Our Story
Central Oregon Table Tops was founded by Riley and Kailie Tronson, a husband-and-wife team, with the idea of bringing a modern and sustainable spin to furniture design. Riley, our main woodworker, brings a unique perspective to furniture building with his education in mechanical engineering. Challenging, interesting and specialized pieces are what Riley enjoys creating the most. Kailie is involved in the formation of the aesthetic of each piece, tying together colors, tones, grains and patterns of the hardwood boards selected for our projects. Together, Riley and Kailie strive to create bespoke furniture that will stand the test of time.
Avoid Furniture Waste
Furniture waste is a growing problem, with many big name furniture and home improvement companies being large contributors. Inexpensive “fast furniture” products made from poor quality materials are challenging and costly to repair. Combining this with the low prices that these pieces can be sold for creates the idea that these products are disposable. Waste from modern furniture can be extremely difficult to recycle due to a single product being made from many different materials. The materials in these products may also contain hazardous chemicals, making it hard to dispose of them safely. Our table tops are made from solid hardwood and finished in a fashion that allows for easy refinishing, if desired. We recommend pairing our table tops with a metal base. This makes it easy to remove our product from the base if you ever choose to refinish it. Of course, the more love and use your table top enjoys, the more character it will build; refinishing is not required.
Our Process
Our table tops are hand-crafted from solid hardwood boards using non-toxic yet hardy adhesives. The table tops are finished with a 0% VOC, plant-based, hardwax oil finish that will never flake or peel. The hardwax oil allows the wood to retain its natural grain and texture which are lost with many other types of finishes that create a “plastic” film over the wood. Small blemishes can create a beautiful patina that continues to add to the character of the wood as it ages. Should your table top incur a large blemish that requires repair, localized repairs are relatively easy to complete. A small area of the piece may be sanded and a fresh coat of hardwax oil applied to the area. Since the finish does not adhere to itself, only the wood grain, there will be no overlap or starting marks between the old and new finish after a touch up. The hardwood used for our table tops is never stained to allow the natural beauty of the wood to shine through, so there is no need for concern about matching aging stain with new stain when repairing a blemish. With other film-forming finishes, the piece must typically be completely sanded of its finish and the whole table must be finished again for satisfactory repair. While our table tops do not require complete refinishing when properly maintained, the clean, simple design of our pieces allows for ease of full refinishing (no impossible nooks or crannies to sand) should you ever desire to do so.