Original Slab. Be sure to remove any dead or super soft parts of the piece during your prep stage
This slab was designated for a different project before we got ahold of it. They had already done some cutting and routing on it.
We sealed the underside with 2 coats of epoxy before the pour. This reduces bubbles caused by the wood releasing gases into the epoxy
Once the form was made, we poured our first layer of epoxy and set our slab inside
Then we added our smallest pebbles (clean & dry) as the base layer
Once the small pebbles were fully covered, we added our medium sized rocks
We had full epoxy cure cycles in between each pour. This is one reason why some tables can take weeks or months to make. 5 weeks for this big beauty
Finally, we placed our largest rocks and covered all the rocks completely
Some rocks peaked up through that layer but we were adding more to encase the slab completely so that didn't matter. We then poured to cover the entire slab and fully encase the wood.
Our form was made using MDF panels cut and screwed to size. TYVEK tape (or TUCK tape) are used to allow easy removal of the slab from the form as Epoxy does not stick to this type of tape (SEE VIDEO BELOW)
We also added some 2x4 pieces to the underside as this table became heavier with each layer of epoxy added. The table came out of the form smoothly. (SEE VIDEO BELOW)
Once out of the form, we sanded for about 5 hours through many grits in order to smooth out any imperfections. This is done prior to the final flood coat. Finer sanding then a polish OR a flood coat is the only way to bring back the high gloss shine after sanding, otherwise you will have this clouded, dull finish.
How much shinier and perfect is this table top with the flood coat?!
Absolute clarity!
Break Out
Sure, it takes extra time to prep our form by covering the entire form in tape and caulking all of the edges, but it makes the break out of the finished project a breeze! Don’t forget to caulk all your edges with 100% silicone. (And then check all your edges and cracks 3 more times to prevent any chances of leaks)