Many attractive decorative elements and even furniture can be made from a beautiful tree slice. How about a pretty wall decoration or a rustic table top, for example? However, the wood and bark should be carefully dried and sealed before each use.
How can I seal the bark of a tree slice?
To seal the bark of a tree disc, you can use synthetic resin, varnish, wax or nourishing oils. Make sure that the wood and bark are well soaked and then dried. The tree disc should be dried thoroughly beforehand to avoid rot.
What options are there to seal the bark on a tree disc?
A tree slice can be used in many ways both without and with bark, although barked wood has a particularly natural look. However, over time, tree bark becomes crumbly and falls off the wood, which is particularly the case with heavily used wooden discs - such as those used as a table top, stool or chair.
This can only be prevented if you seal the bark and make it harder and more resistant to weather influences such as sun, wind and rain. The latter is a relevant point if the tree disc is to be used outdoors. These products are particularly suitable for sealing the tree bark:
- Synthetic resin or epoxy resin
- Varnish, colored or clear varnish
- Wax, e.g. B. Natural wax
- Linseed oil or other nourishing oils
Make sure that the wood and bark are thoroughly soaked with the products. They then have to dry again.
How long does the tree disc have to dry before I can seal the wood and bark?
However, before sealing the wood and bark, you should allow it to dry thoroughly. Do not seal fresh wood as it is still damp and the moisture would be trapped inside the wood - this leads to rot and causes the tree panel to rot fairly quickly. Depending on the thickness of the wooden disc, it should dry for several months or even years, so you should store it in an airy place protected from rain.
You should expect about a year of drying time per centimeter of wood thickness. This can be shortened to a few weeks, for example by asking a local carpenter or carpenter whether you can put the slices in the drying chamber. For a small fee this is usually not a problem. Wood may only be sealed if its residual moisture is not more than 10 to 15 percent.
How can you prevent cracks when drying?
As wood shrinks as it dries, a tension builds up inside the tree disc. This causes cracks to form, which can hardly be prevented. A possible countermeasure is to use types of wood that tend to be less prone to cracking. These include, for example:
- Birch (also scores points with its particularly beautiful bark!)
- Coniferous woods such as spruce, fir or pine
- Cherry
- Douglas fir
However, other types of wood, especially oak and beech, are particularly prone to cracking. If possible, you should let them dry in a professional drying chamber or water them for at least two weeks before drying them outdoors. This flushes out the plant juices that contribute to cracking. By the way: Wood felled in winter forms fewer cracks because it is not in the “juice” due to the hibernation and is therefore drier from the start.
Tip
Boil wooden slices in s alt water
Boiling the wooden disc in (strong) s alt water beforehand should also prevent cracks from forming. Cover the slice with water, add about 500 grams of s alt and cook for about 1.5 hours.
