A growing trend among homeowners, certainly since Covid is making DIY furniture. If you have always wanted an epoxy resin coffee table consider making your own. Here are some simple techniques for beginners.

DIY Epoxy resin coffee table: Simple techniques for beginners

If you have decided to join the epoxy resin DIY trend, we don’t blame you! This is a super fun and straightforward way to create a unique and exciting piece of furniture for your home. So, if you are an absolute beginner, read on to find out how to make this exciting prospect a reality. First, it is important to understand how to DIY with resin at home safely. Then, you will want to calculate how much epoxy you need for your project. Buy all of your supplies from a trusted source. Once you are all set with your materials and workspace, you can come up with a unique design and start making your project – avoiding air bubbles. Let’s dive into this quick guide.

Safety first!

Remember to prepare a workspace before you begin your DIY project and set it up with your health and safety in mind.

You should try to work in a space that has good ventilation. Open windows are best. Then, make sure you have gloves so that you can protect your hands from the resin and anything else you might be using that could be abrasive. If you are sanding or cutting wood, you may also want to use goggles for your eyes.

Then, when it comes to using any DIY tools, materials, or chemicals, remember to read the safety instructions provided by the supplier. If you are in doubt about anything, you can find online DIY help videos to guide you through the creative process.

River tables

The most common and visually stunning design for a table using epoxy resin is a river table. This is when you have a wood table with a river of resin running through the center. The resin looks like a solid river of water holding the two banks of wood together to create this incredible final look. Making a river table yourself at home is quite straightforward. You can use online guides to help you. 

Calculate how much resin you need

Before you can order your supplies, you will need to think about what your end goal is and how much of each material you will need. If you are making a river table, how large is the area you are filling with resin? And how deep do you want the resin to be?

Once you have an idea of these figures, you can calculate how much resin you will need. You can use a deep pour epoxy calculator to help you here. Just remember, if you are going to embed items in the resin then you will need to subtract their mass from the total amount of resin you will need as it will be displaced.

Create a unique design 

In terms of embedding items into the resin, think about what you want the final product to look like. Perhaps you want to add pebbles and shells to give the river table a beachy look, or else floating pieces of wood, tile, sea glass, or anything else that inspires you. Some people even put plants in resin to preserve them. 

You can use online sites like Pinterest to inspire you when it comes to creating a unique design. Search for epoxy resin coffee table designs. Unique does not mean it has to come from your head alone! Use the help of design magazines, Instagram, and DIY blogs. Then, make the ideas your own. 

Creating a unique piece of art for your home involves knowing your style and curating other pieces of art to go with it. You are developing a style for your home that reflects your taste and personality. So, think about what you want your table to say about you and how it will fit into the home.

Buy materials from a reputable supplier

Now that you know what your design will look like and how much resin you will need you can get online and start ordering your materials. Just make sure to use a well-reputed supplier. You want your materials to be high-quality and to arrive on time. 

You can read online reviews of the supplier and their products before you make an order. This is a great way to check that their products and services are reliable and well-received. 

How to avoid air bubbles

Finally, when working with resin, you need to be careful to end up with the final results that you hope to see. To avoid air bubbles forming in the resin, pour the epoxy carefully and slowly. Remember to seal all of the wood areas and edges with a coating of resin before the big pour. Wood can release air into the resin once it is poured if it is not sealed first. Any items you are embedding into the resin river should also be sealed first. 

Then, if bubbles do emerge – this normally happens in the first thirty minutes – you can pop them with a toothpick carefully. However, if you are careful and thorough, air bubbles may not arise at all. That being said, if you like the look of the bubbles, you can also decide just to keep them in the design. This is your table after all! It can look however you want it to.

Be creative and have fun with the design and remember that this is just your first try. making your own epoxy resin coffee table will be quite an achievement, however it turns out. You can always try again and learn from any mistakes you made the first time around. 

DIY expoxy resin coffee tables in summary

So, there you have it! This has been a quick and easy guide to creating an epoxy resin coffee table. As an absolute beginner to the world of resin crafts, you will want to ensure that you are up to speed on how to keep yourself safe while you work. Then, you can calculate how much resin you need, using a helpful online calculator, and order your supplies. Make sure to use a reputable supplier. Once you have everything ready to go, you can set up your creative design and get to work. Remember to seal the wood and edges and pour the resin gently to avoid air bubbles. Have a great time with your first epoxy resin project!