DIY Dining Tables

As most people already know, we have one of the largest selections of Old Growth California Redwood Slabs available. If you are looking to make a Dining Table, we should be your first stop. We have such a huge inventory of slabs that we do not list all of them online. If you don't see exactly what you're looking for, be sure to give us a call and we will find it for you.

Once you have your slab picked out, it becomes a matter of finishing. You can have us do it all, we can provide you with some of the best finishing services available. You can also choose to finish it yourself. The first order of business though, will be to dry it a bit. The drier the wood, the better your finished product will be. Your best option is to have it Kiln Dried. If that is not an option, then put it in the garage with a fan on it to help speed the process along. This might take a few months or even years. But if you are going to put a hard finish on it, it will need to be dried thoroughly first. If not fully dry, it will effect your finish over time. Your end result is a piece of fine furniture, and should be treated as such.

If you are going to put an oil finish on it, the slab doesn't need to be quite so dry since the moisture will still be able to escape. There are some options using oil. One option is a Danish Oil. We use clear, natural oil. But you can get oil in different shades as well. The next option is a Tung Oil. It will give your table a nice luster, as well as some protection. Another great product is Odie's Oil. It claims to give you 20 times the coverage too. They also make a wax to apply over your finish for some added protection for your finish.

Odie's Oil Finish

No matter which oil finishing option you choose, there will be some occasional maintenance. Over time, you will need to re-apply more finish to keep that attractive luster going. 

If you decide to go with a harder finish there are several options. You can go with a Wipe-On Poly, Minwax makes some good ones. If you have spray equipment, you can bump up to something called Conversion Varnish. It is a two part HVLP (High Volume, Low Pressure) spray, but you will need a sprayer to apply it. You can also choose to go for the more industrial liquid polymer option, Evirotex Lite.

Envirotex Lite is a water clear reactive polymer compound. It cures to a thick, glossy coating in about 8 hours at 70°F, and reaches full strength and toughness in about 48 hours. This durable, resilient material requires no polishing to produce a high gloss. One coat is all that is usually required for a deep, attractive finish. However, two or more coats may be applied one over the other by simply wiping the surface with a clean cloth and alcohol prior to re-coating.

Envirotex Lite Finish

No matter which option you use, you can be assured of a beautiful finished product that will last a lifetime.

When you are ready to get started. take a look at our website, or just give us a call at (707) 826-9663.

Redwood Dining Tables

Another great use for ReclaimedOld Growth California Redwood is as a Dining Table. We stock Redwood Slabs up to 20' plus in length. We have widths up to 5' or 6' depending on length. I recently did a survey asking what the perfect size for a dining table is, I got several responses. 6' x 4' seems to be the most common size.

20' by 5' Dining Table w/ Wooden Bases

Ultimately, the determining factor for size comes down to space. How much do you have? Here are some factors to take into consideration. You need to have at least 3' on either side to allow for chairs. Your length must be at least 6' shorter than the length of your room. Lighting is another key factor. If you purchase a dining room light fixture that is too large, you will dwarf the furniture and the dining room will feel garish. Conversely, if the dining room light fixture is too small, it might not emit enough illumination as well as looking disproportionate in the room. A light fixture should balance the rest of the dining room furniture and complement the overall style of the room by repeating a particular finish or decor. If you choose the size of the fixture correctly, you'll have a dining space that welcomes guests to a meal and encourages people to linger at the dinner table.

Table by Kelly Maxwell - Featured in Log Home Living Magazine 2010

One of the great things about using Redwood for a dining table is you can get just about any size you want in one single piece. The down-side is it will always be the same size. I personally have never seen one that was adjustable.

Table made by Scott Dworkin - Dworkin Designs

 If you are in the market for a spectacular one-of-a-kind table, we can be your one stop shop. We have a very large selection of over 1,000 slabs available. If you are the DYI type, you can finish it yourself and save thousands of dollars of what it would cost to buy one ready made. Or, you can have us kiln dry, prep and finish it for you. We have been building, finishing, and shipping tables around the world for almost 40 years now. Logistics are not an issue.

Another Scott Dworkin Design

 Once you have your size worked out, take a look at our website, and give us a call in the office. If you are not seeing exactly what you want, we can probably come up with something that will work for you. Only a small part of what we have in stock is on our website.

Next week, I will talk more about Dining Room Tables. I will post some information for the DYI types out there.

If there is something you would like to hear about, please be sure to leave a comment below.

Redwood Slab Coffee Tables

One of the most common uses for a beautiful Old GrowthCalifornia Redwood Slab is as a Coffee Table. Coffee tables come in all shapes and sizes. The more unique the wood, the more of a conversation piece it becomes. These are also a great DYI Project.

