Design a Tray Table With Resin Ocean Art

MyEye4DIY
by MyEye4DIY
2 Materials
$120
2 Hours
Easy

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Alumilite. All opinions are my own.


You can DIY this Ikea Tray Table into Beautiful Resin Ocean Art!

Read to the very end to see why it took me two passes to get final result! Sharing all the tips I learned along the way!


I may be bias because I’m from the Ocean State, but I love the colors of the ocean and the calming effect it has.


Blue hues are also gorgeous colors to incorporate into your home decor! Today I’m going to show you how to create a unique and functional ocean-inspired resin side table.


For this project I used an Ikea tray table, the Alumilite Resin Ocean Art Kit and a few more supplies listed below. This works well as a stand alone tray as well.

SUPPLIES


Ikea Tray Table

Alumilate Ocean Art Kit

  • 1 gallon kit (1/2 gallon side A, 1/2 gallon side B) of Amazing Clear Cast casting and coating epoxy resin
  • 1oz each of translucent blue, ocean blue, white, and tan dye
  • 1 2.5-quart mixing containers
  • 5 large stir sticks

Gloves

Level

Plastic cups

Hair dryer or heat gun


Resin starts to cure (dry) within 30-40 minutes of mixing it so be sure to have your ocean design in mind and all the supplies at your fingertips before you begin. That way, you can begin pouring resin immediately onto your tray and begin blending the colors together before resin starts to dry. 


Mix Resin


You will mix equal parts of the harder and epoxy (labeled ‘Side A’ and ‘Side B’) for 3-5 minutes in the 2.5 mixing container. 

I only needed about 8 oz of each color to cover my tray so I mixed a total of 20oz of hardener and 20oz of Epoxy (40 oz total - 5 colors, 8oz each).

Mix it slowly so you don’t create a lot of bubbles in the resin. This amount was not a problem. I didn't have a problem with them appearing in the finished product.

Mix Resin into Separate Colors


Once you mix resin together in the larger container, pour approximately 8oz into 5 separate plastic cups and mix in individual colors.

ARTISTIC NOTE: The ocean blue colors alone give a translucent effect . If you mix them with drops of white, you will achieve blues of a more solid hue and can adjust them as light as you prefer. This allows you to choose the shades of blue you gravitate to the most and incorporate into your art so be sure they are mixed to your liking before you start. Also, these colors are highly pigmented so a little goes a long way!

Dark Ocean Blue: I actually made two colors with this cup of resin. I poured some into a separate cup for the tranlucent blue and in the other I combined a drop of the translucent blue and the white which made a murky blue.

Aqua Ocean Blue: I made two colors with this cup of resin as well. I poured some into a separate cup but this time I combined a drop of the translucent blue and the white which gave me a nice aqua blue. In the other cup I added one drop of blue and two drops of white for a slightly lighter aqua blue.

I added 2-3 drops of white in clear resin.

I mixed 3 drops of white with two drops of tan to achieve color below.

Using this pretty beige as our sand.

Pour Colors onto Tray Table


Make sure your tray is on a flat surface as you do this project AND when you set it aside to dry. You can use a level for this step. 

Now, pour each color onto your tray in horizontal lines going from dark to light or vice versa. 

Here you can see the four blue mixtures I created.

Lastly I added the beige for the sand.

I used the popsicle stick I used for mixing to drizzle a bit of the blues into one another. As I blend them with the blow dryer in the next step a natural fusing of the ocean colors will occur.

Make Ocean Waves


Using a popsicle, apply several thin horizontal lines with the white resin to create wave breaks. To break up the lines to create your wave pattern, put your blow dryer or heat gun on a low setting and manipulate the resin moving in left to right and up/down until you achieve the desired wave pattern. 


NOTE: Try and do this before the resin starts to cure at the 30-40 minute mark so it flows easier. Once the white resin begins to harden it doesn't move as fluidly and it’s harder to create a natural looking wave break, it gives off more of a patchy effect. 

NOTE: Resin is self leveling so don't worry if liquid is thick in one area over another as it's moved around in this process.


I mixed the white resin first and when it to this step it was starting to thicken making it hard to manipulate into more natural looking ocean waves.

Blend Colors to Achieve Desired Ocean Design


Again, work to design your tray within the 30 minute period before the resin begins to harden (cure). Play around with blending the water colors by using the blow dryer to help them bleed into one another. If that’s not working you can use your finger (gloves on of course) to move resin in different directions. You can also use a toothpick to help break up solid patterns in the waves. 

Let it Cure for 24-48 hours


Use a level to make sure it is on a flat surface when drying or risk the design taking on a new direction when you come back to it.

ARTISTIC NOTE: This was how my 1st pass turned out….BUT I wasn’t 100% happy with the murky blue color that is bleeding into the translucent dark blue at the very top. Also, the waves weren't sitting well with me, so I ended up taking a 2nd pass at it.

Take 2!! Starting Over on the Same Tray


DON’T BE AFRAID TO START OVER once it’s dry!! Remember, there are no rules, just guideline. You are the artist, so trust your vision and tweak it whenever necessary! 


The following night, I repeated all the steps above with new colors. This time I used more translucent blues and only added white to the aqua blue. Also, this is where I learned that the waves come out much better if you apply the white resin sooner than later and blow dry it on a LOW setting. 




I love the way these waves came out!

Final DIY Tray Table Ocean Art


I LOVE our new tray table and it's now the newest signature piece in our home! LOOL AT THOSE COLORS! I'm also happy I trusted my creative instinct and started over. This was a fun project and surprisingly it didn't take a lot of time. Resin is relatively easy to work with, just be sure to wear gloves and a safety make!


Take a stab at it! You can use this in the living room, bathroom, bedroom…it’s such a versatile project! 


Comment below and let me know what you think and what home decor projects you want to see!


You can see more of my Home Decor Projects at www.myeye4diy.com

See you on the next project!

Kalia

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Frequently asked questions
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3 of 6 questions
  • NancyO NancyO on Sep 19, 2020

    I'm such an amateur that I used the two plastic cups and tools that came with the resin I bought on Amazon. I think the resin is probably fine; but I'm making a number of things for gifts and can't do them all at once. Consequently, I have to clean the tools in between pours. Do you have any suggestions about what to use to get them absolutely clean and ready for another use? If necessary, I could change to disposable cups and stick stirrers. So far have had only reasonably good experience with alcohol to clean after washing thoroughly with soap and water. One pour down and many more to go...

  • Holly B. Metzger Holly B. Metzger on Aug 09, 2021

    How can you use this technique on a table that doesn't have a rim around it. Is it at all possible?

  • Jackie I Jackie I on Aug 09, 2021

    I love your finish project! I have one in mind as well but mine would be for outside on my patio and I live in Phoenix. Once the epoxy is cured Will it be ok in the heat of summer?

Comments
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2 of 12 comments
  • Jenny Jenny on Aug 18, 2020

    Gorgeous, first attempt would have satisfied me, but then I'm no artist.

  • Tess Tess on Sep 11, 2020

    Absolutely gorgeous!! I definitely want to give it a try. You did a beautiful job.

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