If you are looking for a fun project to tackle in your free time, creating a Deep Pour Epoxy River Table may be just the project you're looking for.
Building an epoxy river table is a great challenge and an amazing achievement once completed. The satisfaction of creating something so beautiful is better than a vacation!
I am sure most of you are wondering what something like this would cost you? I have had a lot of interest in this table and I would like to take some time and explain a lil' bit about this table.
How much it cost, tools and materials you will need, and other tips and tricks to help you build your own!
Sure, you can look on Etsy and other shopping sites and find the price tag. But, what actually goes into building one?
"Why are they so expensive?" "How hard can it be?" "Surely they aren't that expensive!"
I found myself asking some of the same questions and thought, "let's build one and find out!?"
Let me start off by saying, its not cheap and there is a lot of labor involved to create this masterpiece!
First, we start by creating a master plan! Then, we gather the proper tools and order all the materials.
Materials for this particular build, (29" x 48.5" x 2.5") cost me a total of $1600.00!
Check out our list of tools and materials!
Material List
1 - 4x8 sheet of MDF (this will be to create your mold)
6.5 gallons of Deep Pour Epoxy - https://amzn.to/3SOZKmW
Varathane Super Glaze - https://amzn.to/3Pnx0ie
Live Edge Wood
Rocks or other "fillers" of your choice - https://amzn.to/3PlSI6g
Black Pipe and fittings - (for the legs) - https://amzn.to/3bPUv65
Screws (for mounting hardware)
100/220/320g orbital sand paper
Tool List
Drill - https://amzn.to/3C1h2aE
Circular Saw - https://amzn.to/3SLwnSE
Paddle Mixer - https://amzn.to/3ds1Hpw
Tape Measure
1/2" Router - https://amzn.to/3bXLsQp
Orbital Sander - https://amzn.to/3PhZgCZ
Belt Sander - https://amzn.to/3AkvXLG
5 gallon bucket
6" or larger putty knife
Building A Mold
A couple key points to go over before creating your mold.
- Use packing tape and cover your entire mold!
- Build your walls 1/8" higher than your thickest piece of wood
Once you have your mold measured, cut, TAPED OFF, and built. You will want to lay out your wood and other items you are using in the mold. Position the items how you choose.
*** If you are using rocks or other natural items that may contain dirt. Rinse and wash them thoroughly to prevent any cloudy or dirty colors mixing with your pour. ***
This is a very important step and can ruin a very expensive project!
Remove all the bark from the live edge wood, as well as any other pieces of material that may float around or give a poor finish, once the epoxy is poured.
Pouring the Epoxy
It is important to follow the directions on the bottle. If the two parts are not mixed properly, it will not cure correctly.
Our trial table was built in a few different stages. For a couple different reasons. Deep Pour Epoxy is hard to calculate properly when you are adding volume to your mold, that is even more complicated (for me) to calculate.
After realizing 3 gallons of epoxy was not going to be enough, I let sit, cure...and ordered more epoxy!
Here is where I became a little worried. I was not sure if the next pour would allow for a smooth and clear finish all the way through, now that we had a cold joint.
After some light sanding and lots of cleaning, the second pour went smooth and meshed perfectly!
Making your mold an 1/8" taller than your material will help you create that smooth, mirror like finish you see in our table!
Finishing Table
Once you have poured the epoxy and let cure, you will want to remove your mold! If you taped your mold properly this should be fairly easy to remove. If not...well, enjoy the next few hours of intense sanding! :)
Table is out of the mold. Now you should be ready to sand down the top and sides of your table.
We left a 1/4" on each side of our wood to allow epoxy to settle in around the material. Same concept as making the walls an 1/8" taller. Note; if you break off some epoxy while removing your mold, don't worry to much. Your router will take off any imperfections you may encounter.
Go ahead and choose your favorite router bit, set up your router and route the edges of your table! Then you can proceed with the sanding process.
You will want to sand with a 100g sand paper to begin. This will help you remove any small divots or imperfections that may develop during cure time.
Using a 220g paper, go over all the areas you just sanded with the 100g. Make a couple good passes, allowing the orbital sander to do its' job. Change over to a 320g orbital pad and repeat the steps just mentioned.
I was able to see a large difference in appearance after sanding with the 320g paper a few times. After wiping down the table a few times with water, get a bucket and fill up a third of the way with cold water.
Use TSP powder and mix into bucket. Wipe down your table to help remove any residue that may interfere with our final coat. Use a sponge or microfiber cloth to wipe down, as these will not leave residue behind.
Allow to fully dry on its own. Place painting cones under your table. Mix your Varathane Super Glaze Epoxy in a small bucket. Pour epoxy onto the table and move it around with a medium sized trowel or squeegee.
You may notice some un-level areas. Air/gas bubbles will form in some areas. This is normal and easily addressed.
Using a propane torch, lightly touch the epoxy with the end of the flame. Repeat this process until epoxy levels itself out, or air bubbles "pop" and disappear.
*** Be careful not to keep flame in one area for too long. Epoxy will burn and turn brown. ***
Table Legs
When building or choosing the legs for your table, think of where it will be placed in your home, what you want it to match or accent and so forth.
You are welcome to use whatever materials or go with whatever style you want, when building the legs for you table! You can buy prefabbed table legs online, or in some hardware stores.
I wanted to build custom metal legs. But, my wife said they were too modern for the table and she already had another plan! :)
We used black steel pipe & fittings to create the legs for our table. We have live edge shelving in our home, with black steel pipe as supports!
Enjoy your finished table!
>>> Built one yourself? Leave your thoughts in the comment section! <<<
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