After making furniture from epoxy resin gained popularity in the field of residential decoration, the trend has not stopped developing. Lately there have been a lot of interesting ideas, which can be considered unique. It's about about tabletop lighting as a way of additional decoration.

The idea itself is not new, because pieces of furniture have been illuminated for a long time LED strips or LED lamps. However, backlighting epoxy resin introduced completely new trends in the development of design.

Varieties

Looking ahead, we note that the luminous elements of the tabletop look very beautiful, but this solution cannot be called practical. The fact is that the glow must be viewed in the dark, and if you stay in it for a long time dark room bright elements cause eye fatigue. Thus, an epoxy resin table with lighting will find its use in creating a special atmosphere in the room. You can demonstrate a masterpiece to amazed guests or find relaxation by watching the play of light, but in all these cases, time is limited. Thus, the scope of application of the backlight has been determined.

In fact, guided by the basic principle of the new movement, designers have developed many projects that are simply impossible to imagine. However, every potential owner of such a wonderful table must imagine all the variety of options, so we will try to fill the reader’s imagination as much as possible so that he himself becomes the designer of his future order.

All epoxy tables, in which illuminated elements are found, can be divided into two groups. The criterion for separation is determined by the nature of light.

The first group includes products in which the resin contains a special powder - phosphor. As is known, luminescence produces a glow when excitation energy is converted. There are several types of luminescence. In particular, a substance can release light energy after irradiation with ultraviolet rays, as a result of a chemical reaction, as a result of transmission electric current or electron bombardment. Practical use in the field of construction, photoluminescence has been discovered, that is, the phosphor in question, under the influence of natural lighting, subsequently becomes a light source.
The second group is represented by products with electric lighting; these can be incandescent lamps or LED sources. One of the features of epoxy resin is its dielectric properties. All elements of the electrical circuit can be filled with the composition, and they will be reliably insulated. LED elements have low power, so often the power supply is embedded in resin along with the backlight. Such options are considered “disposable”. Indeed, it is not possible to replace the power supply or LED. More reliable models contain a current converter and are connected to a 220 V network.

Several options

Let us remind you once again that the total number design solutions with illumination there are hundreds, so it is impossible to describe all the variety. Considering that a number of models are created using fundamentally similar technologies, we will present the most popular examples of countertop design.

The original “thing”, a luminous table by the author of the development, is positioned as outdoor furniture. This makes a lot of sense, since evening gatherings at a glowing table are really great. However, it seems to us that the development deserves more. After all, this is uniqueness as it is - the table cannot be repeated: the idea - yes, to make a double - no. The pattern of glowing pockets will be different each time: the tables may be similar, but not identical.

The author of the development is Mike Warren, one of the enthusiasts of the Instructables community - a fun, close-knit team that changes the world with its ideas. They do it with pleasure. They share it with people. They are the first among those who sew, plan, solder, craft, fry and do anything else.

Mike Warren created a glowing table and gave it to people. Anyone can make this table with their own hands (or force your dearest spouse). The author of the bright idea kindly provided a whole master class.

How to make a glowing table with your own hands

The most important aspect in creating a glowing table with your own hands is the material. Mike used "pecky cypress" - a cypress tree that has been infected with fungus from the inside. The fungus multiplies in the body of the wood. This causes its segments to rot. Damaged pockets must be removed (this is easy, the wood is softened), the resulting cavities must be filled with a fluorescent composition consisting of resin and phosphor.

Rough wood is supplied to shops and markets. To assemble the table, you will first need to process the boards with a jointer. This must be taken into account when choosing. All edges must be processed: the joints will be tight and even.

And here we are closely confronted with the Russian mentality: the photo shows good equipment, and for Americans this is normal - such equipment is in the house (basement, garage, barn: they have everything there). Our average man not only doesn’t have a manual grinder, but he also doesn’t have a charger for the battery of his favorite car, let alone carpentry stuff? So this stage will have to be ordered: in any woodworking workshop these boards will be brought to the desired condition quickly and inexpensively. It is most likely better to do the next step right there, since after processing the edges you need to adjust all the boards to the same length.

Rotten wood in the affected areas is carefully removed with a small handy tool (a screwdriver, for example), and then the freed cavities are blown out compressed air. This stage of work is dirty and dusty, so you need to use protective equipment(glasses, respirator).

