Bottle Cap Table Top

I have been wanting to do a bottle cap table top for a very very very long time. Jeff and I have been collecting bottle caps for almost 2 years now, and I think it is safe to say that we have more than enough to cover an entire full size table top. I eventually want to make a full sized patio table that has a bottle cap table top, but before I undertake that task I decided to do a smaller trial run.

I've had this small patio side table since my sophomore year in college. An old tenant left it behind at the townhouse I lived in during my sophomore and junior years at A&M, so I claimed it as my own. Who doesn't love free furniture! It was really ugly, but it was functional so I didn't see any reason to get rid of it.

The first step in revamping this table was to knock out all the rocks and grout that was there in the first place. At first I thought it was going to be a daunting task but 30 minutes with a hammer and screwdriver, and I had myself a table with no top.

After a through cleaning, I primed the table a bright white and then painted it an amazing sunny yellow color. Just painting the table made a huge difference!

From the beginning I knew that I only wanted to use bottle caps that were primarily blue and yellow. We have blue adirondack chairs and the table is yellow, so I wanted to stay consistent with the color scheme we already had going.

After sorting them out I arranged them in the table top to see how many I needed and then set them aside. When I went to Micheal's to get the resin I was slightly overwhelmed by the number of choices they had, but the sales person recommended the EnviroTex Lite Pour On resin because it was the easiest to use.

I tell you what, that salesman was right. This resin was super easy to use. It comes in two parts and all you do is mix equal parts together till it is completely incorporated together (the instructions say until there are bubbles throughout the mixture) and then you just pour it on the surface you wish to coat.

Once it has sat for a couple of minutes, the bubbles will have risen to the top and you can gently blow on the surface and they will vanish. I was skeptical of this at first, everything I have ever read about using resin said you need a blowtorch to pop all the bubbles that surface. But I was thoroughly amazed when I tried the gently blowing on them trick and it worked :)

Trying to take a picture of clear resin at night proved to be more difficult than I originally planned.

 I poured one thin layer of resin and let it cure overnight so that there would be a flat surface for when I put down the layer that would have the bottle caps.  Once the first layer was completely cured, I mixed about 8 more ounces of resin and poured it.

Once I popped the bubbles, I carefully placed the bottle caps in the resin one by one. I definitely ended up with resin on my fingers by the time I finished placing all the bottle caps, but it came right off with rubbing alcohol.
 

The finished product is definitely worth the wait :) The bottle caps sank into the resin a bit deeper than I thought they would. I originally wanted them to be flush with the top lip of the table but now that it is done I actually like it. I'm still trying to decide if I want to put one more layer  of resin over the bottle caps so that the surface is smooth.

My favorite cap is the Piraat one that is right in the middle. Jeff got it in a 6 pack of craft beers and it is the only one we have like it.

I am so excited about having this finished. Now I have a place to put my coffee in the morning while watching William play in the backyard. I can't even begin to tell you the number of times I had my cup resting on the arm of one of the chairs and it got knocked off.