How to Make an Epoxy Pouring Table

Making an epoxy river from an epoxy casting is a project that many DIYers want to do. To successfully complete this type of project, it is important to understand the principles of mass casting epoxy. Here are some tips of the trade for creating a beautiful wood and epoxy table.

Tips for making a beautiful epoxy wood river table

Practice on a small model first

Our first piece of advice is to embark on a small project before embarking on a big adventure. A small side table, a bedside table or decorative shelves are examples of small projects to carry out to develop your experience.

1. Epoxy River Table: it starts with a good waterproof mold

The first step is to build a waterproof mold. This should be made from a strong, smooth material. Normally, melamine is a material of choice. It must be perfectly waterproof because epoxy casting is particularly liquid.

Your mold could empty some of its contents if there is even a small open seam. Once assembled, seal the interior edges with a micro-seal (very thin) of acrylic sealant or clear silicone.

On the exterior joints, apply Duck Tape. This way, you will be assured that there will be no loss of epoxy.

2. “Grease the mold” to help release the epoxy

Although melamine is not porous, epoxy casting is very sticky and tends to stick as it hardens. It is therefore best to coat your mold with a spray release agent. This will make unmolding much easier in the end. Instead of mold release agent, furniture wax can also be used.

3. Prepare the pieces of wood

The pieces of wood to be incorporated with epoxy must be clean and free of crumbly bark. In order to minimize the risk of bubbles, it is important here to properly seal the portions of wood in contact with the molding epoxy.

In particular the ends of the boards, the thickness, and the portions presenting knots or the beginnings of branches. Wood contains air. This air is likely to escape when the piece of wood is heated for many hours by the epoxy that has been poured...

The best way to seal your parts is to apply a thin coat of epoxy. A 473 ml container is normally enough for a 2 foot x 4 foot table. After pouring a small bead and spreading it everywhere with a brush, you will need to leave it to dry for at least 24 hours.

For this step, some use varnish, lacquer or shellac to seal. Personally, I have better results with a thin layer of epoxy. This is what the epoxy manufacturer recommends...

In the case of a table where only the river is epoxy and not the top, you can seal only the thickness of the boards in contact with the epoxy. Wooden table tops can be left natural or oiled, for example.

4. Attach the pieces of wood to the bottom of the mold.

Most wood species are less massive than epoxy casting. If the parts are not properly secured to the mold, they will tend to rise and then partially float on the liquid epoxy.

From the bottom, insert 2 screws through the piece of melamine to hold your pieces in place . Another technique is to secure from above with zip ties and clamps. But this reduces the ease of work when casting in the case of small projects.

5. Important: the temperature of the product

Casting epoxy is weakly exothermic. This means that the chemical reaction of catalysis and curing produces less heat than regular epoxies. (Ordinary epoxies give off so much heat when applied in a layer thicker than 1/8 inch, that the heat cracks, bubbles, or has strange effects.)

This characteristic of casting epoxy - the low exotherm - explains why the setting time is longer than that of a standard 100% solids epoxy. Normally, it takes about 3 1/2 days (84 hours) to cure a 2-3 inch thick layer.

It is important to note that product, air and surface temperatures can speed up or slow down the curing process. If it's cold it will take longer. If it's hot, faster. It is therefore recommended to work in a room heated to 24 degrees and to have acclimatized the product there at least 24 hours before.

It may also be noted that a thin layer of casting epoxy (say ½ inch) will take longer to cure than a thicker layer (2 or 3 inches) under equal conditions.

6. Calculate the approximate amount of epoxy needed.

To get an idea of ​​how much casting epoxy is needed for your river table, you need to calculate the volume of the river as accurately as possible.

Here is my formula for converting volume (cubic inches) to liters of epoxy: width (in inches) x length (in inches) x thickness (in inches) divided by 61 = the approximate number of liters required.

For example, for a river of epoxy 6'' x 32'' x 2.5'' = 480 cubic inches / 61 = 7.86 liters of epoxy required.

7. Color the resin or a colorless epoxy?

If you want a river of epoxy in color, you must first integrate the pigment into the resin (component A). Regular pour epoxy is ideal for rivers of color.

For opaque colors, liquid dyes are normally used. Do not exceed 10% of the volume of the resin.

For metallic colors, powder pigments are preferred for this type of project. A small amount stains a lot. So you have to go there gradually, little by little.

If you want a river of colorless epoxy, consider purchasing “UV resistant” casting epoxy. It is more crystalline at the base and better resists yellowing caused by exposure to UV rays over the years.

We suggest you use the product: Epox-y for casting from SamaN

8. Catalyze the resin with the hardener

The mixing ratio is 2 parts resins (component A) to 1 part hardener (component B). In a clean, dry container, mix 2 parts resins with 1 part hardener.

9. Mix

Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the container while kneading. Mix for 3-4 minutes with a drill fitted with a paint mixer. After mixing, transfer the mixture to a similar container and mix again for an additional 1-2 minutes.

Once kneading is complete, the mixture can remain in the container and be worked for approximately 6 hours.

10. Application

Simply pour the contents into the mold.

11. If there are bubbles...

Wait 15 to 20 minutes, then heat with an embossing iron or lightly run a lit propane torch over the surface at a 45° angle with the tip of the torch at least 6 inches from surface to surface. 'until all the bubbles are gone.

The carbon dioxide at the end of the flame helps the bubbles to release and burst. This will help ensure a smooth finish to the glass. If latent bubbles are released, a similar operation after 30 minutes may be necessary. Do not attempt to remove bubbles after more than 2 hours: this will affect the smooth finish of the cast epoxy.

12. Protect from dust

Since epoxy casting takes approximately 3 days to cure, it is especially important to cover to protect from dust. A large piece of cardboard or hardboard will do the job very well.

13. Unmold

It is crucial that the casting epoxy has fully cured before removing from the mold. Carefully insert a flat spatula or trowel between the mold and the edge of the table.

You need to work in a way that protects your work while removing the melamine surrounding it.

Epox-y for SamaN molding Perfect for creating river tables, the product is specially designed for molding and any other application requiring a high level of transparency. Easy to mix, resists heat, water, UV rays and chemicals. A thickness of 10 cm (4″) is achieved in a single pour. This low-odor, no-VOC product has bubble-release properties, allows a working time of up to two hours, and cures 100%, securely, without cracking. buy now