Your first determining factor for designing a coffee table is going to be determining the size and shape of the space you have available. If it needs to be rectangular, I would suggest going with what we call a tree slab. These are cut from the trunk of the tree. You can either go with a really straight grain piece, or find something unique. I personally would choose to go with something with a Curly Grain. A natural edge is nice, but if you want to see the Curl all the way to edges, you would want to shape them.

Here is a great Curly Slab:

If you have a round or triangular space, then one of our Burl Slabs might be a better choice. Our Burl Slabs usually get cut from the root section of the tree, usually below ground. Cutting into roots is like opening a treasure chest because you never know what you are going to find inside. A lot of the time it is just straight grain with a lot of curves coming from the shape of the root. Sometimes it is a spectacular lace burl. Lace Burl is pretty rare, you almost never find it. When you do find Lace Burl it's something special.

Here is a Lace Burl:

If you are in the market for some Coffee Tables, End Tables,or even a Dining Table be sure to give us a call. We also specialize in putting together a whole matched set with a unique base.

Buying A Fireplace Mantel

One of the questions I get the most is "How does this work?” Buying things sight unseen is a big commitment. We try our hardest to make it real easy for you. What I like to tell people is if you like what you see on our website, you will love what you actually get. We really do undersell our products. Fireplace Mantels are a perfect example. What you see online is a wet piece of wood. What you actually get is a beautiful, polished Fireplace Mantel.

If you read the comments posted throughout our website, there is some reassurance. I can honestly say in my 15 years of working here, I've only had one un-happy customer. We shipped him two packages one day, just in time to make his deadline. But for some reason Fed Ex only delivered one of them. So I like to think it was out of our control. It is also the only package that they've ever lost on me.

Most of our mantels are cut from logs, as opposed to the roots of the tree. Usually we cut Fireplace Mantels from some of the first and last cuts on a log. These tend to be cut thicker than slabs from the middle of the tree. This can sometimes give you a nice sloping Live Edge. Mantels cut from the middle of the log tend to have a straight up and down face to them. All of our mantels are one-of-a-kind., which is why we have ten pages on our website dedicated to just Fireplace Mantels. When choosing a mantel, you shop according to size, and character. Often you will find one you just have to have based on the character. We can then cut it down to your size requirements and finish it accordingly.

We also produce a line of Custom Mantels. These can be found on page 5 in our mantel section. These are actually carved out of pieces from the center of the tree. They tend to have a really nice Heartwood Grain. These can be produced in any size you would like. If you don't see something that is just right for your project, then it's time to give us a call. Only a very small part of our inventory is actually online. We have thousands of them in stock. If you give us a call and tell us what you are looking for, we will then find a piece that will work and send you pictures. We even sell unfinished mantels if you want to handle the finishing yourself.

Once your mantel had been cut to size and finished, we are also able to provide photos of you finished mantel prior to shipping. We do this in a well lit environment, usually outside, weather permitting, and will get your final approval of the work prior to shipping. This way you have before and after pictures of your new mantel, and you know exactly what you will be receiving.

Usually our work schedule is two to three weeks out. Depending one where you live determines how long it will take for you to receive your mantel after it ships. We do ship everything FedEx. Ground shipping is never more than $150, but if your finished product weighs more than 150 pounds, it will have to go Freight. We do in fact get a substantial discount off of regular Fed Ex rates, so shipping anywhere in the US is usually pretty economical. We are happy to get you a shipping quote for those larger mantels.

If you have any questions, please be sure to give us call in the office at Redwood Burl Inc. We can almost always be reached at 707-826-9663, even on the weekends.

Design NJ Magazine Articles

Design NJ,New Jersey's Home & Design Magazine, just came out with their October/November 2013 issue. We noticed one of our Fireplace Mantels featured in it. It is always satisfying to see our work in such a great magazine, especially when we weren't expecting it. Our work is all one of a kind, so our mantels are pretty easy to spot.

This picture is in the current issue:

 

According to the magazine, it is in the home of Carlos Hoz De Vila in Moorestown, NJ. I remember working with his designer Jacqui Croft on this project. I have worked with her before on other design projects and she is a pretty popular designer in the Philadelphia and New Jersey areas. She also has some of our work in her own home. That I know of, her home has been featured in Design NJ at least two times.

Here are some pictures of our mantels in her home:

 

I know you can barely see it way in the background under the TV, but I did find another photo of it on her website that shows it just a bit better:

 

Here is another fireplace mantel on her spectacular outdoor patio: