I had a real nice time in the warehouse. It's massive, and you'll have a great time hunting around for the perfect piece of wood for your project. Next time I have a reason to go to Berkeley, I'll be back for my 2nd slab. The prices are fair, and the selection is fannntastic. read more

Very cool slab store on 4th street in Berkeley, CA. I've been here several times and always enjoy checking out their extensive supply of wood. Many of the cuts on the smaller slabs are too thin for my choosing - like literally only 1" thick - which doesn't leave much wiggle room for planing, but the prices are fair and the selection is great. If you are shopping for live edge woods slabs, or someone to make you a custom table, Z&E Slabs should definitely be on your list of places to visit. read more

See all

Nice local wood slaps place for DIY projects Or also they can custom build one for one at reasonable price read more

Z&E Slabs - Nice selection of Wood slaps for table - Furniture Stores Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

Unfamiliar with their business, However, their finished product is in a Peet's Coffee store I frequent and it not only looks great but appears to be quite durable standing up to years of customer use. read more

I love this store. Ian is great. He patiently showed me a number of different slabs that could work for my DIY desk project. In the end, I purchased a small piece of Monkeypod for a desk for my daughter... pictures below. I also purchased a large slab of redwood for my desk. Ian took on the task of chopping the slab and mitering it into an "L" desk... then packed it up and delivered it to my house for me to finish. These are great DIY projects for your house. Can a professional do them better? Of course. But, if you have some basic saws, and (more importably) sanders... you can come up with a pretty awesome piece that can be handed down from generation to generation. If you are thinking about a project... head over and talk to Ian... you will be happy that you did. read more

Z&E Slabs - Furniture Stores Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

Bought a beautiful piece of maple to make a small end table! Very affordable and ready to wax and put the legs on

Unbelievably poor customer service. We bought a very large, expensive table from them 18 months ago. Last week, we found two cracks on top and upon further inspection, realized it originated from the bottom of the table where the screws were put in to attach the table legs. Ian, the owner, refused even the possibility of this happening because he's incapable of "manufacturing defects." He refused the possibility that the crack was caused by the screws and progressed from the bottom until it finally cracked all the way to the top and there was no way I would know about that until it did so over time. He refused to even look at the table without charging me $100/hour to come out for any examination and repair. My husband and I love the table but we are abhorred by the lack of responsibility Ian has displayed. The fact that he refuses to even acknowledge the possibility that he can make a mistake speaks volumes about his lack of professionalism. Maybe it's not a manufacturing problem and he could explain that to me after taking a look at it but for him to refuse any and all responsibility over the phone has shown me how untrustworthy and egotistical he is about his work. I regret having recommended him to a number of my friends. I would never recommend such an untrustworthy and unprofessional person in the future. read more

I loved Z and E slabs. Ian was very helpful and easy to work with and helped me find exactly what I needed. You need to do a little picking when you come here looking for a slab, but it's here, and the prices are very reasonable. Thanks Ian! read more

On June 13, 2018 we ordered a 120" dining bench from Z & E slabs. It was delivered a few weeks later and was discovered to be making a creaking sound. We soon found that the creaking sound was happening because there was no support for the middle of the bench, and it was not able to support anyone sitting on it. We then spoke with Ian on the phone and he accepted zero responsibility for insuring that his products are usable and mentioned that it would be $200 to have our bench fixed and that we would have to arrange a way to get it back to his workshop. We find this absolutely unreasonable given it was not our responsibility to insure the qualitative standards of the dining bench prior to delivery. As a professional, it is Ian's job to make calls regarding safety, utility and the overall sturdy nature of his products. Z&E slabs should be fully responsible for installing the support structure for the bench as it is Z&E slabs who possesses the knowledge that support structures would be necessary on a 120" dining bench. Their logo is stamped on the bottom of our bench as a symbol of what I assume is pride in one's own craftsmanship. As of right now, this bench is a useless and beautiful work of art that is merely taking up space in my home instead of being apart of our family memories.  After I emailed them with photos and called back twice after the initial report of the bench being broken, they've completely stopped responding and returning our calls. Do not waste your time here. I've attached some photos for reference read more

Z&E Slabs - Cracking after literally almost NO USE. - Furniture Stores Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

Great selection of wood slabs to choose from. Competitive prices. Super helpful and knowledgable. Thanks again Ian for all your assistance with our project. It turned out really nice, and we're all happy campers!! read more

See all

Ian built us the most incredible incredible Claro walnut headboard and bed frame and nightstands -- his wood slabs are mesmerizing and the quality of the work he puts into the pieces is worth every penny of not more. We are so happy with our favorite furniture in our house and thankful for our friendship with Ian read more

