Slab lane

Rustic Hardwood

The North Carolina hardwood slabs that would not make a clear grade, sold for the character that kept them out of it. Each listing's photos are the record, and when we know the species, that species' page tells its story.

Origin: Mixed North Carolina domestic hardwood, rustic grade (not a species)

Shop Rustic Hardwood in stock (1)All live edge slabs

(Pre-Built) Rustic Hardwood Live Edge Tabletop #PB182 155" x 39" - 46" x 2.3" — overhead view — Oak City Customs

Pictured: (Pre-Built) Rustic Hardwood Live Edge Tabletop #PB182 155" x 39" - 46" x 2.3"

About Rustic Hardwood

Rustic Hardwood is our mixed lane, not a single species: domestic hardwood slabs sold on character rather than on name, with knots, checks, bark pockets, spalting and sapwood contrast left in. Color and grain vary slab to slab, so the photos on each listing are the record, and the slab's own row names the species when we know it. We stabilize loose knots and fill checks with epoxy before flattening, and an oil or hardwax finish suits the texture better than a thick film. It suits benches, shelving, mantels, bar tops and shop-built tables where character carries the piece. Sold for indoor use. Milled and kiln dried in Zebulon, NC.

Working & finishing

Stabilize loose knots and bark pockets with thin epoxy before flattening, fill checks and voids after the first pass, flatten again, then sand to 180. Knots chip cutters and burn at the router, so slow through them. Oil or hardwax oil suits rustic stock and is easy to spot-repair around a fill; a thick film shows every fill as a flat spot. Coated or stainless fasteners, since the species may be tannin-rich.

Care

Indoor use only; a mixed lane carries no decay rating, and fills and checks are where water gets in. Wipe spills quickly. Design and treat the top as if it were oak, the worst mover in the group, so seasonal movement across the width is expected and allowed for.

In stock now