Works of art can take many shapes, sizes and forms. One work of furniture art, that you can create with minimal fuss and a little creativity is a bottle cap table, where the top of the table is covered with bottle caps. Such a table makes a great decorative addition to a recreation room, a bar or even to a living room. Plus you made it yourself! You may think that making such a table is a complicated procedure but really all you need to do is use the right materials and follow the right steps to create a masterpiece.
You Will Need
The first and key material is bottle caps. You will need lots and lots of bottle caps, to cover the table's surface with bottle caps or at least make a partial design. Unless you have a very small table, you need to have at least 200-300 bottle caps. The favorite type of cap for this sort of furniture is beer bottle caps but you can be creative and mix it up, by using various bottle caps of other alcoholic drinks. You can even add some large plastic bottle caps into the mix. Try to get caps of roughly the same height, unless you want an uneven table. The more colorful the caps, the more attractive your table is going to look.
The second and equally important material is the table. You can use a short coffee table or a little round table or whatever sort of table takes your fancy. Just make sure the table's surface will not react with the epoxy material and glue. For best results, stick to a wooden table. You can have a rimmed or non-rimmed table. You can even get a table and then fix a wooden rim along the edges, to form a frame or recessed table top. If you want to spruce up the table, paint it and fix its nails or legs before fixing the caps on.
You will also need the following materials: 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. Steps to Make the TableCollect 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! Of all the above "how to make a bottle cap table" steps, you should be the most careful and diligent, when it comes to using and applying the resin coating and finishing. Please read the product's packaging for instructions on how to prepare and use the resin correctly.
