FAQ

Epoxy does not scratch easily. However, as with any glossy surfaces, micro scratches will be visible over time. Using place mats and table runners will minimize the occurrence of scratches and keep your table looking new for many years to come. We have tables in our showroom that have seen years of use that can be used for reference.

We do not. Unfortunately, we do not have our own movers, and our woodworkers and metalworkers are best kept doing woodworking or metalworking. We are partnered with a moving company that works with us and our clients to deliver and install your table safely. Their service includes insurance, so if anything happens during the delivery, they bring it back to our shop for repairs and bring it back to your house free of charge.

Most of our table tops finish around 2″ thick.

Delays happen—we get it. Yes, we can keep your table until you are ready to receive it.

Our welding department allows us to fabricate all of our bases on-site, ensuring each top is coupled with a perfect base in accordance with its size, weight, and epoxy layout.

We work mostly with local species like walnut, ash, elm (both Siberian and red), oak, cherry, maple, and other trees commonly found in Ontario. Most of our walnut comes from Southern Ontario.

Epoxy is a type of polymer, making it susceptible to damage from hot objects placed directly over it. The general rule of thumb to follow is if it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot too put directly on epoxy. We recommend placing hot items on a hot plate or a placemat.

We prefer using a clear finish to highlight each wood slab’s natural colours. For dark woods, we use walnut and for light, we use maple, ash, oak or other naturally light wood types. We do stain occasionally when the colours requested are unnatural wood hues, like grays, whitewash and even blues or purples. When we do stain, we use ash as it’s the lightest amongst local species, has great durability and colour absorbency.

This is the most common concern for tables composed of large, live edge slabs including those made with epoxy. Unfortunately, this happens quite often when steps are incorrectly followed during fabrication of the table. Using slabs with too much moisture, improper finishing, uneven surface sanding, improper mould techniques and several other factors can result in a top that cups or warps over time. Fortunately, we ensure all of these steps are followed to eliminate these issues altogether. In addition, we have several techniques to protect the table from future issues for tops that indicate potential issues like C-Channels and kerfing.

Different finishes offer a range of durability, but ultimately everything is susceptible to scratches. We use top-of-the-line finishes available on the market. With the hundreds of tables we build each year, we have never had any issues with finish. Additionally, we offer several maintenance products that prolong the life of the finish.

We are the leading custom epoxy table manufacturer in North America. No competitor has built as many tables as Anglewood, nor have they invested as much time and resources developing epoxy work techniques. The craftsmanship, experience and artistic vision is second to none. We always recommend that clients visit other shops to compare the level of work. We simply love what we do and often hear from customers that they’ve never seen tables like ours.

Any colour you can think of. We use Aurora metallic pigments, along with ink and dye to create any shade or tint that works the best with your interior. We have many tables on display that feature different colours. For colours we haven’t done, we can create samples to ensure the final version will be as close to the desired look as possible.

Absolutely not. Epoxy penetrates the wood’s surface, creating an extremely durable seal once cured. We’ve seen wood separate from wood, but never a clean break of epoxy from wood. This type of wood movement can only occur with inadequate wood moisture level. We only use properly kiln dried slabs, eliminating this issue altogether.

All of our tables have a 1-year warranty that covers any manufacturing defects, cracks, warping and cupping.

If your family or friends do not spend the night talking about your table, we will ship you the latest edition of “Finding New Friends 101” free of charge. We have not had to do this as of yet. The table will be the feature point of your home, guaranteed.

We have seen tears of joy, we’ve been hugged, and one time, our shop owner got a peck on the cheek! We take every custom build very seriously and feel responsible to create a table that you are absolutely happy with and thrilled to make it part of your home. With every table we build, our goal is for you to think “That’s one good looking table!” every time you pass by it.

Our dining tables take 2 to 6 months to build depending on the complexity of the project. With intricate pieces bordering that work-of-art level, patience ensures we are able to come up with a perfect layout. Our goal is to create the most artistic and well-made table within the budget, and if it takes a little longer, we believe it’s worth the wait.

Yes. We have the largest inventory of live edge slabs in Toronto. We work closely with our client to pick slabs that match their vision. For each table, we supply several layouts and only proceed when customers are completely on board with our selection.

Yes! We have the largest showroom in Toronto featuring epoxy live edge tables. We have several floor models to showcase different wood and epoxy techniques. Additionally, we always have several tables available for same-day purchase. To top it off, we will have a number of custom tables that are awaiting delivery. Since our workshop always has many tables at different stages of production, it allows our customers to see the building progress.