The process itself

Result (before and after photos)

Now the boards need to be assembled into a table. Docking on a lath (grooves are knocked out in both boards, a lath is inserted into them with glue, and the boards are connected). Mike used “cookies” (glued-in slats are rectangular, triangular, and these are cookies). Next, you need to clamp the joints with anything that can be clamped (the ideal is shown in the photo), and leave for a day to dry (the glue should dry completely). If we don’t want the table to fall apart later, we don’t touch it for 24 hours (despite the hellish impatience of the creator).

After the glue has dried, the surface needs to be sanded (disc in the photo, Mike writes that the fraction is 80; apparently, this is a P 80 disc, emery is electrocorundum; not sure). Then clean thoroughly: impeccable cleanliness is required - not a speck of dust.

We need a super clean surface to pour the resin on.
Mike Warren

Before pouring the resin, it is necessary to secure the surface: some cavities may be through; so that the resin does not pass through and does not spread, the back side of the tabletop must be covered with masking tape and secured at the ends with acrylic strips; press the strips.

Next is the mystery of the glow itself. You will need resin for pouring (just say: give resin for pouring), easy to mix (proportions 1:1). Mike advises using this so as not to make a mistake with the proportions of catalyst and resin. There will be no advice on the phosphor: just choose which one you like. There are a lot of powders, they different colors, and your table may not glow blue at all. Mike used 100 g of powder per 2 liters of resin, but this ratio is optional - you can take more powder, and the table will glow brighter.

The resin for pouring does not come ready-made: it must be mixed with a catalyst. The resin and catalyst must be poured into different containers. Pour the powder into the resin and mix thoroughly. Then pour in the catalyst and stir vigorously for 2 minutes. This must be done quickly, since irreversible damage will begin in 5–7 minutes. chemical reaction. A homogeneous composition must be obtained before this moment. We must not forget about safety: do not work with resin without gloves.

It is better to mix the resin in small portions, since its viscosity is insufficient and the powder may settle, resulting in an uneven glow. Ready mixture cavities need to be filled. They can behave differently: in some the resin will be absorbed, but in others it will not - this is normal; you will just need to add resin to where it has been absorbed. Mike spent an hour filling the pockets in the wood. Waxed paper cups can be used as a container for resin (easy to make a spout, convenient to pour).

After the resin has dried (the next day), you need to remove the acrylic strips and masking tape. Acrylic comes off easily, but with adhesive tape you will have to tinker a little.

The back side of the tabletop also needs to be sanded. Grinding of both sides must be carried out in several stages, changing the abrasive at each step to a finer one (Mike used discs: P 120, P 180, P 220, P 320, P 400). After the surfaces, the ends need to be processed.

After sanding, the tabletop should be varnished (Mike used glossy polyurethane; applied with a foam brush) and allowed to dry completely.

After the layer has dried, it must be sprinkled with water and sanded with fine sandpaper, and then thoroughly cleaned, dried and reapplied with a layer of varnish. And so several times to achieve maximum gloss. Each layer of varnish must be dried completely.

At this point we finish with the tabletop and then work on fittings - screwing on the legs. And here everyone goes their own way: someone can make the same simple ones to use a table on the site, and someone can screw in something fantastic and turn this table into the center of the room in the house.

A country house is a place that is created with soul, carefully thinking through the details, choosing the interior and embodying long-conceived ideas. The more pleasant it is to show your home to guests unusual solutions and practical items created by the owner himself. A do-it-yourself glowing table made of wood will definitely surprise, delight and gather friends for cozy gatherings at it. It's not difficult to make.

Option 1. Rectangular table

Production time – 2-3 days.

What materials will you need:

board for tabletops with cracks or crevices (the more there are, the stronger the effect), it is better to use cypress;
synthetic (epoxy) resin (about 2 liters per square meter);
photoluminescent paint in powder;
acrylic film or masking tape;
table base or legs.

Operating procedure:

