As with any piece of furniture, there are trends that come and go. The most recent trend in using epoxy to help create furniture has proven extremely popular. One of the most recreated pieces is the epoxy river table, which anyone can do at home with the right tools and equipment. Let us look at what an epoxy river table is and how to create one for your home.
What is an Epoxy River Table?
An epoxy river table is a piece of hybrid furniture made from wooden planks with epoxy resin in between. The design usually involves using planks which have a natural edge on the inside to simulate the banks of a river.
The gap in between the planks contains the epoxy resin that is coloured to represent the river running through. In some cases, items such as shells, glitter and other things are added to the resin as well.
This then becomes the table top that can be fitted to table legs such as hairpin legs that will support the tabletop.
What Supplies Will You Need?
To recreate the resin river tabletop, there are a few tools and other items that you will need.
- Liquid colour pigment matt blue
- Metallic colour pigment turquoise
- Liquid colour pigment transparent (for crystal clear River Tables)
- Large mixing cups with scale (64 ounces) or Bucket for mixing resin
- 100% Silicone Caulking
- Caulking Gun
- Silicone Spray
- Duck Tape
- MDF Board
- Screws
- F-Clamps
- Soft Mallet and Wood Chisel
- Polishing paste for glossy surfaces
- Sandpaper
- Wood Oil
- Level
- Folding Carpenters Ruler
- Nitrile Gloves
- Respirator Mask
- Eye Protection
- The most important thing: A natural wood panel of your choice (well dried!) or alternatively wood from a DIY store
- Heat Gun or Butane Torch
- Hot Melt Glue Gun
- Cordless Drill
- Corded Drill with Paint Mixer
- Jig Saw
- Plunge Router
- Orbital Sander
- Orbital Buffer / Polisher
How to Create the River Epoxy Table
There are a few steps that you will need to take to create this table.
- Firstly, you need to prepare the wood so that it is cut to the right length and is an even thickness.
- The wood then needs to be filled with clear epoxy resin to fill in any cracks.
- Next, build a mould to contain the table so you can pour the epoxy resin.
- Place the wood into the mould in the place that you want it. Then clamps need to be added to keep the mould secure.
- You then need to mix the epoxy while wearing the correct protective equipment. There is an epoxy resin calculator that you need to use to get the correct ratio.
- Next, colour the resin and pour it into the gap in the wood. You can use any pigment colour that you want.
- You can then add any additional items to the epoxy at this point.
- Once the table has been left to cure, you can remove the clamps and mould.
- The table can be sanded down to remove any rough edges and make the table flat.
- The table can then be polished and a clear resin poured on top to protect the table.
Although making the epoxy resin river table can take some time and effort, the end result is a beautiful table.