DIY Dinner Table: Build Your Own Round Table With Epoxy Resin
River tables, side tables, end tables- but did you know you can also make gorgeous dinner tables using Upstart Epoxy’s resins? Follow along as Rob with Upstart Epoxy shows us to make an AWESOME oval dinner table, step-by-step!
Skill Level: Intermediate/Expert
Estimated Working Time: 24-36 Hours
What You’ll Need:
- Upstart Epoxy Deep Pour Resin
- Upstart Epoxy Powdered Pigments Set
- Wood Slabs
- Table Saw
- Miter Saw
- Silicone Caulk
- Hammer
- Router Sled
Take detailed measurements for the table.
Before starting the project, be sure to take measurements of the space you’ll be placing the table in and decide how small or large you’d like it to be. When you do proper measurements, it’ll tell you how much epoxy you need to mix. For more tips and tricks on proper measurements for epoxy tables, please watch the Youtube video linked above!
Use your saws to cut your wood and create a form.
We're going to start off by sawing our wood and making a form. We like to make our forms about a half inch too large intentionally to account for any potential miscalculations. You’d rather your table to be too big than too small- as you can always cut a larger piece down to size.
As this particular table is going to be oval-shaped, we went ahead and cut the form into an oval, making it nearly a half inch larger in size on all sides. We’ve already done our measurements, so now it’s time to use our table saw. You’ll also find more information on how we got our slabs cut into a perfect oval and added walls.
Once we have the oval form ready to go, we add silicone caulk for leak protection, then we nailed our form down using screws, and then taped it down to make this thing as leakproof as possible. We also used clamps to secure our slabs to the wood, so the slabs don't start floating on us when we do our pour. These steps are some of the most important when you’re using epoxy.
Mix up your epoxy resin.
Now that the table is ready to go , it’s time to mix up our deep pour epoxy resin. The measurements we took earlier told us that we needed nine quarts of epoxy. As deep pour has a 2:1 ratio, we poured six quarts of Part A and three quarts of Part B.
As you start to mix, you'll notice that it starts out a little foggy or cloudy, but it will clear up as you go, which will let you know you’re ready to pour! We grabbed a stir stick to scrape the sides and the bottom, just to make sure both parts mixed perfectly.
Choose and mix your powdered pigments.
We wanted the colors of this table to be brown and white, so we chose a brown color and a specially formulated shade of cream/off-white. We got this shade by mixing different colors until we got our desired color, but you can use Sparkle White (AW4) and Brown (Y411) from the powdered pigments set for a similar look!
Pour the mixed resin into the form.
We started to pour the mixed resin onto the table, being sure to fill in some of the cracks and splits in the wood. We don’t plan to bring this table to full depth- when it’s done, we’ll be shaving it down, but we want to make sure all cracks are perfectly filled. We let the table cure for 12-24 hours.
After the table has cured, take it out of the form.
Now it’s time for the most satisfying part of the process- cracking the project out of the form. We like to use a hammer and slam it down on the blocks that are holding the table inside. We do the sides of the table first, as that's the easiest part to take off. If you're nervous about scratching the top or surface of your table, we recommend putting a board or pad down on the side before using the hammer.
Start the finishing process for the table.
Use your router sled to clean the table down, making sure it’s perfectly flat and level, especially on its sides. Once you’re satisfied with the outcome, add legs to the project and trim as needed. You’re all done now!
THE REVEAL:
