Cleaning Live Edge Wood

Begin by removing a 6 8 section of bark starting at an end.

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. Work your way along the edge of the slab. Finishing with a very fine sandpaper by hand is ideal whether you used a sanding machine or prepped the wood by hand.

Apply finish once the surface is prepared to 120 grit you can apply your monocoat finish. 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. Removing the bark from your live edge wood slab.

Cracks and knots of live edge tables may retain dust and dirt deep in their creases. A belt sander works as well. Continue this process over the. 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.

It won t come loose later scraping away that layer creates a slippery smooth edge with more rounded features. 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. Certain wood furniture polishes contain silicone which can actually damage the slab table top. These cloths are highly absorbent and will dust your live edge wood table surface without leaving streaks marks or scratches.

Never dry dust your live edge wood table as dust particles may scratch it. If you work across it you may gouge the surface and leave marks. Finish the table in halves. So heat can cause problems for your live edge table.

Use a soft lint free slightly dampened microfiber cloth. Start on one side then rub out the finish with a dry cloth. Sand the whole surface with 80 grit continuing to 120 on the aggressive setting. Once the surface is prepped to 120 grit with the aggressive sander move onto a random orbit finishing sander.

Scrape the fibers off with a nylon or wire brush.