Cleaning Live Edge Wood

Work your way along the edge of the slab.

Cleaning live edge wood.

The last stage of refinishing a fine wood piece involves using fine grit sandpapers 200 grit and smoothing out any rough edges to the wood so that it feels and looks uniform. Then sand the sap wood live edge with a smaller headed sander to bring out the color and remove any bark or dirt. A belt sander works as well. I have been using this awesome product.

Start on one side then rub out the finish with a dry cloth. Never dry dust your live edge wood table as dust particles may scratch it. There are lots of methods for removing bark and smoothing the edge including using a wire brush abrasive pads and balls and the good old disk sander. Removing the bark from your live edge wood slab.

Removing the bark from your live edge wood slab. Finishing with a very fine sandpaper by hand is ideal whether you used a sanding machine or prepped the wood by hand. Certain wood furniture polishes contain silicone which can actually damage the slab table top. Continue this process over the.

Sand the whole surface with 80 grit continuing to 120 on the aggressive setting. I ve talked with a few wood turners that specialize in live edge work and all seem to agree that the bark will come off at some point no matter what you do. Once the surface is prepped to 120 grit with the aggressive sander move onto a random orbit finishing sander. Apply finish once the surface is prepared to 120 grit you can apply your monocoat finish.

These cloths are highly absorbent and will dust your live edge wood table surface without leaving streaks marks or scratches. If you work across it you may gouge the surface and leave marks. So heat can cause problems for your live edge table. Begin by removing a 6 8 section of bark starting at an end.

It won t come loose later scraping away that layer creates a slippery smooth edge with more rounded features. The cambium layer the fibrous glue that connects the bark to the wood can add depth and character to the edge if you leave it. All you need to do is take a lint free cloth to the table once a week. Finish the table in halves.

Scrape the fibers off with a nylon or wire brush.