Epoxy Resin Ocean Coffee Table With Hidden Ikea Storage!

I'm a huge fan of the ocean, but don't live anywhere close to a beach. When we discovered that there was a way to create a beautiful, realistic ocean scene with epoxy/resin, we went to work honing our techniques. After months of practice, we finally nailed it. Now we can take "couch surfing" to a whole new level with our new Resin Ocean Coffee Table! We can hang out seaside any day...without leaving the house.

In this Instructable, we show you how to create your very own Resin Ocean Coffee Table (with hidden storage) from scratch--starting with just a couple of pieces of plywood and some sliding shelves we found at Ikea!

(Amazon links = affiliate links):

Epoxy Resin Materials

Pro Marine Countertop Epoxy: https://amzn.to/35ZnHi6

Turquoise Pigment: https://amzn.to/2FZkbtg

Medium Blue Pigment: https://amzn.to/2RnhLdu

Dark Blue Pigment: https://amzn.to/2Nx07CK

Foam White Pigment Paste: https://www.mermaidtrash.com/product-page/resin-p...

Sand: The Beach

Tyvek Tape (on board): https://amzn.to/3ak4Dyc

Heat Gun: https://amzn.to/2R3IbC6

Bernzomatic Torch: https://amzn.to/2Rrk2Ei + https://amzn.to/2Rrk2Ei

Mixing Cups: https://amzn.to/2RiDRxq

Mixing Sticks: https://amzn.to/2tgKatK

Chop paint brushes: https://amzn.to/30tUt9H

Gloves: https://amzn.to/2TuHzH1

Plastic drop cloths: https://amzn.to/2tqbk1c

Tarp: https://amzn.to/30qJCxt

Trowel: https://amzn.to/2svB1gg

Note: This entire pour was done with a Countertop Epoxy Resin, not a Casting Resin. There many kinds of resins, so be sure to pick the right kind for your project. We're just referring to it throughout as "resin," so we wanted to be sure to highlight the difference. :)

Wood and Other Building Materials:

Hairpin Legs: https://amzn.to/2FYziTO

Wood Glue: https://amzn.to/2uPBM4y

Sliding Shelf/Tray: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/komplement-pull-out-...

Plywood

2″x1” Board

Wood Screws

Packing Tape

Cardboard

Spray Paint

Latex Paint

Tools Used:

Jigsaw: https://amzn.to/2Nz2LIq

Power Sander: https://amzn.to/2synPHF

Speed Square: https://amzn.to/3705P7S

Router: https://amzn.to/2uX8yRv (will need rounding bit)

Circular Saw: https://amzn.to/38iq3Kv

Drill: https://amzn.to/375oC1y

Impact Driver: https://amzn.to/2NvW4qb

Right Angle Adapter for Impact Driver: https://amzn.to/2FY9eIy

Level: https://amzn.to/36Zzj60

Measuring Tape: https://amzn.to/38c8U4Y

Screwdrivers: https://amzn.to/2QYURdk

Clamps: https://amzn.to/2uanLhO

Sandpaper: https://amzn.to/2Twg2VS

Affiliate Notification
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

First, you'll want to create the top board for your coffee table.

Gather the following tools and materials: plywood, duct tape, circular saw, pencil, legs, jigsaw, sander, drill and router.

Follow these steps:

1. Decide how big you want your coffee table to be.

2. Cut wood to size using a circular saw.

3. Place table legs on table and outline their placement, including marketing the screw holes.

4. Place something round, like duct tape, near each corner of the board and trace.

5. Round the corners of wood using a jigsaw.

6. Sand the newly rounded corners until smooth.

7. Put a rounder bit into your router and adjust depth.

8. Route edges of entire board with a router to round them off.

9. Sand entire board, ensuring all newly cut and routered edges are smooth.

10. Pre-drill holes for legs.

Tip: You don't want the drill to go all the way through the board. Use painter's tape to mark the appropriate depth on the drill bit.

Depending on the length of your coffee table, you may need to reinforce it to keep it from bowing. We're big fans of putting our feet up on the coffee table, so we wanted it super sturdy. To achieve this, we added a board underneath.

Gather the following tools and materials: plywood, circular saw, clamps and glue.

Follow these steps:

1. Cut a piece of wood that will be smaller than the top board.

Tip: We made sure to keep it inside the the markings for the legs as well so we wouldn't add any height to the coffee table.

2. Glue both boards together.

3. Clamps boards together.

Tip: You can use some scrap wood and any weights lying around the house to help secure boards together while glue dries.

We wanted to add some hidden storage under the coffee table so we could stash the placemats and remotes, and we were fortunate to find some sliding trays at Ikea that were the perfect size! However, that meant that we needed to add some wood rails to have a way to attach the sliding trays.

Gather the following materials: 1x2 wood, saw, drill, wood screws.

Follow these steps:

1. Cut 1x2's to the appropriate length.

2. Place first wood piece on coffee table board and pre-drill.

3. Secure with wood screws.

4. Use trays to line other wood pieces up at the appropriate distance.

5. Secure all four wood pieces in place.

Before you pour the resin ocean, you'll want to be sure to paint the board. Resin can sometimes be a bit translucent, which would allow the wood grain to show through the ocean.

Gather the following materials: coffee table board, sliding trays, spray paint (3 blues and one tan).

