How to create an epoxy table ?

With our complete tutorial, learn all about the techniques and materials to use

Among the different ways to use an epoxy resin is the creation of a river table. These river tables are truly unique artistic pieces, reminiscent of a river flowing between two banks of a canyon.

An epoxy table is obtained by the marriage between wood, a natural and raw material, and resin, a surprising technical material that can be transformed at will. Before starting this tutorial, note that you will find on our site in the section "Resin and pigments", all the products necessary for the realization of its own epoxy table.

credit : photo courtesy of JeffMackDesign Canada"

River table : choosing the right type of wood

Below, let's find in detail the different steps and tips for a successful epoxy table.

Take the time to take a look ! :-)

All wood species (oak, poplar, chestnut, pine, Douglas fir, etc.) do not show the same characteristics, and some are more suitable than others for an epoxy table : Indeed, some woods are more porous than others, and will tend to "drink" the resin when pouring and release air bubbles.

To create a river table, it is preferable to use a type of wood such as maple, hazel, olive. More porous woods, such as pine for example, are not recommended. We also select the wood according to its thickness, its price, its shape, its patterns and its color, more or less clear. It is of course possible to tint the wood with a stain to color it, or darken it and thus better contrast with the casting of colored epoxy resin. Most often wood is used from the root and the base of the trunk, in cross section.

Wood preparation :

Cutting and drying : It is very important to have completely dry wood. The drying of the wood sometimes takes 1 year after felling. The boards must be perfectly flat. It is therefore necessary to contact a carpenter or a cabinetmaker in order to obtain quality cuts. Once the board has been chosen, it can be cut lengthwise, in the middle : each half will be turned over, and the flat edges are placed on each side of the casting frame, in order to form the edges of the future table.

Clean : Care is taken to prepare the wood meticulously, removing the bark, sanding the surface and the edges. To get rid of sanding residues and dust, blow them out with compressed air.

Stabilize : Wood is a porous material, which has cavities and cracks : When it is covered with an epoxy resin, it frequently releases air in the form of bubbles. In order to prevent any formation and imprisonment of bubbles in the epoxy casting during its hardening, a primer is applied to all of the wood. For this we use either :

- our water-based clearcoat (very fast drying)
- The resoltech 1010 waterborne and multi-use epoxy resin

With the brush, take care to soak and generously dab each crevice. It will also prevent leaks through cracks and crevices in the wood. It is also at this stage that you can apply a tinted stain, if you find that the tone of the wood is too light.

Prepare your casting frame :

A structure is made to contain the poured epoxy resin. It is the mould, or the framework. This must be perfectly sealed and firmly tightened with clamps, because the resin is fluid and tends to flow easily if the frame is not airtight. The walls of the melamine frames as well as the bottom board are covered with a shiny and resistant PVC adhesive, in order to facilitate removal afterwards. The sections of wood must be maintained in order to prevent them from moving or they "float" after casting. It is possible to apply a few lines of silicone in order to contain possible pouring overflows, to be removed later

For the epoxy resin :

It is a good idea to first pour a small layer of resin of 5 millimeters in the frame, before placing the wood there and immobilizing it. This prevents the formation of air pockets, and also possible leaks during casting. For this thin casting, Resoltech 4000 epoxy resin can be used, which allows rapid drying and a thickness of 1 or 2 cm. Once it has partially hardened and you can plant your nail in it, you can then pour the resin.

To make a river table with a casting thickness of several centimeters, WWA Resoltech epoxy resin is recommended, because it is a "slow" resin in terms of its drying time, and which allows up to 16 cm deep in a single pour, with a perfectly transparent result, and no shrinkage after curing.

Successful epoxy casting :

The technique is easy, however two critical points should be respected :

1 - The mixture : The precision and quality of the mixture between the resin and the hardener will depend on the good hardening of the resin: Make a precise mixture, "by weight", not "by volume", using of a precision balance. In order for the chemical polymerization reaction to take place, each particle of hardener must be mixed with each particle of resin. To do this, use a round pot and a ruler to stir insistently, scraping the edges and corners of the pot well. The mixture can be poured into a second pot, in order to keep only the "mixed product" and to get rid of the unmixed product remaining on the walls.

