Epoxy resin for countertops. How to make a tabletop with your own hands. Cheap coffee table with coin inlay Table of coins with what to cover

If your strength is not enough (and this is really not a very easy process) and you are not able to bend the coins, feel free to discard the pliers and seal the edges with flat coins. You will not spoil the composition in any way.
With the rest of the space on the table, everything is much easier, just each coin needs to be glued carefully and thoroughly to ensure strength.

This process is not difficult, but long (the size of the table, of course, also plays a big role).

What will give you more trouble is covering the surface of the table with epoxy. You will need to place the table in a small isolated and dust-free room and cover the floor under the table with a strong plastic sheet, otherwise you may say goodbye to the parquet/carpet when you get a new carpet. We will cover the entire table with this mixture, with the edges, so dripping resin onto the floor cannot be avoided. Resin will give our fantastic idea even more of a golden sheen.

Coins should be shiny. To do this, they need to be polished
Fill the bowl about a quarter full with water, pour in some Tarn-X, and then swirl the bowl over a sink (in case of splashes) to evenly soak the coins in the liquid. It only takes a few seconds. When they are evenly shining, throw them into a colander in the sink and rinse thoroughly with water. Put the coins on a towel and dry


We made a table desired shape from plywood, and then painted it. Since the front end was rounded, we started with it
The husband pressed a long metal ruler to the end of the table so that the coins did not move out until they were completely fixed with glue.

Well, how did you bend the coins? - you ask. And here's how: The husband found an old titanium ring and wound some electrical tape so that the inner size of the ring fit the size of the coin inside. After some trial and error, he found that by pinching a coin inside with pliers, the correct fold could be made to match the crease of the edge of the table. However, be aware that this is DIFFICULT. I tried my best, and I couldn't bend a dime. Even my husband wore gloves to protect his palms while he worked.

NOTE: If you don't want (or can't) bend the coins, don't get hung up on the radial end, make a right angle. In the end, this is a feature that you can do without.
After the first line of bent coins had been glued on, the only job was to cover the entire table with coins....

We used coins of the same size, but the denomination is different, there are even Canadian and Bahamas. Glued with an offset relative to each other. The coins hanging on the edge of the husband later cut off with a dremel. Using heavy metal shears, he also cut small "patches" of coins to fill in the gaps and joints.

All this took him about two nights. By the time the table was completely covered with coins, we worked on it for 6 nights.
Next comes the worst: coating our work with epoxy. Installing our countertop small room, the floor of which is covered with a thick layer of polyethylene film. The epoxy dries for several days and during this time you need to protect the drying area from dust, hair, animal hair, etc. (close the room, vent if you can)

You can see that our epoxy is tinted with golden orange color, this is not on purpose - it was lying around with us for a very long time, and since it is expensive (about $100), we decided to use it anyway. Also, this tint just makes the coins a little more gold and it looks pretty nice.

After everything is poured with epoxy, you need to level it so that the ends are also covered with the composition. Its excess will drain onto the film. They can be collected with a spatula and applied to ungreased areas on the ends

Then take the autogen

Torch to get rid of bubbles in the epoxy. And believe me, there will be many, many bubbles. Without bringing the flame closer than 6 inches from the surface, move it around and watch the bubbles magically rise up and away, leaving a beautiful glass-smooth surface.
We wait two more days and... Voila! A beautiful work surface in the wall is ready!

Sourced from epbot.com

And here is the floor of coins. Made using the same technology.

When the currency depreciates, treasured piggy banks with coins become practically useless. However, if you wish, you can find an excellent use for small things - decorate furniture with it. This is exactly what one of the users of the Reddit website, registered under the nickname callofthegame.

On the Culturology.RF website, we have repeatedly written about the trend towards. For example, American designer Johnny Swing has already managed to make a name for himself by assembling a sofa, a couch, a chair and an armchair from thousands of nickel coins. But Callofthegame decorated the countertop with pennies - it turned out bright and original. In total, he needed 5218 pence, the work took about 40 hours, as the artist carefully sorted the coins by color from golden-shiny to dark chocolate. So he not only filled the space with a trifle, but also decorated the table with a zigzag ornament.