Follow these steps:

1. Ensure your coffee table is free of any dust.

2. Paint 1/3 of the board with the tan color. This will be your beach.

3. Divide the rest of the board by thirds and paint three rows of increasingly darker blues.

Tip: Make the line where the beach meets the ocean a little wavy - this will help create a cool shoreline when you pour the resin.

4. Let dry overnight, or according to the time indicated on your paint.

5. Paint the underside of the board with the dark blue.

6. Paint the top and bottoms of the trays.

Resin is very finicky, so you'll want to be sure that you follow the instructions on your resin. We used Pro Marine, which requires a stable temperature for it to cure properly. With that, we moved this project from the workshop to the dining room before we started to pour.

The seal coat, which we'll be pouring in this step, helps ensure that air doesn't come up through the board during your main pour.

Gather the following materials: drop cloths, gloves, coffee table, Tyvek tape, resin, heat gun, torch, mixing cups and sticks.

Follow these steps:

1. Cover your floors and tables with drop cloths and tarps. Resin is messy and hard to get off once cured!

Tip: Using a cardboard box and drop cloth, we created a "boat" to catch all the extra resin in, as our table wasn't long enough for the entire pour.

2. Put Tyvek tape on the underside of your coffee table top. This will make it easier to get rid of the drips after the table top is cured.

3. Be sure to level your coffee table top before you start pouring.

4. Mix resin according to the directions on your resin bottles.

5. Pour a layer of clear resin over the entire board. Use a trowel or heat gun to move resin across board, if needed.

Tip: Ensure that every inch of your board is covered.

8. Let sit for the time indicated on your bottles (ours was 4 hours between pours).

Now is the time for the big pour! Since this will be a tabletop, we needed to pour the ocean all in one session, otherwise we would have had unevenness. As this is a big pour and resin has variable working times, you'll want to be sure to consult your bottles for how long you have before it starts to cure (or "kick") so you'll know how quickly (or not) you'll need to work.

Gather the following materials: resin, 3 blue pigments, one white pigment, sand, mixing cups, mixing sticks, heat gun and torch. If you'd like to watch the resin pour in the video, you can find it at 5:30.

Follow these steps:

1. Mix resin according to the instructions on the bottles.

2. Divide resin out between cups for the three increasingly darker blues (large cups), sand (large cup) and white (small cup) and mix in pigments.

Tip: Be sure to leave some extra clear resin!!!

3. Pour sand over the tan area of your board, following the curvy shoreline you created with your paint. Use a chop brush to spread it out across entire area.

Tip: It may be helpful to heat the resin before you pour to give it more movement on the board.

4. Pour the light and medium blues at the front part of the ocean on your board, following the curvy shoreline.

5. Mix the two blues together using either a pitter patter with your fingers or a chop brush.

6. Pour a thin line of clear resin at the front of the ocean, where it meets the sandy beach.

7. Pour a line of white in front of the clear resin.

8. Use a heat gun to push the white back into the ocean, creating a wave.

Tip: Do not overheat the resin.

9. Move immediately onto the next step.

We divided this into separate steps so we could show all the pictures for each section of the ocean, but this should be done immediately, so don't pause!

Follow these steps:

1. Pour the medium and dark blues at the back part of the ocean on your board.

2. Mix blues together using either a pitter patter with your fingers or a chop brush.

3. Use a heat gun to warm the area where the two pours meet.

4. Pour a thin line of clear resin where the two pours meet.

5. Pour a line of white in front of the clear resin.

6. Use a heat gun to push the white back into the ocean, creating a wave.

Tip: Do not overheat the resin.

7. Once you're happy with how the waves look, use a Bernzomatic torch to pop the bubbles. Again, don't overheat the resin!

8. Let project sit for the time indicated on your bottles (ours was 4 hours between pours).

Tip: You may want to carefully cover your creation so dust doesn't settle in your pour.

A flood coat isn't absolutely necessary, but we decided to do one because we wanted to ensure that the table has maximum durability. We use the coffee table a lot!

Gather the following materials: drop cloths, gloves, coffee table, resin, heat gun, torch, mixing cups and sticks.

Follow these steps:

1. Mix resin according to the directions on your resin bottles.

2. Pour a layer of clear resin over the entire board. Use a trowel or heat gun to move resin across board, if needed.

Tip: Ensure that every inch of your board is covered.

3. Use a Bernzomatic torch to pop the bubbles.

Tip: Do not overheat the resin!

4. Cover and let cure for the time indicated on your bottles (ours was 72 hours to cure to full hardness).

Now it's time for the finishing touches!

Gather the following materials: hairpin legs, screws, drill, rails for trays and trays,

Follow these steps:

1. Place coffee table face down and pull tape off of board.

Tip: If it doesn't come off easily, break the seal where needed by either sanding or cutting with a utility knife.

2. Attach rails for sliding trays.

3. Attach legs with wood screws.

Tip: Be sure to check the depth before you drive in the screws!

4. Flip table over and insert drawers.

Woo hoo! You now have an amazing, one-of-a-kind coffee table and can spend your days sipping fruity drinks by the beach.

If you liked this project, please head over to JustMightDIY.com for more tips, tutorials, back stories and more. And if you’re interested in checking out more of our video tutorials, check out our Instructables profile or head over to our YouTube channel.