Technique for Pouring Epoxy Resin on a Dining Table Top

Securing Objects

• Secure any decorative objects that you want to set in your tabletop before you pour the resin. If you don't, the movement of the thick, liquid resin will disturb the positions of the items as it flows. If you are using flat paper, cloth or tagboard pieces, glue them in place with a decoupage glue or wood glue. For larger objects that will be set in a thicker layer of resin, such as bottle caps, marbles or coins, mix up a little epoxy resin glue and secure them in place on the table. Whatever glue you use, let it dry and cure fully before you mix and pour the resin layer over the top.

Building a Wall

• If you have a table that's round or has perfectly square edges, you can get all of your resin pouring done in one go by creating a temporary wall around the edge of the table. Cut rectangular strips of cardboard about 3 inches thick and as long as the sides of your table, or cut one long piece to wrap all the way around a circular table. Coat these strips of cardboard in packing tape, then secure them to the sides of your table with plenty of painter's tape. Leave no gaps or holes where resin can leak out. Before pouring the resin, coat the sides of the walls with cooking oil or a model release agent for easy removal.

Pour and Spread

• If you have an irregularly-shaped table or don't want a resin top with a thick edge at the sides, simply pour the resin at the center of the table, then let it spread out as far as it can without flowing off the edge. With long, thin tables and rectangular tables, you'll need to use a craft stick or paint-stirring stick to spread out the thin sheet of resin; do this immediately before it starts to set up. You will get a few drips off the edge of the table, so prepare beforehand with newspapers on the floor and use a clean craft stick to wipe away the drip shapes on the table edges.

Layering

• If you want to cast thick objects in resin on a table with curved or irregularly-shaped sides, you can still use the pour-and-spread method. However, you'll need to layer the resin in order to make it thick enough. To do this, pour as much resin as you can without having it drip off the sides and spread it out with a craft stick. Let this layer fully dry and cure, then add a second layer over the top in the same manner. Continue until the objects you've attached to the table have been fully covered.