Manufacturing the Table: Part 3

Now that the channels have been routed the concrete can be added.

The table top was covered in tape to stop the wood getting damaged whilst the concrete was put in. Once this happened the concrete was smoothed over using a trowel.

After this was done the tape was taken off to give the final touches to the concrete before it was left to dry.

There was quite a lot of residue from the tape left on the table top and this left the edges of the channels looking very messy. In order to fix this I decided to sand the entire table including the concrete.

The table was sanded with a rough 80 grit paper first to reveal the aggregate in the concrete. This also managed to achieve a flush finish across the table top. The table was then sanded through the grits finish at a very fine 320 to get the smooth finish back. Once the top was sanded a layer of shellac was applied as a sealant. This was then sanded back and a clear wood wax was added to protect the wood and give it a smooth silky finish.

Wax was applied and then any signs of directional application were removed by using elbow grease and 0000 steel wool (extremely fine). Concrete was given several coats of a water-based gloss sealant called gloss and seal. This means that even though the rough aggregate is shown it is smooth to touch and is a similar sheen to the finished wood.