Earthy Modern Ash Slab Top

Product Description

Solid Wood Top Edge

Wood edges corresponding to the grain direction  (usually long edges) are eligible for customisation. Choose between any combination of the following: live edge, square edge, part live & part square edge. Vertical to grain direction edges are always square (usually the short edges).

Square edge wood top

As the name implies, all the top edges are finished with a straight edge to give it a traditional finish.

All our square edges are eased by hand. By taking sharpness off the wood edge (contour, border, outline), we accomplish soft, pleasant to touch edge,  whilst preserving crisp, sharp, contemporary appearance. All wood edges opposite to the grain direction (usually short sides, described as width (depth) of the top are always square. Long edges can be either square, natural (live), or part live part square.

Live edge (waney edge) wood top

Otherwise called waney edge wood plank, natural edge wood plank, raw edge wood plank, earthy edge wooden plank or wavy edge wood. Live edge follows the natural outer edge of the wood plank with the wood bark removed.

Part live & part square edge wood top

This is a combination of live and square edge to give the wooden piece a unique finish that works very well with both contemporary and traditional interiors.

Solid Wood Tops Finishing Service

Raw (Unfinished) solid wooden top– sanded to 120 grit and delivered (or collected) raw, ready for the finishing service, unless our professional finishing service was requested (please note tables are only available finished – fully protected).

Professional Finishing – if  you want to receive your solid wood top  ready to be used immediately, we recommend our in house finishing service. This includes surface fine sanding – preparing the tops for treatment with oil/lacquer to provide a hard-wearing finish. Treatment using Earthy® Timber’s recommended blend of high quality oils/lacquer ideal for surfaces requiring a hard-wearing and water resistant surfaces. The protective layer built with the oil/lacquer is water, heat, alcohol and food acid-resistant. The surface is also  finely sanded between the coats of treatment. Alternatively you may choose to purchase an unfinished solid wood top, which comes with basic sanding  (120 grit) and therefore will require further processing.

Fine sanding + oil

Finishing oil is the most organic method of finishing the wooden tops.  The unique properties of oil enhance the grain over time and amplify the natural tones of wood. The oil penetrates the  deeper layers of solid wood top (worktop) & creates a shield-like effect that prevents damage once the top layer of oil begins to fade. Oil-finished surfaces are easy to repair with another layer of oil, however the downside is that the surface marks quite easily with liquids, therefore it is not a recommended solution for bathrooms or utility rooms.  Your solid wood oak worktop or walnut worktop will require systematic re-oiling in accordance with our maintenance guide so that your solid wood worktop remains nourished and beautiful. The oiled-finish is perfect for those who love the natural qualities of solid wood in their kitchen.

Fine sanding + lacquer 

Lacquer is an ideal solution for durable, protective, low maintenance solid wooden top finish. It is the most cost effective, water resistant solution, ideal  for wooden worktops frequently exposed to moisture such as bathrooms or utility rooms but also solid wood tables and breakfast bars.  Unlike oil, which intensifies the depth of the colour palette, lacquer maintains the natural colour of wood with a transparent, preservative layer. Solid wooden tops finished with lacquer will last years without reapplication unless heavily used.

We utilise a water-based, low VOC solution that offers high resistance to scratches and stains whilst maintaining the natural beauty and feel of the solid wood top. It is ideal for use on hardwood worktops. The mixture also features a non-yellowing, UV protected formula. The protective layer built by the lacquer  is water, heat, alcohol, and food acid resistant.

Delivery Timescale

Because your solid wood table /solid wood tops are handcrafted to order, it takes approximately 5 weeks depending on the complexity of your project and our workshop schedule. We will contact you before your delivery/collection is due to agree mutually convenient date &  time. Our representative will give you a courtesy call on the day with estimated time of arrival.

Delivery Charges

We only offer a dedicated delivery service, rather than courier service, at the price quoted on the site (We have seen our beautiful wooden pieces badly damaged in courier shipment a few times.)

Manual assistance will be required on delivery for unloading. Please ensure you have enough suitably strong people to offload the goods. Please contact us if you require our premium delivery service available at an additional cost (premium delivery service includes our members of staff safely delivering your wooden table/top to designated room and full assembly of our goods).

Collection Terms

You can also choose to collect your wooden furniture from our workshop in Plumpton Green, Sussex.  In this case you will be responsible for carrying, packaging & securing the bespoke solid wood furniture in your vehicle.

