how to make a bottle cap table top
How to Make a Bottle Cap Table Top
There are many DIY (Do-It-Yourself) projects that one can perform at home. Most projects involve making your own furniture. One such DIY project is constructing a table with its top covered in bottle caps. Scroll below to learn the steps involved in making such a simple yet unique table.
- Glue - super glue or furniture glue will do. Make sure the glue can stick metal and wood together. Stick to one brand and type of glue, do not mix different brands of glue together.
- Epoxy resin - it's a chemical substance used to coat and seal an object in a glossy finish. Two brands of this resin are Envirotex Lite and Kleer Koat.
- Aluminum foil, duct tape and painter tape are other requirements.
- Collect all the bottle caps together. Make sure they are clean and dry.
- Plan your design on paper and then on the table.
- Arrange the caps in the pattern or design, you have planned.
- With square tables, you can fill the entire area. For circular and oval-shaped tables, a hexagon or pentagon pattern is the best.
- Be as creative as you like, with the arrangement of the caps. You can align them either color-wise or randomly.
- Caps must be facing up when placed on the table. The underside of the cap (hollow side or bottom side of the cap) should be filled, to prevent the formation of air bubbles.
- Fill the caps to the brim with hot glue. Do not let glue spill from the cap. Let the caps dry completely.
- To test the glue on the table's surface, stick just one cap to the table and see if any adverse reaction occurs.
- Once the caps are dry, apply a little glue to the edges and then place them on table to form your desired pattern.
- Do not put a lot of glue on the caps' edges, else things can get very messy. The caps just need to stick to the table. Keep as little place between each cap as possible.
- Let the caps dry on the table. You can use the table without sealing it but with heat, the glue will melt and the caps will slowly come off. So for a long-lasting table, seal the caps with resin.
- Along the sides of your table, use painter's tape, so that any resin drip-off will not dry on your table. The tape should be in line with the table's surface.
- The epoxy resin will seal the caps and should be contained to do so. It shouldn't drip off the table. If your table has a rim or trim, you can skip the following two steps.
- Create a border of aluminum foil and tape it in place along the sides of the table. The foil should form a wall, enclosing the caps and should be along the edges of the table.
- If you have a square table, this is easy. With a round table, your foil-folding should be proper, so that the foil does not tear. The bottom edge of the foil should be taped just below the table's surface.
- Mix the resin as per instructions provided on its packaging. Be careful with mixing the resin, follow all recommended safety procedures.
- Apply the first coat as directed. Make sure the gaps between the bottle caps are filled with resin. You can use a thick cardboard piece or plastic card to brush the resin into the cracks.
- Pour the second coat (flood coat) over the caps, so that the resin tops the caps in a glossy liquid.
- Make sure that the resin covers the entire table surface and is level in quantity throughout. Do not allow hair, dust or any impurity to fall into the resin. Cover the table top and let the table dry.
- After 8-10 hours, you can take the foil wall down. Try peeling it away or use a small knife to carefully cut it away from the table. You can peel off the painter's tape as well. Congrats! Your labor of love is now done!