We've been hearing a lot of comments lately about how unique the color variations can be from slab to slab, even when comparing the same type of wood. It's one of the things that we love about working with live edge slabs, no two are the same. One of our favorite woods, Walnut, shows striking contrasts between each layer of wood.
The slab has three layers, the bark, the sapwood, and the heartwood. The bark is the outside layer, which we remove while processing the slab. Although it has unique characteristics, it does not mix well with epoxy and does not sustain a finish long-term. The next layer is the sapwood. This is lighter in color and contrasts beautifully against epoxy. The sapwood is the living portion of the wood which holds nutrients, minerals, and water to keep the tree healthy. As the tree ages, new rings of sapwood are created to expand the size of the tree. The third, innermost layer, is the heartwood. This is the dense, structural heart of the tree. All trees begin as sapwood and layers turn to heartwood as the tree ages.
The variety in slab design can come from the age of the tree, the growing conditions that the tree experienced over time, and whether or not a branch grew from that portion of the tree.
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