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Built a standing desk top from butcher block and the thing warped on me after 3 weeks
I grabbed a 6 foot birch butcher block from Home Depot, sanded it, stained it dark walnut, and slapped it on some electric legs. Looked amazing for about 3 weeks, then I noticed the front edge started lifting up maybe a quarter inch. Turns out I never sealed the bottom side, so moisture got in uneven. I had to flip it, sand the bow down, and seal both sides with poly. Has anyone else messed up a butcher block desk top and managed to flatten it back out?
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ward.piper2mo ago
Oh man, that SUCKS. I did the EXACT same thing with a big acacia block I put together for my workspace. Spent hours on the finish on top and just figured the bottom was out of sight so who cares. Three weeks later I had a little speed bump on my desk where the wood curled up. I ended up having to take the whole thing apart, wet the concave side a little, put heavy weights on it for a few days, then seal both sides like you did. It worked out okay but the bow never fully went away, maybe 90% flat. That bottom sealing lesson is one you only learn once, I guess.
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kevin_hernandez832mo ago
Wait, is that really what caused it? I always figured as long as the top looked good you were fine, but this totally changed my mind. I had a small walnut shelf do the same thing last year, still has a slight wave even after I tried to fix it. @ward.piper I bet your acacia block still bugs you every time you look at it, huh? Guess the bottom matters way more than I thought.
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