A Tabletop That Won't Stop: A QUICKY BLOG SQUAD PROJECT

Hello lovlies! We have been working really hard to wrap up our wonderful run of being True Value Blog Squadders while trying to get the house in Christmas mode. We were able to hang a 4 ft lighted wreath on the turret, add some garland to the living room fire place, and do a vignette on the dining room table, and hang some wooden snowflakes. We aren't finished, hey, we don't event have a tree yet - but we are trucking along. We got to wrap up a project on our long to-do list and definitely wanted to add it to out True Value posts, so here we go!

Back in July, Joey's amazing Aunt Debbie drove all the way from Minnesota with a uhaul filled with goodies. We were so stoked to see them and get blessed with some furniture at the same time. One gift was an AMAZING table we fell in love with immediately. 

We knew exactly where it was going to live upon first site. We put it straight in the mudroom and called it a day. We found ourselves looking at it going hrrrmmmmm, "something is missing". We decided the tabletop needed to be white. We didn't just want to paint it white and leave it at that, because we know it would get scuffed up very quickly, so we decided to immortalize it. 

Now, we are going to be brutally honest before we go through the steps on how to epoxy a tabletop. We messed up. Just like on other home improvement projects, we mess up now and again. I feel bad saying we messed up, I messed it up. Big time. I thought we wouldn't be able ti fix my royal failure. 

I went through the whole process (which we will go over in a sec), and left it outside to dry. That night it rained. It was windy...and when I woke up to check out my labor I was saddened by what I found. Raindrops were sporadically placed in the hardened residue, along with leaves and bugs. It was gross. 

So, when Joey came home from work, he had an idea to fix the problem. (Now, I am telling you this upfront so you pick a smart place to epoxy your table from the start. You won't be able to move it once you pour on the solution and it's still wet.) He simply took a screwdriver and wedged it between the glassy, dry epoxy and the painted table. The epoxy came up in large chunks and it was pretty easy to resolve my major fail, minus the $20 the epoxy costs at True Value. 

So on to the right way to amp up your tabletop! Here is what you'll need, what to do, and how to do it:

A box of Parks Super Glaze 32 fl. oz. Box $20

Painters tape (we used frogtape) $10

A blowdryer

3 plastic cups

2 plastic knives

Floor covering (to protect your lovely home)

$30-$50 total (depending on what you have on hand)

Find a flat surface to lay your table top (We recommended removing the tabletop if you can). Place down your floor covering, and make sure when you place your tabletop on top of it it is as flat as possible. 

Tape off the rim of your table and make sure to keep the tape about 1/8 inch above the actual table. This will make kind of a rim for when you pour the epoxy. 

Grab your plastic cups and knives (don't use metal!) and your box of epoxy. Fill up half your cup with the resin, and half of your other cup with the activator. Now pour both the resin and the activator in a third cup. Mix smoothly with a plastic knife until well blended. Don't over mix or you will be cursed with bubbles!

Pour this mixture in the center of your table. If you see it obviously flowing to a certain side of the table top, not is the time to fix the uneven-ness. 

Take another plastic knife and smooth out the epoxy with smooth movements from the center of the table outward. 

Now here is a little trick. once you have a nice even epoxy top, take a blow dryer and blow out all the bubbles! You can also move around the mixture a bit with the pressure from the air if you need to.

...and the hard part. Leave the room! Try to not look at the tabletop, or walk by it! You will be tempted to touch "just to see if it's dry". It's best to let it sit about 24 hours. 

It will be easy to peel the painters tape off once it's completely dry. You can also buff out any unevenness. And there you have it. Your totally awesome tabletop that can withstand food, wine, and anything else you throw at it!

Lets get legal: We were one of the 10 bloggers True Value has chosen to work on The Blog Squad , and we are way excited to take on the challenge of showing you exciting DIY projects.  They have compensated us for our time and writing, and provided materials for the projects we have worked on. However, our opinions are entirely our own and we have not been paid to publish positive comments. Did we mention we are excited to show you our DIY Blog Squad Projects?

Comments

[cristin @ simplified bee]

Love it! Sorry you had to go through the whole process twice!

Now trying to figure out what I can do with that stuff.

xo,
cristin

[Thomas]

Hey, just wanted to drop by and let you know that your blog is terrific. I have been following for a while and love to read about your DIY construction projects. Between the tips provided on your site and the construction software I use at work, my job is a whole lot easier! Thanks and keep up the good work!