Each coin is glued to the top of the table, the finished art object turned out to be weighty - more than 100 kg. All coins are laid out with the obverse, however, in order to provoke the perfectionists, the designer secured one of them with the reverse. So the search for this treasured coin can turn into an exciting puzzle for anyone who wants to take a closer look at the coin miracle.

The atmosphere in the house provides it with comfort and compliance with your tastes. However, not always furniture stores can offer something that suits your vision of the interior. Yes, and standard solutions are by no means what suits people who strive for individual design. It’s easier, of course, to order an exclusive and pay money for it. But it is much more interesting to realize the idea yourself. For example, for countertops it makes it possible to create any creative surface, moreover, unique and unrepeatable. Of course, you will have to work hard. But epoxy is a fairly simple material to work with, and it will not be difficult to master the basics of handling it.

Material advantages

What makes epoxy resin especially good for pouring countertops is that it retains its original volume when it dries. Lacquer, for example, dries by evaporating the liquid it contains. As a result, its layer shrinks, which often creates problems. Resin curing is caused chemical reaction. And if you need a lens design, you will get it. Moreover, it will not be subject to chips, deletions, or deformations. And just a flat surface will remain flat, without sagging as it dries.

Another advantage that epoxy resin has is the price. The material is cheaper than others designed to create durable surfaces. The cost on average ranges between 200 and 280 rubles per kilogram. And if you need bulk epoxy, the price will drop to 180-190, depending on the global batch.

Success Guarantee: Preparation

To mix the material, you will need dishes (the volume depends on how much epoxy you need), a mixing stick and two measuring containers. Before mixing, you need to carefully study the instructions: the proportions of the components are different and depend on the manufacturer. They must be strictly observed, otherwise the material will harden poorly.

Epoxy is measured first, and then the resin hardener. You need to pour it into the base, and not vice versa. The combined materials are kneaded as thoroughly as possible, the quality of solidification also depends on this. Upon reaching homogeneity, it is required to wait until the resin reaches the desired consistency, after which it can be used for its intended purpose.

What stage to use for what

Epoxy for countertops comes in several thicknesses, and each is suitable for a different purpose.

1. Liquid stage: the composition flows freely from the stick. The ideal state for pouring shapes - at this stage, all corners and depressions will be filled.
2. Density like "liquid honey". Drains from the probe more viscous, lingering at the tip. Exactly what you need to create drops and lenses. It is also suitable for filling soft shapes, for example, for a round tabletop.
3. Stage "thick honey". It is practically not suitable for pouring, but it is impeccable as an adhesive - the previous consistency will drain.
4. The next stage, in which the resin is separated from the total mass with difficulty, is of little use for any purpose. Either they don’t bring it to it, or they wait for even more thickening.
5. The rubber phase allows you to create bizarre shapes, like modeling from plasticine. True, in order for the epoxy resin for the countertop to retain its shape, it will have to be fixed in the desired position, otherwise it will straighten out.

The last stage is the hard one. When the epoxy reaches it, your countertop can be considered finished.

Process details

Before you make an epoxy countertop, take care not to add to your work in the future. In particular, cover the table you are working on or the floor under the workbench with polyethylene - the leaked resin is removed with great effort.

Until the surface dries, it will collect all the dust. Consider coverage in advance. For example, low racks on which a film "roof" will be stretched.

Water must not get into the resin or hardener. Including from the air, so you should not work with high humidity. A certain temperature regime is also required: if the room is less than 22 Celsius, you risk getting a poorly frozen countertop. Solidification can be accelerated by increasing the temperature, for example, by placing the product on a radiator. It is not worth warming with a hair dryer: the resin will boil and give a huge number of bubbles.

If a bubble appears near the surface when the countertop epoxy is just being poured, it can be blown on through a cocktail straw, a thin syringe, or even the body of a ballpoint pen. The balloon will burst without ruining the craft.

Nuances of use

A do-it-yourself epoxy resin worktop has its own characteristics in operation. First, the material tends to turn yellow from sun rays and sometimes heat. If you are planning to put a table in a south room or kitchen, as well as in an unprotected garden gazebo, buy a base with a UV filter.