Our clear epoxy is polished glass-clear. It is extremely difficult to achieve that level of clarity when working with epoxy in conjunction with wood. We’ve spent years perfecting this technique and our methods are well guarded. Hours of labour go into the preparation and polishing of each square foot of epoxy. We use top grade UV resistant resins to minimize bubbles and avoid any discoloration for many years to come.

We have the largest selection of live edge slabs in Toronto. Our 11,000SF facility is usually stocked with over 20,000 board feet of lumber from small charcuterie size pieces to dining table 12′ monsters. Most of our slabs are listed online. However, we always stock thousands of board feet of 1″ thick wood.

Absolutely, positively, 100%! We sell the slabs that we use for our tables, and we would never compromise our work with improperly dried slabs. All of our wood comes from one reputable kiln that we’ve been working for years. We take pride in selling only quality lumber, and stand behind every slab we sell.

We ship slabs all over Canada on a regular basis. We can ship one slab or, for wholesale customers, sending a full skid is also an option.

You do not need an appointment to visit our showroom. We encourage customers to drop in any time during our working hours. You are free to browse our showroom at your leisure. Our slabs are organized by log and by type, with hundreds on display. If you have a specific size in mind, we’d be glad to point you in the right direction as well… we know where everything is!

We specialize in walnut which easily takes up 50% of our inventory at any given time. In addition, we carry:

– Ash (our favorite light wood)

– Cherry (We like how it looks, but bigger slabs seem to have bigger rot holes)

– Red elm, Siberian elm (We like Siberian more!)

– White and red oak (White is way nicer)

– Butternut (Wish we can have more)

– Maple (Silver, white, ambrosia, spalted) 

– Hickory (Wish it did not weigh so much!)

We charge by the board foot. A board foot is 1 square foot of lumber at 1″ thickness. Price will depend on length, width and thickness of the slabs. In addition, each species of slab is priced according to the market. Walnut is usually the more expensive wood and species like Maple or Ash will be more affordable.

Yes! With the number of slabs we stock, we most likely we have it. We get a lot of inquiries about specific slabs, but with so many options at our shop, at times it is difficult to allocate manpower to compose a response with several options, pricing and photos. We do have an online store with hundreds of slabs displayed, searchable by thickness, slab type and species.

Absolutely. We can cut the slabs width- and length-wise. Whether it’s for shipping purposes, fitting or any other application, we’d be happy to help you out. Contact us by email to discuss your needs.

The slabs are refundable within a week of purchase unless they have been worked on.

We make them. Our in-house welding department takes care of all metal work required for our own custom furniture fabrication along with taking orders for residential, trade and commercial projects. We are happy to discuss our existing designs or explore a unique design built just for you.

We have some. Over the years, we found it difficult to stock enough bases and legs to accommodate everyone’s needs. Between all the different designs, finishes, and sizes, it proved to be much more efficient to do it custom to ensure the best fit.

Bases usually take 2-3 weeks to make, based on design and finish.

We offer 3 most common finishes: powder coating (most common), plating and spray paint. Additionally, bases or legs can be kept in natural, “raw metal” finish. This gives a more industrial, hand-made feel. Our most common finish is black powder coat.

Absolutely. Custom bases are all we do. The best way forward is to email us, describe your project and we’ll go from there.

We rarely make individual legs for your tables. We feel that making a base that’s connected by a beam (usually running on the top of the base along the underside of the top) is much stronger support for often heavy tops. It can help with keeping the top flat and avoid cupping or warping. Additionally, it makes installation much easier, where flipping the top to install the legs is not necessary.

Very.

This ultimately depends on the design, but all of our dining table bases can support at least a thousand pounds.

Unfortunately, no. The work required to modify old bases often equates to creating a new one, and it never comes out clean as a new. We prefer to avoid this type of project.

Yes. All our bases will have levelers installed unless specified otherwise. Between slight unevenness of the top, base and the floor, having the flexibility of levelers allows the table to sit perfectly flat. 

A 7-foot-long by 44″ wide table top will take 5-6 hours to plane on a router top, leaving router bit marks all over the surface that will take hours to sand out. Our planer will take 10 minutes to plane it and leave a smooth surface that only requires light sanding to finish the job.

CNCs are great and we take our tops to our friends with a CNC all the time. They are very effective and precise machines made with very specific purpose. With that in mind, 95% of all jobs can be run through the planer and cost 1/5th of comparable charges to flatten a table top or a slab.