In order to form a tabletop, you need to take 2-3 identical pieces of board and connect them using wood glue (let dry for about 12 hours) or knock them down with blocks reverse side. The main thing is that the structure is strong.
With help grinding machine or other tools, it is necessary to level the resulting plane and clean it of dust and debris. It is also necessary to make the edges of the tabletop smooth.
Cover the surface with a disinfecting solution (wood antiseptic).
After the antiseptic has dried, you should cover the sides of the tabletop around the perimeter with tape or a special acrylic film (to prevent the resin from spilling out).
The next step is to dilute the photoluminescent paint powder in epoxy resin at the rate of 100 grams of paint per 2 liters of resin.
If not purchased ready-made composition epoxy resin, then after adding the powder you need to add a hardener.
IMPORTANT! Mix resin and hardener correctly in 1:1 ratio. If the ratio is incorrect, the mixture can either become brittle or take a very long time to harden.
Carefully pour the prepared mixture into all the cracks in several layers, waiting after each time for the resin to be absorbed and lightly set. The cracks should eventually be filled to the brim, but the resin should not spill over the surface.
A day later, after the resin has completely dried, you can remove the tape from the sides and use a sharp spatula to remove excess resin so that the table is smooth to the touch.
If necessary, you can sand the surface again and coat it with glossy varnish or polyurethane paint.
By using anchor plates We attach the legs to the back of the tabletop, having previously measured the same distance from the edges. The legs need to be screwed to the plates, then the plate must be glued to the base of the table and secured with self-tapping screws.
IMPORTANT! Wrap the glossy face of the table with fabric or film when you turn the tabletop over to attach the legs. Scratches may appear on the countertop.
Cover the legs with varnish or the same paint as the table surface.

Option 2. Round table

Another luminous wooden table can be made round. The absence of corners at the table, as a rule, is more conducive to calm conversations and long gatherings over a cup of tea or coffee, and reduces the likelihood of “hot” topics and conflicts. A wooden table will fit well into the interior of a fireplace room or terrace. Making such a table is a little more difficult than wooden table rectangular shape. To do this, in addition to the previously listed components, you will need:

bars of any shape and diameter, you can
several different;
a piece of polycarbonate;
table bases, maybe logs (3 pcs.).

Production time – 3 days.

Operating procedure:

Use a saw to make a circle out of polycarbonate using a saw along the diameter of the desired volume of the table, also cut out a strip equal to the height of the tabletop, and attach it with a screwdriver to the circle around the circumference as a side to get a structure similar to the lid of a round box. Cover the sides with tape or film.
Bruschi different shapes by using circular saw cut into pieces of equal height.
IMPORTANT! The bars must coincide in height with each other and with the height of the side!
Arbitrarily place the bars in the polycarbonate structure as close to each other as possible.
Dilute the epoxy resin according to the instructions and pour the mixture into the gluing bars, without filling the recesses completely. Leave for a day until completely dry.
Sand, remove debris.
Dilute the resin with photoluminescent paint again in the proportions of 100 grams of powder per 2 liters of resin.
Fill the gaps between the bars and rub with a spatula.
After complete drying (about 12 hours), sand the surface and varnish.
Remove the sides and polycarbonate base, leaving a solid sheet of bars.
You can use even logs as the base of the table,
giving them the appearance regular pentagons. Or use any other table legs.

After you have finished making your table, in order to achieve a gentle bluish glow at night, you need to leave it in daylight, or better yet sunlight for at least an hour.
I wish you successful, fruitful and spiritual work!

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Glowing table do it yourself: step by step instructions

Decorate the interior with a glowing table - good idea. For the first time, such tables appeared on American streets; they created a relaxed atmosphere for evening conversations. Such a table can be bought in a store, ordered in a furniture showroom, but today we will make it with our own hands.

The benefits of making it yourself

Self-production will not require much physical and material forces. Handle wooden table top maybe an inexperienced user.

Creating a table yourself lies in its exclusivity. For production you will need solid boards or a finished wooden table. A layer of epoxy resin is applied to the countertop, which will form a delicate shade and texture.

Formation of design and construction

Glowing tables are grouped into:

Folding.
Stationary.

Processing is carried out according to the same scheme. The luminous effect is created on the surface of the tabletop, but you can coat all parts of the piece of furniture with luminescent paint. According to designers, models in which only some areas are painted with paint, and not the entire tabletop, look impressive.

Necessary materials

To make your own glowing table, you will need:

Surface boards or wooden table. Choose boards with a thickness of 50 cm and a length of 1.2 meters.
Drawing.
Adhesive paper.
Epoxy resin.
Sandpaper.
Transparent or luminescent polyurethane paint.

Try to choose boards with pronounced cracks or irregular shapes. A tree with visible places where knots have been cut looks stylish. The wood should have a non-uniform texture. Buy boards made of oak or cypress.

There should be a lot of epoxy resin. It should be enough to completely fill the cracks. The resin is applied to the boards in several layers.

The work will also require tools:

Jigsaw.
Sander.

Before surface coating epoxy resin, it needs to be sanded. I note that surface grinding is also carried out after each layer of epoxy resin has completely dried.

