DIY Epoxy Pour Tabletop – Epoxy pour tutorial

Looking to give new life to a tired old countertop or tabletop? DIY epoxy pour on tabletop or countertop will give new life on a budget.

DIY Console table top with epoxy pour

 Hello friends, I have an awesome DIY epoxy pour tabletop project to share with you today. This has to be one of my favorite projects I have done in a while along with my son’s bedroom makeover and DIY large cement planter. Not going to lie, it was a bit tedious, but the results are amazing.

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It all started with our basic builder-grade granite kitchen countertop. The granite in our kitchen went well with the dark walnut cabinetry which was popular a few years back, not so much now. To be honest, I really didn’t like it from the start but once it was in, it was too late to go back, when I redo my kitchen I’ll replace them but until then how to camouflage them?

I came across this amazing video on how to give old, tired countertops a new life with an epoxy pour. The wheels in my brain started to turn, what if? I watched countless videos on how to pour epoxy on countertops. I thought I can tackle this, it can be fun!

Suggestion, if you decide to do an epoxy pour, I recommend you practice on a smaller surface before you jump into your first big project.

Testing the epoxy pour will help figure out the do’s and the don’ts, how comfortable you are with the steps, and if it is something you can tackle.

I decided to test the DIY epoxy pour on a console tabletop.

I had the ideal piece of furniture I could test the epoxy pour on before I tackled the kitchen counter. It was an old console table I had been saving for a future project. But, I only had a base for this table it was missing the tabletop. The base had beautiful detail and it was so well made it would’ve been a shame to get rid of it.

So, I had to make a top for the console table. This table had curves, which meant the tabletop had to be cut following those curves. It was no picnic, but I was up for the challenge.

This project was a two-step project. First to make the tabletop form and then the epoxy pour.

Supplies needed for the DIY epoxy pour tabletop (only for the epoxy pour)

–Clear Table Top Epoxy Resin

–Paint sticks or tongue depressors

–Torch or heat gun, blow dryer

-Alcohol 91% isopropyl

–Rustoleum spray paint (Color of your choice)

–Behr paint primer

Step 1- Cut wood top for the DIY epoxy pour console table

We used two 3/4″ plywood to make a 1-1/2″ thick wood top. We measured and cut

Sand the top and the sides till it is smooth.

Next, we traced around the top of the base following the curves adding 1-1/2″ for overhang and cut.

Cutting out the wood to follow the existing base was the most intricate part of this project.

Let’s prep the surface…

The first step in this process is to make sure the top edge of the tabletop has a curved edge. Use a router bit to make a rounded edge on the top so the epoxy can easily roll off to cover the sides. This will create a beautiful finished edge.

Sand the top and the sides of the wood till smooth.

Wipe off all the sand dust from the wood and the surrounding area to prevent any particles from landing on the epoxy.

It is super important to make sure the surface you are going to use the epoxy on is level. What will happen is your epoxy is moving and trying to self-level, it will run to whichever side your surface is tilting. Shimmie or do whatever needs to be done to level the surface. I used 4 cans of peas to elevate the wood so that you can easily wipe the drips off the edge.

Prime the surface for the console tabletop

Next, prime the wood with a bonding primer. I used two coats of Behr primer tinted with gray and lightly sanding in between each coat. You’ll have to wait for 24 hours before the epoxy pour. (Full disclosure, I didn’t wait 24 hours before I pour the epoxy, I waited a couple of hours) I had to get this project off my kitchen counter as quickly as possible, I had company coming that evening.

Once the primer is completely dry, it’s time to tape the edges with painter’s tape. Tape the edge of the tabletop an inch above the edge and an inch below the edge. I doubled the tape to give it strength, so the epoxy doesn’t push the tape and pour off the board prematurely.

Be sure the temperature in your work area is 75-80°F and the relatively low humidity. Too much humidity can cause the epoxy longer time to dry. Also, a cool temperature can cause bubbles to form. Bubbles are great for a bath but not on your beautiful epoxy table. You can easily pop the bubbles using a torch or heat gun.

Prepare the epoxy pour

It’s mixing time, I used 3 ounces of epoxy and the hardener per square foot. When I do the epoxy pour on my countertop I will be using upwards of 6 to 8 ounces per square foot. But since this is a test I didn’t feel the need to use that much on this tabletop.

The epoxy and the hardener that I used are mixed one to one ratio. Some epoxy is 2:1 ratio so make sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions carefully. Pour the hardener, part B in a small mixing bucket first, then pour part A. I poured part B first because part B is less viscous, it’s thinner basically going to fall to the bottom quickly and follow with part A which is thicker.

Now mix thoroughly for two minutes using a tongue depressor or paint stick. Thorough mixing of the two ingredients is essential to get the best results. Often the resin sticks to the edge of the mixing container, make sure to continuously scrape around the edges to get all the ingredients and mix well.

I sprayed black Rustoleum acrylic paint into the epoxy mixture and stirred well. Adding a small amount of spray paint little by little will give you the transparency or the opaqueness you desire.

Then quickly pour the mixture onto the surface and spread it throughout.

I used a plaster spatula to spread the epoxy over the board and gently move the product around and over the edge.

Once the epoxy is spread throughout evenly, surface bubbles may appear due to the mixing process. You can easily remove the bubbles by spraying with isopropyl alcohol and by using a torch, heat gun, or even a blow dryer on high heat.

If you are going to use a blow-dry, the epoxy will move so I suggest you hold it straight down and move very quickly as for it to not move too much.

A marbelized effect seemed to appear after pouring the epoxy. I think it was because I didn’t let the primer dry long enough. Although, I really did like the effect. However, I wanted more black opaque color for this project, so I added a little more black Rustoleum to the epoxy. This created the perfect black opaque color for the tabletop.

Next, I mixed a small batch of epoxy with silver Rustoleum paint to create the vein and variations on the black to look like granite.

Totally smitten over the beautiful effect the gray veining gave once it spread out. I used a paint stick to move the silver paint to the desired look to make it look like natural stone.

Once you achieve the look you want, let it dry for about an hour before removing the tape from around the edges. Test to see if the paint rolls off too fast off the edge. If it does, wait a little longer so that it will roll off slowly. Use a paint stick to scrape off the drippings on the bottom of the edge.

Let it dry for at least 4 hours before moving it.

After the tabletop was completely dry, we secured it to the base. This console table got a new life, I am loving this epoxy pour!

This DIY epoxy pour tabletop turned out so well, I can’t wait to tackle my countertop.

What do you think? Do you think this is a project you would like to tackle? If you have missed any of my other projects you can see them here.