A slab doesn't become an heirloom overnight. Between the forest and your dining room are six stages — and there are no shortcuts through any of them.
The more unique the piece, the more it captures the eye. We hunt for walnut with character — quilted grain where a branch compressed the wood, distressed live edges, shapes a lumber mill would call flaws. That's exactly what we're after.
Primarily Kansas walnut · kiln-dried up to two weeks
A simple frame is built to the finished dimensions, and the slabs go down on the floor inside it. Then we play — shifting, flipping, and pairing pieces until the composition feels right. Nancy, with her interior-design background, has the final say.
Marked in chalk · cut to fit · approved by Nancy
A clear base coat seals the slab to the form so nothing leaks beneath. Then the river gets poured — Total Boat Fathom epoxy, up to two inches deep, tinted with Eye Candy pigments. The shop stays near 70°F so the exothermic cure never runs hot.
3 days to strip the form · 7 days to full cure
The cured table travels to a CNC machine that mills the entire surface dead flat — top and bottom. It's why you can run a hand across the seam between wood and epoxy and feel nothing at all.
Machined level · no visible seam
The longest stage. Eight grits, from 60 all the way to 1000, worked across every inch with a Festool sander — top and bottom both. This is where the depth appears: the epoxy turns to glass and the grain lights up underneath it.
60 → 1000 grit · roughly a full week
A ceramic finish goes on top for a waterproof, furniture-grade surface — and the bottom gets finished too, because unsealed wood drinks moisture like a sponge. Steel C-channels are routed into the underside so the top stays flat through every season.
Ceramic top coat · monthly maintenance spray included
Coffee tables and smaller pieces — layout through final finish.
Dining tables with epoxy rivers and custom edge details.
Large commissions — conference tables and book-matched statement pieces.
Commission a piece and we'll share progress as it moves from layout to pour to polish.
Start a Commission