The Vans Inspired River Table No One Asked For

It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with Vans. I wear them all the time, whether I’m building in the shop or not, and I’ve been wearing them since high school. My 12-year-old niece recently told me they’re trendy again, so apparently I’m officially back in style.

Naturally, I decided to take that obsession one step further by building a river table inspired by my favorite pair of Vans. This might be the weirdest thing I’ve ever made… and I think I’m obsessed. Jordan is doing his first-ever resin pour, so embrace the process with us and see if you also love my Vans river table. Let’s get started friends!

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Want to see this build in action? You can watch my build video here (+ make sure to subscribe to my channel)!

Tools + Products

Tools

Products

Make a Form

Somehow we’ve found ourselves setting up for Jordan’s first resin pour.

After taping up the melamine form I talked Jordan through how I silicone it together to prevent any resin leaking out. 

We pre-drilled holes into the side pieces instead of just relying on the silicone. 

Then we applied the silicone to really seal the seams.

And drilled it all together.

So, we let that dry overnight, and then the next step was to cut up a slab and pour some resin.

Cut + Prep the Slab

I pulled this beautiful piece of walnut out of my wood collection for this project. I bought it about three years ago, so technically, that means it’s free lumber now. Woodworker math, yay!

I took the track saw to this slab to cut it down to size.

And then I cut it into two long pieces.

I honestly don’t know how to explain the feeling of finally being able to use my tools again after months of recovering from surgery. It has genuinely changed my entire perspective on life.

I did try to get out of sanding of course.

But I guess if you can use a track saw with your non-dominant hand you can also sand with said hand.

Secure Slabs in the Form

By the way, Vans, if you’re in need of a river table, hit a girl up, I would be more than happy to make another one.

The last time I did this, I used a silicone dam. I remember being pissed at myself because it was so hard to peel the silicone off wherever the epoxy seeped underneath. But I also remember being very happy that I did it because there was a lot less mess to clean up afterward. So that’s how I did this table too. This isn’t my first resin table so if you’re looking for some more in depth instruction here’s a river table I made a little while ago using only 4 handheld tools I purchased at my local home improvement store. 

After applying the silicone we clamped the slabs to the form.

Pour The First Resin Layer

I used my drill to mix the pigment in with the epoxy.

Total Boat’s High Performance Epoxy was the first kind I used in this project, but there will be a few different kinds I use.

I started with the white pigment for the first layer.

After using my torch to pop the bubbles I did babysit it for the first 30 minutes just to make sure it started curing properly without developing any additional bubbles. 

Stencil Time

While the resin was curing, Jordan helped me print out some vinyl stencils. Next was applying them so we could start painting the checkerboard pattern.

Then I scuffed up the resin to prep it for paint.

We applied transfer tape to the stencil and used a laser level to help guide us when we placed it in the form.

Then we made sure to press and smooth it down to the resin and cut away the excess stencil.

Paint

Once the transfer tape was removed and I was happy with the stencil placement it was time to paint.

Then I removed the stencil and waited for the paint to dry. I was very nervous that the resin would make the paint bleed. 

I was feeling a little paranoid about everything sitting in this super liquidy epoxy for the next couple of days. So I added a very light protective coat of resin over the checkerboard pattern and the bark because I didn’t want to run into any issues. Once that dried it was time to get the deep pour done so it could dry for a few days.

Spoiler alert, I probably shouldn’t have added that thin layer because it cured a little strangely, but you’ll see that in a bit.

Deep Epoxy Pour

The deep pour was flawless. Total Boat’s Fathom Deep Pour Epoxy is awesome.

I was able to pour the entire thing in one go at about an inch thick, and it cured beautifully.

The resin cured a little cloudier than I wanted, which could have happened for a few reasons. Resin can be really fickle, and we had a huge temperature swing from around 40 degrees outside to nearly 90 within just a couple of days.

Even with climate control running in the shop, that can still affect the clarity and moisture levels in the resin. It also could have been caused by the thin protective coat I added over the checkerboard.

Demold

Either way, it was time to get it out of the mold.

This was a very exciting moment.

I’ve learned the hard way with resin pours that you need to make your piece slightly larger than the final dimensions. So now it was time to trim the tabletop down with the track saw.

Final Coat

I originally wasn’t going to do a resin flood coat on this table because I typically like to keep the wood matte looking, but because the walnut was absorbing the resin, it was finishing very dark and I liked it.

So, what we did next was scuff sand the bottom of the table because it was a little uneven. Then we poured a coat of tabletop epoxy over it. Because it is self-leveling this pour leveled out the entire bottom of the slab. After it was level, we sanded the top and then got the final coat on.

I prepped for the final flood coat by applying painter’s tape around the edges of the tabletop. 

Then I mixed the tabletop epoxy and spread it out.

The tabletop epoxy is self leveling so I really only had to go over it with a flame to pop any bubbles that appeared.

Table Base

So, I found this table/chair looking thing on a TV show that I was on called That Thrifting Show. It’s on Hulu, check it out! But I absolutely fell in love with this chair while we were thrifting and I kept it. 

What I love the most about this whole thrifted piece is really the bottom. It’s kind of multi-purpose,  you could use it for storage as well as supporting the table, so this was the perfect project to use it for. The top was in a rough shape but I really didn’t have a purpose for the top so I focused on the base.

But the base was perfect for this project, besides being a little too wide for the tabletop. Nothing a jig saw couldn’t help with.

I don’t even understand how to tell you how badly I wanted this base to work out for the table, but the proportions were just not right. 

It was too tall, too wide, or too skinny. There was too much overhang on both sides and it was so unstable. 

I think, Jordan and I tried every different form of Tetrising this base to this table and it was just not working, which is such a bummer. But I was able to order exactly the legs this table needed, so it also kind of worked out.

Topside Finishing

We had to pivot after the base didn’t work the way I had planned but I just wanted to finish the table. 

And really, all that was left to do was sand everything nice and flat, get rid of any of excess epoxy and some other details.

I also wanted the checkerboards to look like they were waterfalling over the edge. So, I just filled in the blanks on the side of the table. 

In hindsight this was such a cool idea. Wait till you see what it looks like.

 And then once everything was dry, it was time for the final coat of tabletop epoxy, which again, is self-leveling, so you really can’t mess it up. It’s really great, as you pour it, it starts to cure and then levels out completely. 

And it really was the way to go. I don’t typically like shiny tables, I’m just not the kind of person who usually finishes tables in epoxy. 

That is just a personal preference. I usually like to go with more of a matte finish, but because of the checkerboards being sunken into the epoxy, I figured that it probably would just pop a little better if everything was shiny. And it does look really cool.

After a few hours of curing it was time to move onto finishing touches.

Finishing Touches

Um, look at how cool this looks!

I accidentally epoxied tweezers to the bottom of it. But it was time to remove the tape I used to prevent bumps from forming on the bottom side of the tabletop.

So I actually waited a bit too long to remove the tape, I should’ve done it the day after I did the pour but I actually waited about a week. It was more difficult to remove but the heat gun helped a bit and I was able to get it done. 

Well I love these legs! That definitely worked out.

The Reveal

Well friends, what do we think? Should we tag Vans in the comments? 

As I was recovering from my injury it was really fun to tackle a project that’s been living inside my brain for a while now. I honestly think it turned out really cool, it’s funky, it’s definitely one of a kind and you know I love me some checkerboards.

This weird checkerboard feverdream table has given me a little bit of life and we’re going to ride that wave. So until next time friends, Happy DIYing!

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