The use of epoxy resin in the manufacture of furniture is no longer a new direction. The physicochemical properties of the polymer favorably distinguish it from many alternative materials. Epoxy is also interesting in design terms. The interior of the room requires stylized design of not only floor and wall coverings, but also furniture items. Most often, kitchen tables, coffee tables, bar counters, overlapping cabinets of the lower tier of the kitchen set and, finally, desks are made of epoxy resin.
All of these pieces of furniture have one common detail that is of interest in this context – the countertop. It is the production of countertops that we will pay attention to, and to be more precise, we are interested in a countertop made of epoxy resin and wood. First, let’s figure out why such specifics.
The fact is that a solid resin plate is hardly suitable as a component of a headset.
- Firstly, with a relatively large area, the strength of the product does not allow it to be used for its intended purpose. The exception is small coffee or coffee tables, which experience purely symbolic loads during operation.
- Secondly, a transparent or matte mass, in extreme cases, tinted with color, looks quite primitive and boring.
Decorative components should be a mandatory element in resin countertops. They are simultaneously able to increase the strength of the plate and decorate it, giving a certain style. Sand, sea stones, plant flowers, coins, photographs are used as decoration.
Here the list depends on the imagination of the master. But the most popular and affordable material is wood. An array, slab, sawn, thin branches, pressed plates (fiberboard, chipboard) can be used. In any case, there are a number of factors advocating the use of wood.
Advantages
When buying ready-made furniture, the main reference point is the appearance and price. If these two parameters suit the buyer, then the transaction will take place. Consider the advantages of using wood.
- Wood is the most affordable material. Regarding its cost, it is impossible to speak unequivocally, since the price depends on the type of wood and the method of finishing, but you can always choose options that are affordable.
- Any tree has a peculiar texture. This drawing is able to make any piece of furniture unique. The characteristic allocation of fibers on the wood cut fits perfectly into any interior.
- Wood is available for processing. In the absence of a special tool, even raw fragments (boards, slabs, cross-cuts) can be used as decoration.
- The wooden base of the countertop will give it strength, which will allow the future table to be used under constant loads.
Kinds
With all the variety of countertop designs, it is not possible to describe each original solution.
For example, in large furniture workshops, a color photo catalog is provided to the customer. From the catalog, he chooses the model he likes. Only the classification will allow you to get a complete idea of what the epoxy countertops can be.
The first fundamentally distinctive option is countertops with a base. This classification is applicable to any material, from metal to plastic. But we are currently interested in the tree. The base can only perform the function of a basis if decorative elements are laid on it, or combine a decorative function when the base itself is a decor.
Tables with a base can withstand high loads. It is necessary to understand that the frozen resin itself has a mass, therefore, large plates require a solid foundation. As the latter, slab, chipboard, veneer, array, slats, boards, bars can be used. Do not forget about the restoration work, in which the base is an old countertop.
If it is not planned to produce high loads on the countertop, then the base is not made. Epoxy resin is poured into a mold, wooden elements are placed inside the array as a decoration. They can be located at different depths, but for this you will have to fill in layers. Often the resin is tinted. Dyes are added to the composition before mixing it with the hardener. This type of countertops is produced for small dining tables, coffee tables and decorative tables.
A third type of countertops has been defined – combined. An example is compositions in which a wooden slab or slab is the basis, but its area is smaller than the area of the countertop. The introduction of this type was not fundamental, because these countertops could be attributed to both the first and the second type. Nevertheless, the separation presented above allows you to decide when buying or before making resin furniture yourself.
Decoration options
Let’s consider several options for using wood when pouring countertops. There can be many variations, elements can be placed on the same or on different levels. The tinting of the resin itself also makes a variety. But the main ideas are still realistic to describe. They will be useful for those who plan to make a countertop themselves.
With a solid slab
When cutting a tree, the lower part of the trunk is sawn along the fibers, obtaining plates. Such a slab is called a slab. For the production of countertops, the edges of the plate are not always processed, leaving the bark and bast in their natural form.
Many connoisseurs of natural masterpieces prefer to choose such slabs, where there are many knots and wormholes.
Under a layer of resin, the overall picture looks very beautiful.
The processed slab can serve as a base. The strength of wood when exposed across the fibers is very high. Therefore, such tables can be versatile and withstand heavy loads. It is very difficult to make a slab yourself. To do this, you need to have a special machine. A table top made of a solid slab is the easiest option to manufacture.
Before the main filling, the slab undergoes thorough preparation. The surface is free of dust and debris. All depressions, wormholes and irregularities are pre-filled with resin.
If this is not done, then after pouring, air bubbles and suspensions of the smallest particles will form in the thickness of the layer.
To highlight the pattern of fibers, the surface of the slab is treated with a stain or other similar compositions. You can use toner for an inkjet printer. After the paint fills all the smallest recesses, it is removed from the surface of the plate. It turns out a pattern of fibers made in black.
From several slabs
It is possible to use slabs obtained from thinner trees, or slabs from komel. In this case, several shapeless slabs are laid in the countertop.
First, let’s consider a variant in which two or three slabs are laid parallel to each other.
How does such a slab differ from an uncut board? Absolutely nothing. The term “edged board” or “uncut board” is used mainly in construction, while the concept of “slab” is used in decoration. The principle of getting an array is the same. The tree trunk is sawn lengthwise.
But for the production of countertops, the most interesting options will be with “curved” trunks. The remaining space between the slabs is filled with transparent epoxy resin. An example of tinting resin can serve as a table-river.
