Kids Outdoor Table From Pallet

So after being a reader of instructables for some time I decided to try my hand at making a small outdoor table for my kids using a couple of pallets we had available.  As you can see it wasn't anything complicated, I used the 2x4's for the frame and legs then cut down the top pieces of the pallet to make the table top.

After making the table a couple of friends, not to mentioned a number of posts, said using pallets might not be safe because of possible chemical exposure.  Since I had already made the table and I didn't really want to throw it out I decided to cover it with a bar top epoxy, Envirtotex that is readily available at Menards.  I bought the small package of envirotex mixed it up as directed and poured it all over the wood thinking it would be thick and harden pretty fast and not run through the cracks.  I was wrong, a large amount of it fell through the cracks and onto the newspaper below, I barely got a skim coat on the top of the table.

Having spent $16 on the envirotex and the time to make the table I was not about to give up on this project.  I bought a tube of caulk that dries clear and applied it to all of the cracks on the table top.  I also put duct tape on the bottom of the table to try and make sure nothing else could get through the cracks if the caulk failed.  I then bought the large bottles of envirotex ($56) and started mixing enough together in an old ice cream bucket to cover the top of the table.  I had a "railing" of duct table around the edge of the table so the epoxy wouldn't run off, that worked okay.  I didn't quite mix the epoxy equally so part of the table took a little longer to dry and was a little sticky for awhile.

Once everything dried it turned out pretty good.  The table is very easy to clean and seals any bad stuff from the pallets under a pretty thick layer of epoxy.  I didn't put enough epoxy on to make the table completely level but it is pretty good.  

Things I learned:
Epoxy does not dry that fast
You need to mix the epoxy in the correct ratio
Once hardened Envirotex looks pretty cool.