Our Collection Terms are as follows:
Clients wishing to call at our premises to collect their products will need to be aware of the following conditions:
1/ by prearranged appointment we can have the product ready for collection at the entrance to our workshop
2/ it is the customer’s responsibility to carry, package & secure the item(s) in their vehicle to prevent damage to the product. We would recommend for you to bring the equivalent of 2 or 3 men as the item(s) are heavy & awkward to handle.

Your solid wood table/solid wood top size

Please ensure that the wood table (or wood worktop wood top or wood desk etc ) will have sufficient room to pass easily through all your entryways. If this is unlikely, we can find a solution for you (at an additional cost). The wooden top and legs can be assembled on site, the top can be delivered in parts and also assembled on site, but we will need to be informed at the time the order is placed.

What is slab of wood?

Slab is a single plank of wood, without any joints on the length or the width. They are more expensive than planked tops because they are rarer to source and more expensive to process due to the lengthy and expert kiln drying procedure.

What is a planked wood top?

A planked wooden top is constructed from multiple staves (planks) jointed only on the width, never on the length, of the top, each stave  forming one continuous strip for the entire length of the worksurface. Planked tops are less expensive than a single large plank of wood (slab), but there is no compromise on the excellent quality of the natural wood top.

What ‘full stave’ top means?

Full stave means the wood plank is running along the whole length of the top, without any joints (as opposed to the surface being made up of little blocks, also known as block-style).

What ‘stave width’ means?

Stave width refers to the width of each of the wood planks. Stave width otherwise means ‘plank width’.

What is live edge?

Otherwise called waney edge, natural edge, raw edge or earthy edge. Live edge follows the natural outer edge of the wood plank with the bark removed

What is square edge?

As the name implies, all the edges are finished with a straight edge to give it a traditional finish. Our square edges are eased by hand. By taking sharpness off the edge, we accomplish soft, pleasant to touch contour,  whilst preserving crisp appearance. All edges opposite to the grain direction (usually short sides, being the depth of the top) are always square. Long edges can be either square, natural (live), or part live part squared contoured.

What is part live and part square edge?

This is a combination of live and square edge to give the wooden piece a unique finish that works very well with both contemporary and traditional interiors.

Do you work with softwood (such as pine worktops)?

We specialise in English and European hardwoods (deciduous trees with broad flat leaves)  this is because as the name suggests, the wood of hardwood trees is harder, denser, tighter than the wood of other trees and as a result the hardwood tops are very durable. We do not use pine (coniferous species, small needle like leaves) for our projects as softwood is easy to dent and the grain is not as tight as in hard wood and in our experience they are not suitable for wooden worktops or flooring.

It takes more effort and is more costly to process the hardwood than softwood, this is because hard wood is tougher, more condensed, making their wood perfect for our high quality, beautiful wooden table tops and solid wood worktops. Our wild walnut table tops or oak desks are practical pieces of art.

What is the difference between slab top (single plank top),  table top planked and wooden worktops?

Appearance and price. Our full stave worktops are made up of jointed planks with more narrow staves (compared to the planked table tops). This is the less expensive option.

Our planked table tops are made up of jointed planks with wider staves. The planks are book-matched (meaning they originate from the same tree). This is the more expensive option.

You may also opt for a slab. Slabs are single, very wide planks. Slabs are priced significantly higher than the table tops. It is also possible to buy DIY slabs – professionally vacuum kiln dried, levelled and planed material (with no further treatment).

Why your table legs are more expensive?

Our high quality, handcrafted to order in our workshop, removable table legs and matching plates are calibrated individually to each wooden surface (important factors to consider are weight, width, length, thickness, construction of the table top). The supporting plates are embedded in timber so that your table will never ‘wobble’. It is a truly bespoke service that is tailored to the size & weight of your surface but also and equally importantly, allowing for the natural movement of timber as it expands and contracts as the temperature and/or humidity of the room changes.

This prevents cracks and splits in the wood. Paired with our precise vacuum kiln-drying method, this provides you with the furniture to last for generations.

Please note that, for obvious reasons, we cannot advise on legs and support from other sources.Using the legs not supplied by us invalidates warranty on the surface.

Why vacuum kiln drying of wood is important?

All our timber is vacuum kiln dried below 10% moisture content at the very core of the wood plank, as this is an essential process  to ensure the wood is stable and suitable for internal use. Regrettably a large proportion of timber on the market is not processed in this way and clients are unaware of the potential dangers of purchasing incorrectly dried timber including warping, twisting, swelling, encouraging the infestation of woodworm. Also neighbouring surfaces  regardless of composition (mdf, timber plywood etc.) could potentially be affected and damaged. Unfortunately these problems can take months to manifest themselves by which time it is too late.