Slabs from komel are interesting for their formlessness, but at the same time the wood retains a unique pattern.
Such slabs can be laid out in any order. At the same time, it should be understood that the larger the gaps between the plates, the more resin will be needed to form the countertop.
The slab pieces laid over the area of the countertop cannot play the role of a base. Therefore, the resulting plate will not have high strength indicators. This category includes ideas with processed tiles. For example, each tile is a regular hexagon. As a result of their laying, a peculiar pattern is obtained.
Imitation of reservoirs
Tables with a river, islands or a lake made of epoxy resin form a separate category. Although they do not differ in technology from the above-described countertops. The river table is made using two slabs located at a certain distance from each other. The space between them is filled with resin tinted turquoise.
Additional decorative elements are important.
For example, in one of the variants, a countertop with a base is made. Sand is poured onto the base (the bottom of the reservoir), and the shores are decorated with sea pebbles and seashells.
You can create paintings with standing ponds, but it is quite difficult to find a suitable slab.
The world map is considered aerobatics. Tiles resembling continents in shape are cut out of the pieces of the array. After filling with blue resin, a kind of map is obtained.
Lamps are placed under the table top from below. Countertops with backlight look beautiful and can be used as night lights. An alternative is compositions with the addition of phosphor to the resin composition. Solar energy is converted into light energy, as a result of which the resin areas begin to glow in the dark.
From slices
The transverse cutting of a tree trunk is commonly called a cut. The slice is a “nickel”. Such nickels are very successfully used in decorating. Annual rings also have a pattern. The slices are laid out according to the shape of the countertop in rows or in a chaotic order.
It is up to the master to free the nickel from the bark or leave it in its original form. In any case, you can get masterpiece paintings.
The cuts can be not only round. When processing them, you can get cubes, which are subsequently laid out according to the area of the future plate.
The denser the wooden elements will be to each other, the lower the resin consumption for this process.
Combination of wood and stone
The space between the slabs is filled with pebbles. As a result, you can get an interesting picture.
Liquid resin goes well with stone. There is no need to carry out any preparatory work. However, if there is another material instead of stone, there is a chance that it will start to float in the resin. In this case, each element of the decor is pre-glued to the slab or to the base.
From edged boards
The processed planks are stacked in rows close to each other. The formed flooring occupies about half of the area of the future countertop. The second half is laid out with a decorative stone, which is very convenient. The stone is made in the form of ready-made tiles.
It remains only to adjust them to the desired size. Special care must be taken here. Gypsum-containing mixtures are often used for the manufacture of stone.
It is advisable to cover the tile with a layer of primer first. The resin itself will perfectly cope with its tasks if it is applied in a thin layer on the tile and allowed to dry.
Three – dimensional compositions
This category can include any table, in the manufacture of which wood is used. But I would like to elaborate on two methods of creating three-dimensional images.
The abstraction of the volume will allow you to get a layer-by-layer fill. If you place thin plates in different layers, then after the final layer solidifies, you will get a three-dimensional picture. Experienced craftsmen, when creating using a special technology, inject water into the liquid resin, which in the form of small droplets spreads throughout the array.
The second option of three-dimensional images brings us back to the imitation of reservoirs. When the edges of the slab are processed so that its width at the base is greater than on the surface, the poured resin, tinted with blue color, can create the effect of ocean depths.
It is not easy to create such a masterpiece. It is necessary to have a special tool. A special cutter removes the edge along the perimeter of the slab, and resin is poured into the remaining space in layers.
How to buy
In this situation, you will have to use the capabilities of the Internet. And here a sea of possibilities opens up for the customer. A huge number of manufacturers are engaged in the sale, custom-made, delivery of furniture, tables or countertops. It is only necessary to learn how to use an online store or popular sites for the sale of handmade items.
The price of countertops is a separate topic for conversation. Analyzing videos with master classes, which are shown by experienced and not very skilled craftsmen, it is not difficult to calculate that the cost of production of one plate is high.
What is such a spread? Resin pouring is done manually, decor preparation, processing of the frozen countertop is also done manually. It turns out that each creation is an author’s work. It is already possible to meet furniture made of epoxy with name signs. Each master sets his own price for his creativity. If we add to this the lack of competition, it turns out that at the moment the prices for such furniture are not controlled by the market.
Cost is the most important factor that the buyer focuses on, but this factor should not be the only one. It is necessary to take into account a number of features, including the features of furniture operation.
There are no strict rules of choice, but certain advice should be heeded. Here are some examples of the selection of countertops.
- Desk in the office. It is usually executed from an array. Since its appearance should show the status of the owner. A large countertop must necessarily be made on the basis of. It must be remembered that the resin itself loads itself with its own weight. The decoration can be any, it all depends on the interior of the office.
- Kitchen table. The specifics of its operation lies in the fact that objects that can scratch it are constantly moving along the surface. It is enough to remember how many times plates, pans, coasters, pots are placed on the table. Some even think of chopping without a chopping board. It is necessary to try to have as few transparent, translucent resin sections as possible in such a tabletop. The ideal option would be a countertop made of cubes pushed close to each other, where resin is poured into the space between them. On such a surface, scratches will be invisible, even if they are not immediately repaired.
- Bar counter. It is an indispensable part of a modern headset, so the basis is not appropriate here. The countertop of the rack should be transparent. She does not experience any special loads. In almost all apartments, its main purpose is only to be available.
- Coffee table. There can be no advice here. You need to choose those options that you liked or that fit harmoniously into the interior of the room.
