Fresh Out of the Shop: Custom UofL Resin Inlay & a 13-Foot Walnut Wedding Table

At Open Grain Woodwork, no two builds ask for the exact same skill set. Lately, our shop floor has been split between two very different kinds of precision: intricate, multi-stage color resin work on a custom commemorative tabletop and large-scale color matching across thirteen feet of solid American black walnut.

Here is a look behind the scenes at two projects we recently wrapped up.

Multi-Step Epoxy Inlay: Southern Police Institute (University of Louisville)

Creating a multi-color logo in hardwood takes patience—you cannot pour every color at once without them bleeding together. For this custom walnut tabletop, we built out the official emblem for the Southern Police Institute (SPI) at the University of Louisville alongside a deep blue epoxy river.

To keep the edges razor-sharp and prevent dark pigments from wicking into the surrounding walnut grain, we sealed the carved recess first and poured the logo in distinct, cured stages:

  • Stage 1 – Base Layer: After carving and sealing the pockets, we poured a deep black epoxy foundation for the inner shield backdrop and the lower ribbon banner.

  • Stage 2 – Cardinal Red: Once the black base set, we added vibrant red resin to fill the outer crest borders, central banner, and five-point star.

  • Stage 3 – Fine Lettering & Metallic Accents: In the final color pass, we inlaid crisp white and metallic silver details—bringing out the star outline, the inner oval border, the “51” founding emblem, and the “UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE” lettering.

Overpouring the final clear layers slightly proud of the surface ensures there are zero low spots once the slab is flattened, sanded smooth, and topcoated.

Staining & Shading a 13-Foot Walnut Wedding Table

On the other end of the shop, we finished a massive 13-foot solid walnut tabletop commissioned as a wedding gift.

Walnut is prized for its rich grain, but across a glue-up this long, individual boards naturally vary in tone from light sapwood streaks to deep chocolate heartwood. Achieving a cohesive, high-end look on a surface of this size requires more than wiping on a single coat of stain.

We started with an Early American stain to establish a warm, classic brown base, then carefully shaded across the entire 13-foot span to blend board-to-board color variations into one uniform tone. Once the color was balanced from end to end, we sprayed a smooth, durable clear finish that locks in the warmth and brings out the natural depth and chatoyance of the walnut grain.

Have a Custom Piece in Mind?

Whether you are looking to immortalize an organization’s crest in hardwood or commission an heirloom dining table built to last generations, we would love to bring your vision to life. Explore more of our work or reach out to start your custom build at opengrainwoodwork.com.