Collection Terms and Delivery Charges explained

We only offer a dedicated delivery service,  rather than courier service, at the price quoted on the site (We have seen our beautiful wooden pieces badly damaged in courier shipment a few times.) If you prefer you can always collect your tops (van hire costs  approximately £60 per day), our Collection Terms are as follows:

Clients wishing to call at our premises to collect their products will need to be aware of the following conditions:

1/ by prearranged appointment we can have the product ready for collection at the entrance to our workshop

2/ it is the customer’s responsibility to carry, package & secure the item(s) in their vehicle to prevent damage to the product. We would recommend for you to bring the equivalent of 2 or 3 man as the item(s) are heavy & awkward to handle.

Timber is a natural product 

We personally hand-pick the quality, character logs for all our projects. As timber grading specialists we identify the trees with unique features and natural, earthy characteristics such as beautiful grain, knots, voids, pippy scatterings and splits that are compatible with our love for rustic-modern perfection. We invite nature to your home and our surfaces will reflect that rustic excellence subtly enhanced with clear epoxy resin, so you can see them and enjoy them yet the surface is hygienic to use.

If you prefer very uniform appearance, without character our product is not a natural choice for you.

Can I select wood planks /wood slabs for my project?

For 99% of our commissions the planks are selected by our experts on the customer’s behalf. Our instagram accounts will give you an insight into our past projects if you want to see examples and diversity of colour, grain detail and rustic features.

Our skilled carpenters will select the boards that are colour, grain & feature compatible. We instinctively know, which wood boards are going to work in harmony ensuring the best aspects of the wood are displayed.   We then enhance the rustic knots and voids  with our signature resin infill technique, so that no two surfaces will ever look the same.  If you wanted to personally select the wood planks for your project, this service is available for single items over £5000. Items below this value will entail an extra charge of £360+vat paid up front. The selection process can take place either in our workshop or via mobile devices by prearranged appointment.

What is unfinished wood top / raw wood top? – sanded to 120 grit and delivered (or collected) raw, ready for the finishing service, unless our professional finishing service was requested.

What is included in Professional Finishing? – if  you want to receive your surface ready to be used immediately, we recommend our in house finishing service. This includes surface fine sanding – preparing the tops for treatment with oil/lacquer to provide a hard-wearing finish. Treatment using Earthy® Timber’s recommended blend of high quality oils/lacquer ideal for surfaces requiring a hard-wearing and water resistant surfaces. The protective layer built with the oil/lacquer is water-, heat-, alcohol- and food acid-resistant. The surface is also  finely sanded between the coats of treatment.

Alternatively you may choose to purchase an unfinished surface, which comes with basic sanding  (120 grit) and therefore will require further processing.

What is your lead time?

Because your goods are crafted to order, it takes approximately 5 weeks depending on the complexity of your project and our workshop schedule.

Is the wood for my project responsibly sourced?

The trees that we choose to work with are sustainably sourced and replenished with newly planted saplings.

Please note tolerance for square edges

+/- 2mm

Please note tolerance for waney edges or part live part square edges.

Up to 100mm for standard projects, usually less than that.

I have bespoke shape and/or  cut outs requirements , can you help?

To quote for bespoke shapes and requirements not included in our online shop please contact us via contact form to receive a bespoke quotation.

Do you offer Support & Fitting Advice?

You can find general information about fitting on our website. We therefore recommend you to use a professional carpenter to survey, fit and provide adequate support to overhangs for your surfaces. Please note incorrect fitting invalidates warranty on our surfaces.

Do you offer Fitting Service and what is an approximate cost?

Yes we do. Please note the price of this service is calculated at least at a cost of product + cost of travel from our wood yard & workshop, located  in Plumpton Green, Sussex)

1. Survey – our experienced craftsman will visit your property to take the measurements, discuss your requirements, all the details and options that will work with the layout of the furniture, fixtures in the room as well as support available at the time we survey your property. This will allow us to tailor the product and concealed supports to your needs. The cost of the survey is minimum £180+vat depending on the complexity of the project plus cost of travel. Please note we are unable to provide the fitting service without surveying your project first.
2. Quotation – after the visit we will prepare a detailed, no-obligation quotation that includes delivery and installation.
3. Payment – Once you accept the quote, we’ll require 50% deposit from you. Your furniture is crafted to order and this will take around 5-8 weeks depending on the complexity of the project and our schedule. The balance for your order will be due 5 weeks before scheduled installation.
4. When your furniture is ready, our craftsmen will deliver and install it for you at a mutually convenient date and time. Installation typically takes 1 – 2 days. We will remove all installation waste and leave the room clean and tidy for you to enjoy.