Live edge or hardwood slab furniture is a beautiful natural feature that adds character to your home. Each piece of slab furniture is breathtakingly unique which makes this journey incredibly exciting. If you’ve made the decision that its time to add a piece to your home or add to your collection, it can be difficult to know where to start.
Your options are limited only to your imagination. There are so many aspects to consider- what species do you want, colours you like, size, live edge or square edge, grain, features, the room its going into, what sort of furnishing you want, the list goes on. We will be there every step of the way from gathering design ideas to finalising the project with you.
Design ideas:
JPM has an active presence on social media so if you are looking for ideas you can have a look at our past projects or design ideas on Instagram, Facebook & Pinterest. If you have some sample photos of ideas that you really love, please share them with us so we can work with you to turn these into a reality. We also have a showroom in Strathfield South with ready-made tables, mirrors, and other hardwood slab furniture or décor accessories. Around our showroom and factory, we have timber samples in different species, styles and finishes to help you decide what will suit your home best. Once we have a better idea of what you are after, we move onto the next step.
Picking a slab:
Picking out a slab is the fun bit. Each slab is truly unique – even from the same tree. No two slabs will never be identical. We will organise a time with you to come into the factory to check out what slabs we have available.
Walking around you will have the opportunity to view slabs from a range of species. A slab may stand out to you straight away, budget may play a factor in your choice, or you may see the slab you had your heart set on and it not be what you envisaged. This is all completely okay- we can work with you to finalise a decision before putting pen to paper.
If It’s not possible for you to come in person, you can trust that the team at JPM will pick out the best slab for your job. We will provide videos, photos and even facetime calls to include you in this process, if this is what you want.
We thought we would give you some extra details on the shapes of slabs available. There are 2 shapes when it comes to slabs – a round or a slab. This just describes the way the log was milled. A round is across the grain and a slab is with the grain. Their name describes their shape well. Rounds are great for coffee tables or smaller dining tables whereas slabs literally are limitless in their uses.
In terms of moisture levels in the timber, we have a moisture reader to ensure all levels are acceptable for turning into furniture. We want to avoid, to the best of our ability, timber twisting, cupping, splitting, or warping of any kind once your furniture leaves here. In saying this it is a once living natural resource, so there may be minor changes as the wood ages further. We have both air and kiln dried slabs available.
Where to from here:
Once you’ve chosen the perfect slab for your project, we move through the manufacturing process. Flattening and sanding is vital to ensure the slab is workable. We have a Wood Wizz on site as well as a thicknesser, capable of machining slabs up to 6m x 1.8m, to achieve the best results. This is also the stage of the process where the true grain begins to be revealed.
From here, JPM goes about creating, assembling, and finishing your design. We can provide updates throughout the journey to show you where your project is up to. Delivery services are available if you are unable to pick up your finished item, just ask!
Once in its pride of place, please don’t shy away from using the timber furniture to protect it. These pieces are made to be loved and a part of your family home not kept in a glass container just to be looked at. The best part of timber is that it can always be replenished with some oil or wax, or at a worst case sanded back and re-finished. If you ever need any assistance down the track, never hesitate to Call us for advice or guidance.