We charge $7 a minute with a $50 minimum charge. Very often, discussing your project will take longer than actually running the piece through the planer. Slabs can cost anywhere from $20 for small slabs to $100 for dining tables. Table tops usually cost $50 for smaller tops to around $200 on large tops over 10′. The amount of material that needs to be removed often dictates the price as well. The condition of the slab (i.e. amount of cupping or warping) can affect the time and cost as well.

Not really. We don’t know how long it will take until we do the work. Once you bring your tops to us few times, you’ll get a better idea of how long it takes and what you can do to decrease the cost (especially for epoxy work).

Yes, we can. We have absolutely no issues planning epoxy tops, after all that’s all the work we do ourselves. Tops containing epoxy do require a more delicate approach and take longer. Often these are very expensive projects and with tight deadlines, we need to take the time to ensure we can maximize thickness and leave as perfect a surface as possible. We know the importance of this step and make sure we apply the same care as if they were our own work.

You did not buy your car from us either… What we’re trying to say is where you bought your wood is irrelevant! Bring it over and we’ll do our best to service you. You never know, there might be a charcuterie board that catches your eye and you might buy from us after all. All jokes aside, even with the vast inventory we have, we reach out to other shops for slabs all the time, such is the industry. You can never have enough wood!

Just like the above, absolutely! Bring it over, we never pass up on an opportunity to create new business or maintain exciting business. This has been our motto from the beginning. There are a lot of great resins out there and we treat them all equally.

Often, slabs will contain steel. Whether it’s a nail, a bullet or an old bike, we ask that customers remove the metal prior to bringing it to our shop. Our shop fee is $150/hour and we will take our time to remove any steel remnants or broken screws left in your top… but we’d rather not!

Yes. Uncured epoxy will wreak havoc and gum up the planer head teeth requiring hours of clean-up. Our $150/hour shop fee applies.

We truly understand the convenience of being able to pick up your top the same time you visit our shop. We’ve spent years taking our tops to get planed a fair distance away, and can empathize with the stresses and pressures of tight deadlines. Unfortunately though, it has been impossible to accommodate. With on-the-fly changing schedules, irregular work flow and constant interruptions, we are not able to commit to time-slots that work for both parties. You will have to leave your tops for several days (2-3 days max) for us to plane. You will be contacted when it’s ready.

This happens to us as well. With live edge slabs, planing them does not guarantee that the slabs stay flat. They will be flat immediately after planning, but over the course of a few days some movement might occur. Many reasons that can affect it include removal of the material that held the slabs prior and change of the grain structure. We often add C-Channels or add under-the-top kerf lines to ensure the end product stays flat indefinitely. 

It is an absolutely critical step of epoxy table fabrication. If a large area of the bottom of the table top contains epoxy and is left unplaned, the table will cup. This needs to be factored in during planning stages to allow an adequate amount of extra thickness of both wood and epoxy that will be removed to reach your desired thickness. 

For the record, this hasn’t happened yet on any customer tops. However, this has happened on our own work. Accidents happen. Making our planer available to local woodworkers opens the door for these accidents to happen on your project as well. There is always a risk taken in order to save time and money by using our planer, just as it could happen while running through your router sled or CNC. With that in mind, and while we will feel terrible, we will not be able to compensate you in any financial or material way. We’ve planed hundreds of customer tops without messing one up, so we’re confident you’re in good hands.

No. You can just come by during our working hours and drop it off. We have the staff to discuss your project and help you off-load your slabs.

Short answer, yes. Everything can be scratched and our tables are no exception. Depending on the finish and gloss levels, scratch visibility will vary. All of the tables we make are created with hardwoods, and generally are pretty tough to mark up with regular use, but using placemats, preventing utensil drops, and not dancing on the table will prevent 99% of deep scratches. The benefit of using a solid wood table is the ability to repair it, and make it look brand new for the duration of your table’s lifetime. 

Oil finish differs from film-based finishes like urethane by penetrating the wood and forming a seal within the wood’s outer layer. The benefit is a natural look and feel, and decreased visibility of scratches. Depending on the frequency of use and, especially, the frequency of water exposure from cleaning, the finish might fade over the years. Periodcly re-oiling the table will bring back its luster and maintain its water and spill resistance. This needs to be done every 2 to 5 years depending on use. We recommend using Maintenance Oil from Rubio Monocoat (from the same company as the finish we use), which can be purchased from our online store or in person. The application takes a few minutes and is quite simple.

We recommend cleaning the table with a damp paper towel. Avoiding the use of any cleaner with harsh chemicals will prolong the finish of your table.

Urethane finish is an oil-based finish requiring very little care. We use this finish for commercial applications like restaurants or high-traffic office environments. Simple cleaning with a damp paper towel will be sufficient to keep your table looking new for many years to come.