You can cut up slices of tree trunks and use them as glass coasters or as a rustic basic for your dinner table setting. Use Scandinavian hues like stark white, charcoal grey and mint green to dress up the tree trunks and create a modern fresh vibrant appeal to your interior decor.
Tips and Recommendations
- Use glue or primer before painting on the slice; otherwise, your paint will be absorbed into the wood and your image will not be clear.
- To set your image, simply add a coat of clear varnish and let dry.
- Another way to set your image is to use wood polish.
The best way to protect your Wood Slice Ornaments from cracking is to treat them with Pentacryl right after they are cut. For small slices, simply soak them in this green wood stabilizer and then dry them slowly – for larger pieces, you may choose our other application methods, listed here.
- Step 1: prepare the wood slice. Prep the tree slice by giving it a sand to smooth out the surface and remove some of the imperfections.
- Step 2: apply a wood finish.
- Step 3: paint or seal the table legs.
- Step 4: attach the table legs.
Overview. Drying out wood slices is actually really easy. All you need to do is grab some denatured alcohol, and allow the slices to soak for 24 hours for each inch of thickness. Take the slices out, and let them dry.
The bark is more adhered to the wood because sugar is not running through the sap edge. Stabilizing the wood with Pentacryl and/or Wood Juice will also help to keep the bark on, as it reduces the shrinkage of the wood and prevents the wood from pulling away from the bark.
To keep the wood from sitting directly in the dirt, we recommend laying small stones or gravel down first. This will help with the drainage and keep the wood slices above any standing water.
If you're planning on using wood that you have cut, bake your wood slices at a low heat (approximately 200 degrees F) for 45 minutes on each side to dry out the wood and kill any critters that may be hiding in the wood. If needed, sand the surface and the edges of the wood.
Using a Conventional OvenEven if you use a conventional oven for drying wood slices, you should do it slowly. You may want to bake the wood for over 24 hours for effective results. This depends on the type of wood and the level of moisture. As a general guideline, you should ideally aim for at least 24 hours.
How do you dry the wood? How do you keep them from cracking? I dried the wood slowly in a cool, dry room before cutting the coasters. Drying in a room that has limited moisture and heat allows the wood to dry slowly and helps to prevent cracking.
Top 10 Best Pentacryl Alternative – Top Rated and Reviews
- 128oz Borate Wood Preservative.
- Nisus 30201 PenShield 128oz.
10 Incredible Home Decor Projects Using Old, Forgotten Wood
- Build a rustic dining room table.
- Turn barn wood into designer wall art.
- Plant your vertical garden in a pallet.
- Create an accent ceiling covered in interesting barn wood.
- Make a cozy wooden bed.
- Transform a full pallet into an entryway table.
Easy scrap wood project ideas
- DIY Laptop Stand for Desk. Make your workspace more ergonomic with this easy DIY laptop stand.
- DIY Wood Wall Clock Using Scrap Plywood.
- DIY Footrest Under Desk.
- DIY Dog Bowl Stand.
- DIY Solar Light Post.
- DIY Lap Desk.
- DIY Mail Organizer.
- Mason Jar Organizer.
Use a clean, soft cloth to rub food-safe butcher block conditioner into wood. Let conditioner soak in for at least 20 minutes; wipe off excess and buff the wood to a nice sheen. Repeat as necessary, applying three to four coats of conditioner to season the surface.