Z&E Slabs - Furniture Stores Near Me - Berkeley, California

If I could give this place 8 stars I would. I have been buying wood slabs from Ian and Tito for 3 years now. I've made at least 25 beautiful tables/ Claro, Mango, Elm, Ambrosia Maple, California Walnut Burl, Figured Big Leaf Maple, Black Walnut, Leeche, Sycamore, Redwood, Babinga, Koa. Huge Slabs and lots of smaller pieces perfect for smaller projects. He has a great stock of domestic and exotic hardwoods ( a lot from Hawaii) . I was a beginner when I bought my first live edge piece for a side table. They are both very helpful and friendly. They will do the difficult mill-work like leveling, planning, making the big cuts at reasonable rates. Their prices on some woods are half what I find elsewhere. read more

This review pertains to hunting for raw slabs as I can't speak to the price and service of purchasing finished slabs at Z&E, however I can tell that they have excellent craftsmanship on their finished products. I've come to Z&E twice looking for Claro Walnut and Monkeypod slabs for furniture pieces and left vexed and empty-handed. I've received no customer service, more like a grunt and point in the general direction of the lumber I'm looking for. The space lacks any sensible organization, and includes hardly any signage or labels. I've twice was allowed absolutely no budging or haggling on prices despite obvious defects such as large splits, checks, crotches or knocked out knots in the wood. Even after measuring a single decent slab twice that I was willing to buy immediately I was told it was 4 board feet more than the number I came up with. Apparently they use a magic tape measure that adds a few inches to each slab. If even there was a modicum of customer service or willingness to reasonable budge on prices they could have earned a loyal and regular craftsman, instead I'll make sure that my experience is known. If what you are looking for are "rustic modern" raw edge slab table/bar tops and you walk in here with a blank check, you are probably fine. Any decent craftsman that would like to earn a buck off of their hard work, this place is a waste of your time. read more

Super awesome place with a huge selection of beautiful unfinished live edge wood slabs. We ended up buying 3 finished redwood shelves that were cheaper than anything we could find on Etsy. We also wanted to buy a slab for a table roughly 5ft long. However the unfinished wood slab was about $200, after labor (finish, legs, etc) it would be about $700. If you have your own shop this would be a great place to pick up materials, otherwise it will definitely cost a pretty penny. read more

We had Ian finish a monkey pod wood coffee table and two end tables for us. they are unique and one of the best home furnishing purchases we have made. Great craftsmanship and wonderful material. read more

I am a hobbyist woodworker with a small garage shop in San Francisco. During a recent cross-bay excursion to MacBeath, a friend suggested I check out a "slab" place he had recently stumbled upon. Xanadu! All different slabs from the familiar to the exotic neatly organized in an unassuming warehouse on the quiet end of 4th st. Prices are reasonable and the owner is johnny on the spot with advice. I left with a black walnut slab now coffee table that my feet are resting on as I write this very review. Z&E alone is worth the drive to Berkeley for any woodworker. read more

I knew what I wanted--a beautiful live edge table for the dining room in our new house. I just didn't know where to get it. A co-worker suggested looking at Craigslist for some local sources as I was unimpressed with the cost vs quality of the dining tables available through most furniture stores. That eventually led me to Z & E Slabs and Ian. He spent a considerable amount of time showing me the different woods available, numerous finishing methods, and all of the other options at my disposal. I loved that Ian could tell me exactly where each slab originated. Joycelyn was also a pleasure to work with--she sent numerous photos via email and helped answer additional questions. Ian was very patient with me as I took my time considering the options and even ended up changing the shape of the table that he would cut from the raw slab. We decided to take advantage of the fact that he could cut the table into any length and ended up choosing an irregular length; tables that you can buy from stores are usually available only in certain lengths (i.e. 6 feet, 7 feet, 8 feet). This was a benefit to custom work that hadn't occurred to me at the outset but that proved to be very helpful. Long story short, I now have a gorgeous custom-made dining room table thanks to Z & E and Terra Amico, one that would have easily cost three times more at a place like Urban Hardwoods. And it's even better than anything that I could have purchased at that store or others like it since the wood is a top-quality claro walnut slab and I was able to design it starting from a raw slab with Ian and Joe's help. Ian also made us a bunch of smaller pieces from the cutoff pieces of wood, including a small table, cutting boards, a wine rack, etc. My table was made in California from wood that was grown and then cut in California. It wasn't cheap, but it was way less expensive than I would have paid anywhere else....and I now own a table that's sure to become a family heirloom. Thanks Ian and Joycelyn! read more

A table makers dream, come true! Z&E is packed with slabs of various sizes and shapes from different types of trees. They'll also cut the slab to length for you. We've had good luck buying monkey pod, maple, and redwood slabs. Takes a little work to sand finish them, but it's worth it for an amazing table at 1/10th the cost it would be at a furniture store! read more

Z&E Slabs - Four foot of finished Monkey Pod - Furniture Stores Near Me - Berkeley, California

Cool selection of gorgeous wood slabs! The team is so friendly and helpful -- big fan of this as a resource for more sustainable wood furniture! read more