Secondly, flakes or grains sometimes form in the countertop from the cold. You can return it to its original appearance by warming up to 40-60 degrees.

Thirdly, epoxy resin for countertops used in kitchens is not very suitable at all, since it can emit toxins from heating. If you want to put such a table in the kitchen - cover the surface with a protective transparent varnish. Best of all - designed for yachts.

Table top mold

You will need it if you want to make it completely from epoxy, without using anything as a supporting surface. For the form, you can take the glass of the desired size. It is thoroughly washed, wiped dry and degreased with acetone. Then the surface is rubbed with wax mastic, which after a third of an hour is polished with a dry rag. The sides can be made from if you want perfectly smooth edges of the table top, buy polished ones. The inner surface is treated with a mixture of turpentine and paraffin. They are attached to the glass with window putty.

All of these procedures are required so that the epoxy for the countertop does not stick to the mold, and the finished product can be easily removed from it. However, if you intend to insert the surface into the "frame", you do not need to worry about the smoothness of the cuts. in this case, the sides can be assembled from any available material and layered with polyethylene or rubber - epoxy does not stick to them.

Otherwise, everything is simple: a solution is prepared, brought to the desired consistency and poured. To obtain a varied structure, you can tint the resin with water-insoluble dyes or add inclusions to it - small pebbles, fragments of colored glass, etc.

coin idea

It is not necessary to make a countertop only from this material. Epoxy resin for countertops makes it possible to use a variety of additional elements. For example, having an old, but strong countertop, you can make it actually new, and very unusual. The surface is cleaned; you can color it in suitable color. Old coins are cleaned with a special solution. The tabletop is evenly laid, low curbs are stuffed along the edges. Coins are laid out inside the "box". There is no need to fasten them. It remains to fill the mold with epoxy and wait for it to set. This idea is especially good for a bar counter.

wood plus resin

A very elegant solution would be to combine epoxy with natural wood. Either an ordinary countertop is knocked together from boards with caverns, or they are artistically cut out on the finished one. The surface is polished to smoothness; fluorescent dyes are added to the diluted resin. The composition is filled with all cleaned cavities. After drying, the tabletop is covered in several layers with intermediate sanding. An unusual and colorful table is ready!

If you've ever wanted to get inlaid furniture in the form of a cheap coffee table, then this Instructable is for you! I was about to throw away my old cheap glass table when I came up with the idea to encrust it with coins. Since I really hate throwing things away, naturally this turned out to be a good idea. By the way, this is not the first coin craft I offer. Look - also very curious!

Step 1: Choose furniture under your possibilities

I only needed a few things for this project. First, was old, ugly table, with glass top. Secondly, I used an adhesive that works on non-porous surfaces (I used Goop, but there are other similar adhesives). Thirdly, it cost me a lot cheap- I probably used about $4 worth of pennies. And finally, I used a solution. I first had to check the various compositions of the solution before I picked up the color range of the solution for myself.

Step 2. Begin gluing

We started gluing the pennies on the outside edge table. In our particular case, we decided to make two rows of heads, two rows of tails, and so on. After gluing all the coins, we leave the product for glue drying according to the recommendations of the manufacturers.

Step 3: Add Mortar

Once the glue was dry, we applied the filling solution between the coins. I mixed a very small batch of mortar, kneading it to a fairly thick consistency. After mixing, I left it for 20 minutes and mixed again to make sure all the dry ingredients were well mixed. Since I did this part myself, I didn't get to photograph the process, but it was pretty easy. I put some grout on the table and smeared it over every crack with it with a plastic spatula. After going through all the voids, I left it for another 20 minutes. Next, I took a damp sponge and began wiping the solution off the coins, cleaning the sponge frequently. After cleaning all the seams, I dried them with a dry paper towel. All that was left was for the mortar to dry overnight.

Step 4: In Conclusion

It turned out to be a fairly simple and inexpensive way to turn a cheap, ugly table into inlaid furniture- a real work of art. And this is the most cheap coffee table which I had.
By the way, it doesn't make sense to tell me what I broke federal laws, spoiling the coins. The coins were not damaged in any way (neither cutting, nor drilling, nor anything else was necessary). All coins remain intact. No coins were harmed in the making of this table....