave the sap wood light for the dramatic contrast. It may be hard to tell in the photo but the back (left in the pic) is already squared as are the ends. The front (right) edge is still bark on. I'm planning on stripping the bark (still learning the ins and outs of doing that from pressure washers to draw knives), then seeing how much character is in the edge. I do plan on doing some carving on it because I am in love with the edge of that photo that I posted at the top. I might not get THAT crazy with my carving, but the short answer is "yes" and I appreciate the video link. Watching it now.
 
#14 ·
Thanks Monte.

I'm still looking for a recommendation on an order of attack. I'm sure it's not just sand it smooth and hit it with Poly and call it a day (that is of course if I want the best, richest, results). I'm eager to hear what Charles has in a method for me.
 
#15 ·
What I am waiting on is to see it surfaced and sanded, and then see what we have. We have numerous products we could go with. We could use a good urethane oil finish, however if you want the stark sapwood /heart wood , assuming its nice and white, then the oil could "tan " it, same with an epoxy.Epoxy would be a good choice if we have checks and other defects., or your after a super tough finish. If we have a nice surface and want to maintain the wood colors as close to what they are , then a water base would be a good option , Or we could use a good oil, to enhance the color, and then a water base, and then perhaps rub the finish to a satin, glass smooth surface. We could also do the same with an epoxy, or a lacquer . The possibilities are numerous.. Lets see what we have before we commit .
 
#16 · (Edited by Moderator)
Ok, so first thing to do is to get the bark off and the entire piece sanded down. Got it. How smooth should I be taking it at this point? 320? 600? 1500?

A few of the things you mentioned are what I'm after…hopefully they can be achieved in unison:

- waterproof (going in my bathroom)
- the sapwood isn't white, so I'm not to worried about it losing it's "whiteness" but I do want the sharp contrast since the heartwood is so dark and interesting.
- "rub the finish to a satin, glass smooth surface" If the very first photo at the top that I posted of that gorgeous bar top is a close match to this, then that's exactly what I want.
 
#18 ·
I would do whatever Charles Neil tells you to do. To the letter. This forum is amazing, that people like Mr Neil will come out and help people. This is like getting guitar tips from Eric Clapton. Is it true that Tommy Mac used to post on here as well?
 
#19 ·
Greetings all. Sorry for the unexpected hiatus from from my thread. Unfortunately, in the midst of my project, my mom passed away. Needless to say, we've had a lot to deal with. It has been nice to turn to the wood to clear my head.

So, with that, here is where I am at:
- planed a substantial cup out of the piece by hand with a Harbor Freight electric plane. For my first attempt at planing and with a $45 tool, I have to say, I'm very pleased with the results
- the piece has been cut down to size. Again, by hand with nothing but a framing square and a skill saw.
- I've hand-carved the free edge (not against the wall) to give it more of a "live" feel. Used my die grinder and a sanding disk for most of it.
- the front edge had to be worked back quite a bit to remove some of the too-dry and brittle bits and get to the hard wood. More creative carving had to be done.
- sanded the entire piece from 36 grit (to handle some of the planing edges) all the way to 150 and she is really looking and feeling nice!

Table Wood Wood stain Natural material Hardwood


Wood Floor Bumper Wood stain Hardwood


Wood Rectangle Wood stain Hardwood Flooring


Wood Rectangle Wood stain Wall Hardwood


As you can see, there are a couple of canyons on the top of the piece. They really give it some awesome character so my intent is to preserve them. I was thinking that I would fill them will the clear epoxy leveled to the surface before I get into any further finishing. Of course, I'm looking for suggestions on this.

I still need to cut the hole for the sink and the faucet, so I don't want to do any finshing work until then, but what say you all? What do you think? What's next in my process?

and as always, thanks!!
 

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#22 · (Edited by Moderator)
Your looking good, go ahead and get your sink cut out, and then sand it to about 180, be sure to keep this in a plastic bag when not working on it, then drop me a pm, and we will get together on the phone, too much to type, but then you can post your progress and what you do, Should be fun to watch this come together

here are a couple of blogs I did on the the subject http://intheworkshop.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/clario-slab-finishing-and-stuff/

This one you have to scroll thru the photos to the end , the walnut slab was split cracked and just a mess, but the epoxy save it, http://intheworkshop.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/stump-table-aka-swamp-art/

In the first blog we sprayed the epoxy with another finish to lessen the sheen, in your case I would like to have you rub it, so folks can see how it is done..

Will be out of town over the weekend, but will try to respond as best I can..
 
#23 ·
Awesome as always Charles!

That walnut slab is gorgeous. I love the finish and it sounds exactly like what I want (epoxy to complete seal it up, then rubbed down to satin).

I wish the sink would hurry up and get here! I'll be back around when the holes are done.
 
#24 ·
ok, all. The sink came in Friday (like 6 days early)! Gave me the weekend to tackle the holes and sanding. Cutting the sink hole was ridiculously hard. This wood is SO hard! I went through jigsaw blades one after the other. I've got the entire piece sanded to 220.

So, it's on to the finishing!

Charles, I'll PM you now. In case I forget to say it enough, thanks tons!
 
#26 ·
ok, so after speaking at length with the Master, I have a clear plan of attack.

- started by plugging up the cracks and holes from the bottom then pouring a mix of Glaze Coat resin into the caverns from the top. I had to do this is 2 steps, as the cracks needed time to cure to plug up the runner cracks so that I could then fully fill the cracks to the level top

- tonight I did a seal-coat of the Glaze Coat resin cut with 25% acetone. Started on the bottom, then flipped it onto nail boards and did the top.

Table Wood Wood stain Floor Flooring


Table Wood Wood stain Hardwood Varnish


- tomorrow night, I'll sand everything with 220grit then hit it with another 25% cut seal coat. After that, that's when it gets fun (final coats, sanding, and buffing)
 

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