Avoid this place at all costs not only will you get horrible non existent customer service the owner is an absolute nightmare. Bought a slab of wood for a table that had been infected with wood Beatles. Was reassured that it was kiln dried and that the infestation had been fixed. After the table was dropped off saw what looked to be new beetle activities called the owner Ian and told him about my concerns. Was told with quit a bit of attitude that it wasn't possible and that the beetles were dead. A couple weeks later after the table was finished and in our dining room we saw that in fact the beetles were not dead which you can see from the pictures attached. Called the owner again didn't get the normal I'm so sorry let me make this right line instead got more attitude and was told he'd send some folks to pick it up to fumigate the slab. Day of pickup I'm told he's short staffed and I need to find some folks to help load the table. Finally get the table back and told again that I the paying customer has to find someone to help carry the top back in the house. At this point I was pretty frustrated and let the owner know that. He began to start swearing and cursing at me like this was my issue. When you mess up take responsibility and don't inconvenience your customers that's what a decent business owner should do. Z and e will never get a penny of my business and I will let everybody I know to avoid this horrible business unless of course you want bugs in your wood and crappy attitude from the owner. read more

See all

Extremely interesting and helpful to me when I was looking for two special pieces for a home remodel project. They will patiently show you the inventory and are quick to get things ready for you. If you need a cut or two, its cheap. They gave lots of free advice about how to finish the slabs. If I need anything for future projects, I will happily return to Z and E. read more

So glad we found you.... the perfect live edge piece for our mantel! Such a great place! Ian went the extra mile and smoothed out all the flat edges for us so is all we need to do is sand and seal! Can't wait to put it in place! read more

Ian is an amazing artisan. We've had him do our dining room table, coffee table and side tables and just love his work. I can't say enough good things about his craftsmanship and willingness to help you achieve your vision. We've had so many people compliment his pieces. Great great find! read more

Recently bought a dining table top from Ian at Z&E. My wife and I were looking for a live edge table for our apartment and visited a handful of lumberyards in SF area. A guy at MacBeath in Berkeley sent us to Z&E. When we arrived, we knew we found the spot. I will say, it is really difficult to shop for this stuff. The slabs are heavy and stacked, so it's hard to peruse. But that being said, Z&E does its best to organize as best as possible. Ian made our table and it turned out fantastically. We couldn't be happier. He even delivered it to us in SF at no additional cost. We are definitely happy customers. read more

we ordered a dining table and waited for six weeks. when I went to pick it up it was completely different then what we had ordered, when I texted Ian and asked him to make it right he told me to go F@#$ OFF and he does not offer refunds, when I texted him and said he was very unprofessional, he texted me by calling me a PUNK ASS BITCH! I have posted he's text messages under Photo's. my credit card company is trying to get a refund from him. look at the pictures and decide for your self if you would like to do business with this guy. read more

If I could give Z&E Slabs six stars, I would. My wife and I bought a slab from Ian at Z&E for a breakfast nook table in our sunroom. The first piece of wood we picked out didn't take the stain the way we had anticipated, and even though that was not Z&E's fault, they offered to give it another try with another slab and eat the cost. That's the kind of customer service you want when you're looking to do a custom furniture job. On top of all that, great selection, excellent craftsmanship, and all around a great experience. A+ read more

Cannot more highly recommend. The most amazing collection of raw wood slabs I've ever seen and the owner Ian is so nice and accomodating. I came on 3 separate occasions to find the perfect slab and he answered all of my 300 questions. He even helped me to figure out how to make a table out of a slab, but I would totally buy one of his handmade creations/tables and will. And hope to buy many, many more wood slabs from him. Great store and excellent owner! read more

I found this place by accident scrolling through yelp. I was in search of some great pieces of slab wood in SF for my tiny home build. When I arrived the gentleman spent so much time with us trying to find the perfect piece to fit our budget. He also offered to cut the wood for the size we needed. Great prices and great selections. We ended up with a beautiful piece of ash wood. read more

This place is so cool. I got a small slab from them and the care and time the owner took to sand it, clean it, etc. was so amazing. Almost as though I was buying something massive. Def recommend to people looking for something original, beautiful. read more

Z&E did all the table tops and front bar counter for our tasting room (Triple Voodoo Brewery and Tap Room) in San Francisco. The quality is awesome. The service was awesome. We are really happy with every aspect of their work read more

I found this place looking for some salvaged wood by going to the nearby Woodbank, looking for a slab to make my table. The selections at Z&E are incredible and Ian, the owner, was very helpful. He showed me around, answered questions and helped me pick something based on my needs.I picked out a Mango slab from Hawaii and Ian was more than happy to advise me on how to prep my own table and what tools I will need. He offered to even sell some of the materials he uses there at the shop, what a guy! I'm very much looking forward to making my table. Thanks Ian! read more

This place is the best! We had so much fun picking out a live edge slab for our kitchen island, and now we have a beautiful and functional piece of art. I hope I have the chance to use Z&E again. read more