how to get a dead flat table top

yeah charly - ive done a galley benchtop in just epoxy but i masked it up and sprayed some matt black to get the teak strip look...

To apply the epoxy - i simply used my normal laminating epoxy, however i heated it up a bit so the viscosity drops. Pour it on thick and spread it around using a notched trowel - the one i used had 3mm or 4mm deep V notches - like a saw tooth edge. As you drag the trowel around, you get an even depth of 3-4mm and push the excess towards the areas that need more. The grooves left by the notches fill in within couple seconds as the resin levels out. You get a bit spill over the edges but if you mask the edges up it cleans up pretty quick. Make sure its all setup level as deering said- put some drop sheets under it

Once youve spread it all around and you have an even coating of resin - you will notice some air bubbles here an there. To get rid of them, grab a propane / MAPP gas etc type blow torch and pass it over the still runny resin. It pops all the bubbles like magic and leaves you with a perfect finish. A few more bubbles may develop, so keep an eye on it you may need to do it again 10 mins later. Dont hold the flame on the resin in 1 spot for too long or you will burn the resin and ruin the finish in that area. Keep the flame well back and keep it moving... heres a pic of the one i did which shows the masking and paint - it started as just a peice of marine ply but it has a deep gloss to it with 3-4mm of pure epoxy all over it...

To get it flat to begin with - there is only one way and that is with a longboard / speedfile. I made my own to fair large flat surfaces, its a peice of RHS steel about 4 feet long, and welded a couple handles to it. Applied some velcro tape to the other side and stick on some good velcro backed sandpaper. Sand it across 2 perpendicular directions and it will end up dead flat...

There are other ways of getting similar results - you can spray a 2part PU clear, or use a low viscosity polyester resin used specifically for finishing surfboards. I have sprayed this resin after thinning it some more with wax in styrene and styrene monomer from a conventional spray gun and it came out perfect! If its going to see any direct sunlight - avoid using epoxy or it will degrade and stuff up in less than 12 months... Both poly urethane clear paints and polyester resins are UV stable.

 

I roll on multiple coats of epoxy, then sand smooth with DA (220), then top it off with clear gloss. Clear gloss can be wetsanded and buffed if need be.

Its a lot faster/cheaper/easier to build up the thickness with the epoxy.

 

I really doesn't have to be perfect the first time out. It should be refreshed 3 or 4 times a year. After 20 years, or 80 go-overs, it is going to look pretty good.