DIY Duo: Merry Pop-Toppins

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Julia Beizer and her fiance, Tom, guide newbies through basic home-improvement tasks in our pages a few times per month.

BEER-BOTTLE CAP COLLECTING for Undetermined Craft Projects might as well have been a major at my college. "Dude, don't throw that cap out. I'm gonna make a tabletop." "No way, man. I'm keeping this one for when I build that bar."

Needless to say, only a fraction of these projects were realized. I drove away after graduation with a quart-sized Ziploc packed with lids. But I didn't put them to use until last month, when I bedecked a bland Ikea table with glittering brew leftovers. Pasting tops on it? A cinch. Mastering the use of liquid epoxy to create the glossy, bar-like surface? Therein lies the challenge.

» 1) DRINK. This teensy, 1-by-2-foot table required 160 lids, so I had to enlist some friends to help me, um, gather materials. Take care when popping those tops: Gently pry them off from several different angles. If they're all warped and twisted, you'll regret it when you get to step four.

» 2) GIVE IT SOME EDGE. A bottle-cap table needs a lip so the epoxy doesn't spill off the edges. Buy four lengths of wood trim, the same lengths as each side. Ask someone at a hardware store (or a handy friend) to cut the edges of each piece at 45-degree angles so the ends lay flush against each other.

Fit the angled wood pieces together along the edges. The lip will be most secure if you nail the trim into the table — a nail every four to six inches should do. My table was too thin and frail, so I used super-glue. Then I painted the whole thing blue.

» 3) GLUE. I can't stress this enough: Affix the caps to the surface before pouring epoxy. I applied a model-making super-glue to the edges of the caps, pressed them in, and waited a few hours for the stuff to dry.

» 4) POUR. You need a two-part epoxy made up of a resin and a hardener, which you mix together. Hardware stores typically don't carry this product; you'll have better luck at a craft store. I found a brand called EnviroTex Lite's Pour-On at A.C. Moore. The stuff's also easy to find online.

This product ain't cheap. I got mine for $20 per pint, which covers only two square feet at a 1/4 inch high (the minimum depth for a bottle-cap project). It's worth it, though; EnviroTex dries relatively quickly and is designed to eliminate the air bubbles formed when mixing and pouring.

Mix equal parts resin and hardener vigorously for at least two minutes and pour a thin layer (about 1/8 inch). Spread it over the table with a brush or stiff paper (we used junk mail!) and blow on it to eradicate air bubbles. Wait until this layer is fully cured (aka dry and set) — approximately two days — before pouring the next. The cooler the room, the longer the drying time. The EnviroTex instructions called for at least two days in an 85-degree room. (Brands of pourable epoxy differ; follow package instructions.)

If the lip of the table isn't at least 1/8 inch taller than the caps, epoxy may spill over the sides. Since my table lip was even with the caps and I wanted a thin layer of epoxy on it, I ran masking tape around the edge and camped out near the table for a few minutes after pouring to wipe up any drips with a paper towel.

» IS IT WORTH IT? You bet. This project is expensive but easy enough that I could do it without Tom's help. (Except with the beer-drinking. He's excellent in that department.)

» SHOPPING LIST:
As always, prices will vary. The bigger your table, the more it's going to cost you.
» Ikea Ingo table: $25
» Beer: $6 to $10 per sixer
» Super-glue: $3 to $7
» Wood trim: $2 to $3 per piece
» Paint (optional): $4 for 8 oz.
» Paintbrush (optional): $1
» Epoxy: $20 per pint

Photo by Marge Ely for Express