Materials We Use

Wood: Solid Wood

Some examples of solid wood on our shop floor.

Lots of people ask us for a “solid wood table”.  If that’s actually the best choice for their design, then we can make the entire table from solids.  We’ve done that hundreds of times, and it’s a good solution for some situations.

We always use solids in places where we need to cut a complex shape, carve a molding, and wherever a piece is likely to be banged during its ordinary use. For conference room tables, that means the edge of the table and parts of the base.  Sometimes we use large slabs of wood for table tops – more on that below.

Unfortunately, solid wood has some inconvenient properties. It will change dimension whenever the weather changes:  humid weather makes it get bigger and dry weather makes it shrink.  This can cause warping and cracking, and limits the size of panel that can be made entirely out of solid lumber.  Solid wood also has variable appearances and structures. Each tree’s grain reflects the micro environment where it grew, so there are wide variations in appearance and strength in any pile of lumber.  These drawbacks mean that solid wood is best used for smaller tables.

Our normal practice is to choose materials that work best for their purpose, and that usually means supplementing solid wood with other types of wood products.

Wood: Veneers

Many people do not know what veneers are. Both solids and veneers are wood – they are just cut from the tree in different ways. Think of solids as being like a pork chop and veneers as something like prosciutto – same stuff, just cut much thinner.

Veneer is made by slicing a tree trunk into very thin leaves.  In order to use it, we have to arrange it into pleasing patterns, trim it, splice the individual leaves together to make a big sheet, and then glue that sheet onto a substrate.

We use veneers for 3 reasons: 1) The most spectacular trees get cut into veneers, so if we want the coolest wood we have to use them; 2) You can get a lot of veneer off of a single tree, so when we want to cover a large area in a consistent way, veneers are the way to go; and 3) large veneered panels are much more stable than large solid panels, which are prone to warp and crack.

Wood: Engineered panels

Engineered panels have been developed to help wood do a better job in certain situations.  These are made by taking the wood left over from cutting solids and veneers, and processing it into panels of consistent size and thickness. They are the hot dog of the wood world:  inexpensive, and the best solution when consistency is an advantage.  Unlike solid wood or veneers, engineered panels come in standard sizes and thicknesses.  These allow us to cut out all of the parts we need to use in an efficient manner.

We use two types of engineered panel: 1) Plywood, made from interlocking layers of veneers, and 2) MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard), made from leftover parts of the tree. Plywood is good for some structural elements.  MDF is an excellent substrate for veneers, and is also strong enough for most of our base structures.  When we need more strength, we supplement MDF with steel.

Wood: Slabs

Tables made from big slabs of wood are all the rage these days.  I’ve got a lot to say about slabs, and wrote a series of blog posts covering what they are, how to buy them, how to design with them, and how they are fabricated.  (These are posted on our consumer-focused site, so the links below take you there.)

What is a slab and how to buy one

Designing with slabs

Fabricating a live-edge table

Summarizing:  slabs have serious limitations. If you want to make a live edge table,  we’ll help you decide whether a slab is the best way to accomplish all of your goals.

Plastic Laminates

---

Plastic laminate (commonly called Formica™, although there are hundreds of other brands) is a fantastic material for table tops. It’s inexpensive, extremely durable, and available in a wide range of patterns – including those that mimic the look of wood, stone, and other materials.

We recommend laminate when the table will be subjected to heavy use and/or the client wishes to have budget options.  Many of our clients like to combine a solid wood edge with a laminate center – this looks elegant while still offering superior durability.

We’ve been surprised by how many clients want a laminate table.  When we started, it was unusual for anyone to ask for it.  But now more than half the tables we make incorporate laminate.

Metal Laminates

---

We get a lot of requests for metal accents in table tops.  The expensive way to comply is by using actual metal, like bronze, or stainless steel.  Because woodworking and metalworking are two different trades, with very different equipment, using those metals requires us to work with specialist fabricators.  This adds time, expense, and management costs to the job. Another way to get the same effect without the staggering price is to use metal laminates.  These are all made with a base layer of aluminum (which we can cut with our woodworking machines.)  Various brushed textures and anodized colors are available.  Metal inlays are always tricky and time consuming, but using metal laminates allows us to fulfill our client’s request without breaking the bank.

Marble and Granite

---

Marble and granite are heavy. Tables that incorporate them usually have a steel internal frame to support the weight. Since heavy equals hard to move, we use local fabricators who are familiar with the intricacies of working with stone, as well as local delivery procedures. Our experienced project managers make sure that all goes well.

Stone has one big disadvantage:  it’s difficult to put A/V hatches into a stone top.  If the hatch is a contrasting material, it’s easier.

Solid Surface Materials

Artificial stone, which goes under various names, has some advantages over natural stone.  It weighs a little less, and it’s more uniform.  The techniques we use to make natural stone tables are also deployed for artificial stone.  These tables always require some additional support for the top.  That can be thick plywood or steel, depending on the circumstances.

Unlike natural stone, it’s not complicated to put an integrated A/V hatch into a solid surface top.

Metals

Integrating metal into tables can be challenging.  We work with experienced vendors to make sure that what you ask for is what you get.  We can provide technical help to help you identify a path to success within your budget targets.

Because decorative metal involves interactions with outside vendors, budgeting and pricing can take longer than it would for designs that allow us to do all fabrication in house.

Glass

The obvious way to use glass is to make a base, and put a big piece of glass on top.  We do plenty of tables like that.  They’re not difficult, although packing the glass for shipment does require extra care.

Beyond the simple approach, there are lots ways to incorporate glass into tables.  The .gif shows one successful project.  We wrapped the pedestals in glass, trimmed with brushed aluminum, and incorporated a glass strip running down the center of the table.  We covered the hatch lids with glass too.

Do you have an interesting idea for how to use glass?  Give us a call.

Leather

---

Leather makes for a very nice table top – it’s slightly soft to the touch and feels warm.  It also has some acoustic dampening effect, which can be helpful in a room with a lot of sound reflective surfaces.   We’ve worked with natural hides on many occasions, but for larger tables we prefer the faux leather laminates made by Formica and Pionite.  These come in sheets that are large enough to cover a big table.

Upholstery

---

Our clients sometimes ask us to provide upholstered seating in their boardrooms.  We work with local upholsters to apply the cushioning and fabrics.  Before we specialized in conference tables, we spent decades making custom dining furniture.  Keeping track of fabric and making sure everything is perfect is in our DNA.

Lighting Features

Some of our clients are looking for extra pizazz in their tables.  One approach is to integrate lighting.  With the new LED strips, it’s easy for us to put a band of light almost anywhere on the table.  We did the table in the picture for Cisco.  Not sure what goes on at those meetings, but if they need instant disco effects, we have them covered.

Other Materials

Sometimes we  incorporate cool materials that are specified by our clients. In the past year  we’ve built tables that incorporated a slice of a tree, a 16 foot long section of iron sewer pipe, and a full-sized replica of a nuclear weapon. Each of these unique projects allowed our client to create a space that celebrates the specialized work they do. There’s no limit to what we can handle. Do you have an unusual idea for your boardroom? Call us!