DIY Epoxy River Glow Table

In this instructable, I show you how I made an epoxy resin river table that glows in the dark with no lights.

Even if you don’t need an epoxy resin river table, the techniques covered in this DIY tutorial can be directly translated toward other epoxy, woodworking, or glow in the dark projects.

There are several things which are difficult to fully explain with words and images, so be sure to check out the video tutorial above.

Table Top Epoxy Resin

Resin Glow Powder

Resin Calculator

Chisels

Wax for Epoxy Mold

Mixing Sticks

Silicone Caulk

Micro Butane Torch

Heat Gun

Orbital Sander

Sandpaper

UV Light Strip

Fire Glass

Acrylic Rocks (Use This instead of Fire Glass)

HairPin Table Legs

Tack Cloth

CA Glue

Hot Glue Gun

Shellac

Hardwax Oil (Better Than Shellac)

Gloves XL

There are 3 things about this table that make it unique:

1. It Glows in The Dark without lights.
2. It has embedded Blue Fire Glass in the Epoxy.
3. It is made with Live Edge Sinker Cypress Wood.

Sinker Cypress is a rare and beautiful wood. The unique grain patterns, color variations, durability, and history make sinker cypress wood tables popular among woodworkers and consumers. The piece of live edge sinker cypress I used in this resin river table project was 48" long and roughly 20" wide.

Any type of wood will work well to make this table. Ideally, choose a piece of wood with 2 live edges so you can add a bit of rustic charm to your space.

First, remove the bark on the live edge of the sinker cypress slab with a chisel. The epoxy resin will not adhere properly to loose bark on a live edge.

If you don't have the tools to mill the wood yourself, the wood dealer you purchase the wood slab may offer to mill it for you for a small fee. It's important to start the project with straight sides, a flat surface, and square ends.

First, cut the live edge slab down the center in a straight line. I used my table saw jointing jig to cut a straight line in the middle of the slab. I had to use this jig b/c the live edge is not straight to serve as a reference point on the table saw fence.

Next, run each piece through a planer to get a flat surface.

Then, square each end using a hand saw or miter saw.

Use a piece of melamine long and wide enough for the wood.

Next, cover the melamine with furniture wax which will make it easier to remove the epoxy and wood after it cures.

Set the wood in place with the size epoxy river you want. I normally go with a 5 to 6" epoxy river. Then, cut a piece of melamine and secure it to the end of the mold. It should be at least the same width as the river.

Use silicone to seal the bottom of each live edge (length wise) to prevent the epoxy resin from seeping through.

Sometimes, epoxy leaks despite my best effort to prevent it from doing so. For this project, I decided to make the underside of my table saw outfeed table as a tub to catch leaking epoxy resin.

Obviously, it's not pretty but it works. The underside of the table simply has 5 12" 2x4 pieces which protrude vertically to hold pieces of various size Ultimately, this prevents epoxy from leaking on my floor.

A black light charges the glow powder quickly and it works well to test it to make sure you have the correct color. As you can see, the color of the glow powder is white but it glows blue when exposed to light.

First, mix 24 ounces of epoxy resin and fully mix. Then, add 6 ounces of glow powder.

Slowly pour the epoxy resin in the epoxy resin river table.

Always use a mini torch to remove bubbles from epoxy. A heat gun works well, but it pushes dust and debris in the epoxy which is a pain to remove.

After 12 hours, repeat the same process as the first epoxy pour. You want to make sure you leave about 1 inch of space in the epoxy river to embed the rocks. So, continue to add epoxy until you have 1" of space between the river and the top of the table.

Allow this to cure for 24 to 48 hours.

Ultimately, you should at least have 2 layers of epoxy. The bottom epoxy layer provides a surface for the rocks and the top epoxy layer encapsulates the rocks. If the rocks are mixed with the bottom epoxy layer, they will sink to the bottom. This will make it impossible to see them and it will also prevent you from doing any work to the underside of the table.

After the epoxy fully cures, sand the wood with an orbital sander starting at 80 grit through 220 grit.

As a quick tip, the next sanding grit is determined by dividing the previous sanding grit by 2 and add that number to the current grit. (Current grit / 2) + Current grit = Next Grit. (80/2)+80=120. This formula applies to lower grits except 220 grit and above. The grit sequence is 80 grit, 120 grit, 180 grit, 220 grit.

Once you sand 220 grit, wipe the table with a damp rag to raise the grain of the wood and sand again to 220 grit.

Use an air compressor to remove all loose debris.

To make sure you mixed enough glow powder with the epoxy resin, test it with a black light after the last epoxy layer cures.

A UV black light will manually charge the glow powder if needed.

Since your table may be indoors and not exposed to natural or artificial light, the glow powder won't get an adequate charge to glow.

Glue this to the bottom of the epoxy river (if needed) at the end of your project.

First, I highly recommend NOT using fire glass as I did in this project. Instead, please consider using acrylic rocks. Fire glass reflects the natural light preventing the glow powder from charging naturally. Furthermore, you will need to trim a small amount of each end of the table and saw blades don't like cutting glass. I used acrylic rocks on a few projects, such as this 12 ft outdoor wood slab bar top, after this one and they worked great. If you decide to use real rocks or fire glass, make sure you leave about 1 inch of space at each end. This will allow you to trim the table without cutting through real rock or glass.

With that said, clean the rocks with water and allow them to dry. Then, evenly spread the rocks on top of the epoxy river. Use a speed square or something straight to make sure the rocks don't protrude higher than the top of the table.

The final epoxy pour will consist of clear epoxy, so don't mix any glow powder.

Mix and pour the epoxy until it is at least even with the top of the table. If you go a bit over the top of the table, no worries - you can sand this off. Some folks like the over flow b/c it adds to the natural look.

Use your mini torch to remove the bubbles and allow this to cure for 48 hours.

While it cures, leave the light on for a few hours and watch how it charges the glow powder.

If you didn't have any leaks, the epoxy should release from the melamine rather easily. You may need to use a rubber mallet or pry bar to get it started.

Use a chisel to remove the silicone and hot glue from the underside of the table.

Then, sand the underside to remove any other debris. 120 grit or higher should do the trick.

Use a circular saw and a straight edge or a track saw to trim a small amount off each end of the table. I trimmed 1" off each end.

If needed, use CA glue to install the UV LED light strip to the bottom of the epoxy river. This will charge the glow powder.

Sand the wood and epoxy with 220 grit sandpaper by hand or with an orbital sander. Yes, this will scratch the epoxy and you will likely freak out. Don't worry, it will disappear when you apply the finish.

Next, wipe everything down with a tack cloth.

For this table, I applied 3 coats of shellac.

After a few days, I realized I didn't like the finish. So, I sanded the finish off and applied Odie's Oil.

The pictures in this step show me using shellac, but I recommend you read my article on epoxy wood finishes and choose the best one for your needs.

First, clean the hairpin legs to remove grease and dirt.

Next, place each leg on the corner of the table and mark the location with a pencil. Then, pre-drill pilot holes and secure the table with screws.

Make sure the length of the screws you use are shorter than the table thickness. Otherwise, the screw will go through the top of the table.

Most importantly, I think my workshop companion approves of the table. ;)

I hope this instructable provided you with value. Please feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions - I'm happy to help.

Be sure to checkout my YouTube channel and my website for more DIY tutorials.