Manufacturing: step-by-step instructions

Photo	Description
	Step 1. Rough processing Processing in progress grinder with nozzle, according to the size of the tabletop. The surface should be flat and smooth.
	Step 2. Trimming to size You can cut the boards after the drawing has been translated onto them.
	Step 3. Gluing the tabletop You need to glue the table parts together with glue. Fastening the bolts is done using a drill and screwdriver.
	Step 4. Select putrefactive cavities Use a screwdriver to clear away any rotten cavities from the surface. Compressed air will also help get rid of cavities.
	Step 5: Sanding Use 80 grit sandpaper, but the process will be faster if you use a sander.
	Step 6. Preparation before pouring The bottom of the tabletop is sealed with tape or construction paper. The ends of the table are covered with tape. At this stage, a pattern made with construction paper is applied to the tabletop.
	Step 7: Pouring Mix To prepare epoxy resin, you need to mix the ingredients in equal proportions. Add luminescent powder to the resulting resin and mix thoroughly.
	Step 8. Fill Do the filling gradually. Each layer must dry. Make sure that all recesses are completely filled with resin.
	Step 9: Removing the tape Carefully remove the tape or construction paper.

Mixing epoxy resin is carried out according to the instructions. Follow the recommended proportions. Epoxy resin is diluted in a 1:1 ratio.

If there is more hardener, the resin will become brittle. If there is less hardener, the hardening of the resin will take an indefinite period.

The final stage is decoration

The finished table with a luminous surface can be decorated to suit your taste. Wooden plank looks good both plain and decorated. The decoration of the table will be carved legs, which can be made using a jigsaw. On top they are covered with remaining epoxy resin and luminescent paint.

The table will be recharged at daytime with artificial or natural light, and with the onset of darkness, the paint will begin to “give off” light. The tables have a festive glow effect.

Conclusion

Any furniture with a luminescent effect looks interesting and unusual in the interior. Tables created independently can be covered with luminescent paint or additional lighting can be used.

Watch the video in this article, and if you have questions, leave them in the comments and we’ll discuss them!

December 1, 2018

If you want to express gratitude, add a clarification or objection, or ask the author something - add a comment or say thank you!

We all know very well that shawls, termites, bark beetles and other “lovers” of wooden food are one of the main destroyers of roofs, furniture, wooden floors, etc.

If found the right approach to the damaged material and process it a little, then you can get an excellent original luminous table, which, for example, on some sites costs about 780-800 dollars. So let's get started.

1. To make such a table, try to choose boards that are most damaged by bark beetles. But, most importantly, do not forget to treat all the material with chemical or heat treatment. Otherwise, the bugs will not stop and will continue to do their gnawing business. Fig.1

2. After this, plan the board on all sides. And then cut the pieces. Which will be equal to the length of the table. Rice. 2

3. If you want to get a wide tabletop, then here you will have to join several boards together. This procedure is performed using wood glue and tenons. The glue must be applied along the entire length of the board. Once you have done this, tighten the boards with clamps and let them dry. Rice. 3

4. All passages along which the woodworms moved must be treated by removing dust and rot (for this it is recommended to simply blow it out with compressed air). Rice. 4

5. Next, you need to sand the surface of the countertop itself to such a state that it is smooth and even.
6. The next stage is preparing the countertop for pouring with epoxy resin. Be sure to place wax paper under the bottom side of the tabletop itself, and make a special plexiglass side on the sides. This procedure is mandatory, since bugs can make through passages.

7. Next you need to prepare the resin for pouring. To do this, it is tedious to measure out a certain amount of resin and hardener. You need to add phosphor powder to the epoxy resin (it is what provides the glow in the dark). As for the amount of phosphor itself, there are no certain proportions. You have to guess, so to speak. After the resin and phosphor have already been mixed, you need to apply a flash to the resin, and then dark room look at the luminescence density itself. If you like everything and it fits, add hardener. Rice. 5

8. Now fill all the holes with epoxy resin. Due to its viscosity, it will not spread on the table, so it is recommended to level it with a ruler immediately after pouring.

9. Even after the resin has hardened, in any case, irregularities will remain on the surface. To do this, simply sand all defects thoroughly. Initially, use coarse sandpaper, and then move on to fine grain (somewhere from 80 to 400).
10. The edge of the table is best treated manual router. Rice. 6

11. Well, the most crucial moment is finishing your table. Open the tabletop with varnish, and when it dries, sand it with fine sand. sandpaper(1200 grit). This procedure needs to be carried out a couple of times so that the table shines well.

12. Due to the fact that the wood used was damaged and rotten, so that the legs were securely fastened, we use sheet material. To do this, you need to drill special holes for the nuts on the back side of the tabletop, then apply glue to the plates and glue them to the tabletop. Rice. 7