2 - Thickness and temperature : The epoxy resin produces an exothermic phenomenon during its hardening : the reaction releases a quantity of energy in the form of heat. The greater the thickness, the greater the heat emitted (above 250°C !). Beyond a thickness of 16cm, the heat can no longer escape.

The shape influences the way heat escapes : A low ambient temperature slows down hardening, while a higher temperature accelerates hardening and increases exotherm. Similarly, the greater the thickness, the faster the resin hardens. On the contrary, the finer the casting, the slower the hardening time. It is necessary at all costs to avoid too high a rise in temperature and therefore pay close attention to the ambient temperature, the temperature of the stored product (the resin), the shape and depth of the casting, and even the material which forms the mold. For example, an ambient temperature with a few degrees too high can have the consequences of defects in the hardened resin: yellowing, shrinkage, cracks.

Sink a river table :

With WWA epoxy resin, cast with a resin thickness of 5 cm, it will be appropriate to work in a room with air conditioning and an ambient temperature between 20 and 24°C. For a perfectly successful very thick casting, choose a lower temperature, which will allow a longer hardening time. If the ambient temperature is too high, the solution is to make castings in several times, in lower thicknesses, and sanding with an abrasive sponge between each coat, to create grip.

Drying : (polymerization) is done for the WWA epoxy resin in 24/48h. Optimal hardening is achieved after 14 days. To accelerate hardening, the casting can be steamed once dry, overnight at 40°C.

Personalize your epoxy resin with dyes and pearls :

Inks : Tinting the resin in the mass is possible thanks to Candy epoxy inks : These are super translucent and ultra-concentrated dyes, which are added to the epoxy mixture in small quantities. There are about twenty colors, from turquoise to red, through black, purple, lime green, or even cobalt blue. Other opaque type shades are available.

Mother-of-pearl powders :

These are ultra-fine mica-based powders, which are used as a "filler" to give an iridescent effect. You can add about 25 g of pearls per liter of mixture, to create a resin rich in color and sparkle. There are many types of pearls, transparent, opaque and tinted (see Stardust® 48 pearl colors card)
Pearls and colorants can be used together to give extraordinary visual effects.

Finishing :

The WWA resin gives an ultra hard and shiny surface. You can of course re-varnish it, or polish it with a polisher and a polishing paste, to increase the shine and remove any defects. (see polishing techniques in detail here).

Make a light table with a phosphorescent casting :

The phosphorescent or photoluminescent pigments (synonym) store light and release it little by little in the form of phosphorescence. They are naturally whitish in the daytime, or colorful and luminous in the dark. A range of daytime colored phosphorescent pigments also exists. Find the full range, with many colors and sizes, by clicking here : the phosphorescent powder.

Succeeding the implementation with an epoxy resin :

These pigments are compatible with epoxy resin and easy to mix. Add about 50 to 100g per liter of resin. These pigments are quite heavy, and we absolutely want to prevent them from falling before the resin has hardened. To keep them suspended in the resin, there are two solutions :

- Use the finest pigments (1-5µm or 5-15µm) as they are lighter

- Favor the choice of a fast-setting resin, such as Resoltech 4000 resin, which allows a layer of 2 cm to harden in 30 min.

How to calculate the volume of a pour ?

Two solutions :

- calculate height x length x width in cm

1000 cm3 = 1 Liter

or

- pour volumes of rice/lentils into a vacuum to calculate these volumes approximately

The volume of liquid resin gives the same volume of resin after drying

How to effectively protect your epoxy resin against UVs ?

Although having been considerably improved in terms of their sensitivity to the sun, epoxy resins must be protected from the sun, in order to avoid yellowing. The 4000 resin is very resistant to UVs, but the WWA resin is more sensitive. There are relatively effective methods to protect these works in resins:

1 - Apply an anti-UV clearcoat. Depending on the number of layers, this will block a lot of the ultra violet light. (application after sanding with 500 paper)

2 - Apply a nano ceramic protection : this will not only protect against scratches, but also UV rays very effectively (application directly on the dry and shiny resin)

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