A QUICK look at Philip Waller’s website and you can see he’s a very competent carpenter. There are photographs of garden gates, library walls, summerhouses, fitted kitchens, bespoke dressing rooms. This is a man who knows his double dovetails and his dowelling.

What his website doesn’t show is his artistic streak, the Philip Waller of the resin river tables, his latest creations. These are beautiful pieces of furniture – works of art really – and in growing demand from interior designers in the region and beyond looking for a statement piece to enhance their schemes.

“I was recently commissioned by The Mowden pub in Darlington to make one to fit in with the new colour scheme,” says Philip.” It looks lovely in there and it’s very rewarding to sit at my table when I call in for a pint.”

Philip has been a joiner since leaving school at 16, working for a number of companies in Darlington doing a wide range of carpentry and joinery, from barn conversions to pub renovations. At the age of 23, he started his own company, PWCJ, which has been very successful, but it’s true to say that he’s been moving more in a creative direction for some time.

“I love meeting new clients and getting to work in some of the most wonderful homes in the North-East,” he says. “My favourite job recently was doing restoration work on Sockburn Hall for English Heritage. I’ve also been lucky enough to work abroad fitting kitchens and one-off cupboards for some high-end clients in places like the Alps and Monaco,.”

Over the past couple of years, Philip has been project managing for pub, restaurant, hotel and bowling alley schemes, and most recently, the Dinsdale Golf Club revamp. “I’m currently working at Fox Hall on the A66, then moving onto my final pub of the year, an underground toilet in Newcastle!” he laughs.

Not content with all that hard work, Philip likes a sideline or two. He part-owns a brewery in Darlington called the Rocket Town Brewing Company. “We brew on a small scale for events to which we take our mobile 'Baravan'. It’s great fun and the summer is super busy with food festivals, music events, mountain bike events and private functions and weddings,” he says.

Another sideline is the aforementioned resin river furniture. It came about by accident, he explains.

“Just over a year ago, I was looking to buy a new dining table and found a resin river table on the internet. I’d never seen one before and instantly fell in love with it, so I set out on a mission to find out how it was made.”

After lots of research, Philip decided to make one in his workshop. “I won’t lie, it didn’t end well,” he laughs, “but I loved making it and working with a new product. I set out to make more and Resin Edge was born."

After a few more test tables, he started to sell his creations and says the response has been very positive. Customers seem to love the idea of buying something so individual, a true one-off. “Timber is such a beautiful product to work with and, paired with resin, it makes the tables stand out,” says Philip.

Each table takes around four days to produce from start to finish. The first requirement is a nice piece of wood, which he sources from Darlington Timber Supplies, and other saw mills around the region.

“The timber has to be as dry as possible or it will still be moving and cracking, which would be no good for the resin,” says Philip. “Air drying it is the best way, but it’s a long process – one year’s drying time for every inch of thickness. Most of the timber I use has been felled up to five years before I get my hands on it. Bearing this in mind, I treat every unique piece of timber with the utmost respect. I’ve recently acquired some 500-year-old Spanish olive wood which is going to be filled with clear resin so the timber stands out.”

The timber is cut in half down the middle and then flipped to create the middle section for the resin. This comes as a clear liquid, to which colours and powders can be added (often at girlfriend Christina’s suggestion) for different effects, then hardener to make it set. Finally, the table is painstakingly sanded and polished to bring out its sheen and beauty.

“Each table I make is to order and I work closely with the client to make sure it’s perfect for their home,” says Philip. “My aim for the rest of the year is to carry on making bespoke furniture in my spare time, but by this time next year I’d like to be doing it full time. The future of Resin Edge is looking bright.”

Coffee tables £300-£800; dining tables start at £1,200. Philip has also started to make benches.

pwjc@live.co.uk