How to make a pallet and resin dining table?

[Hayley007]

Probably a bit too big of an undertaking for my first play around with resin but, if I was feeling brave, how would I make a resin decorated / detailed dining table from reclaimed timber pallets?

[JacobZ]

Hi @Hayley007,

Thank you for your questions and welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is wonderful to have you join us.

While reclaimed pallet furniture can be a great introduction to woodworking, you should note that it is often low-grade timber with lots of knots, twisting and imperfections. The resin would be quite easy as it just requires mixing and pouring according to the instructions, preparing the timber to be usable is the difficult bit. If you wanted to create a table, I would suggest you look at dressed all round timber as it has already been dried and planed to a flat, square surface that allows for strong connection and uniformity that will create a solid dining table.

If you would still like to carry out a project using epoxy and pallet wood, might I suggest starting smaller with something like some coasters or a small side table. This could help you build your skills, confidence and understanding of how pallet grade timber reacts to different situations without the expensive nature of a large epoxy dining table.

I don't want to completely turn you away from the idea as it would be wonderful to see what you can produce; I just want you to be aware that it may not be as simple an undertaking as it seems, and it would definitely be worth working your way up to.

Please also remember, pallet timber can be treated, and you should never use it for surfaces that food will have direct contact with, like cutting boards. For your table, you'd need to coat it entirely with resin and not use timber labelled MB which is a chemical treatment, it is best to stick with pallets labelled HT as this means they are heat treated.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[MitchellMc]

Hi @Hayley007,

I thought I'd add this helpful step-by-step guide to the discussion: How to make a D.I.Y. Resin Picnic table. Some of the techniques involved could be similar to what you've envisaged for your project. Also, I thought I'd point you to these handy Boyle Crafty Resin 500ml kits. They'd be perfect for making coasters, but you might like towards something similar to the Protite 750ml Glass Coat Kit for larger surfaces such as a table.

Here's our Best Advice article on How do you find free pallets?

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Mitchell