River Table & Deep Pour Epoxy Calculator
Calculate exactly how much deep pour casting resin you need. Account for wood displacement and avoid running short on expensive epoxy mid-pour.
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How to Calculate Resin for a River Table
Building a live-edge river table is an expensive investment. Unlike standard molds, a river table isn't 100% epoxy. The wood slabs take up a massive portion of the mold's volume. Buying resin based purely on the mold's outer dimensions means you will drastically overpay for material you don't need.
Accounting for Wood Displacement
To find the true amount of resin required, you must estimate how much of your rectangular mold is occupied by wood, and subtract it from the total volume. The formula is:
2. Total Volume − Estimated Wood % = Resin Required
For a standard river table, wood typically accounts for 40% to 60% of the total volume. Use the slider in our deep pour calculator to visually estimate your wood percentage, and the tool will automatically deduct it from your final liter or gallon requirements.
Understanding Deep Pour (Casting) Resins
Thick pours require a specific chemical formulation. Standard tabletop epoxies cure fast and trap heat. If you pour them thicker than 1/4 inch, the exothermic reaction will cause the resin to boil, crack, and turn aggressively yellow (flash-cure).
For river tables, you must use a Deep Pour (Casting) Epoxy. These cure slowly over 48 to 72 hours, allowing the heat to escape safely. Because of this slow cure time, deep pour resins typically use different mix ratios than standard epoxies—most commonly 2:1 or 3:1 by volume. Always verify the ratio on your bottles and select the matching option in the calculator above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I pour the entire river table all at once?
It depends entirely on your specific deep pour resin and your ambient room temperature. Most high-quality casting resins allow for single pours between 2 to 4 inches thick. If your table is deeper than your resin's maximum rating, you must pour it in multiple layers, waiting for the first layer to reach a "tacky" gel state before pouring the next.
Do I need to seal the wood before pouring the deep resin?
Yes. Live-edge wood is highly porous and contains trapped air. If you pour deep casting resin directly against raw wood, millions of micro-bubbles will escape during the long curing process, ruining the clarity of your "river." Always apply a thin seal coat of standard 1:1 tabletop epoxy to the live edges and let it cure before doing your massive deep pour.
Why did my deep pour epoxy stay soft?
A soft, rubbery, or sticky cure almost always points to a mixing error. Deep pour resins (especially 2:1 and 3:1 ratios) are highly sensitive to improper measuring. You must measure exactly by volume, not weight. Additionally, you must scrape the sides and bottom of your mixing bucket thoroughly. Unmixed resin clinging to the bucket will not catalyze properly.