has any one ever seen the plastic looking counters or tables that people make/pour with coins under it? it looks to be like a real hard durable finish. does anyone know what it is called?
my daughter teaches 5th grade, and their science tables tops have all been really gouged up. and i was wondering what i/she could refinish the tops with.

what with school budget cuts etc. a refinish donation by mom or someone, would fit their budget.
any other recommendations for putting anything on top of the tables? what about a new formica roll. is that possible?
thanks ahead of time for any suggestions given.

here a a couple of sites i just googled pourable acrilic table top finish http://www.finishing.com/123/62.shtml http://www.uscomposites.com/kk121.html i have not used these dont know how they work

http://www.tapplastics.com/info/vide...mat=quicktime&

Is this what your refering to?
And wanting to apply it to an entire table top? It is doable, but probably expensive.

It is durable, however it will cloud and is easily scruff and scratched over constant use.

An epoxy resin finish is what I believe you are looking for.

generally it is a Poly Resin that comes in two parts that you have to mix and pour on.
It is highly toxic and the fumes will gag you so make sure you do it outdoors and there is NO wind/dust in the air...or indoors with an extremely well ventilated area!

something like this, but I know that stores like Hobby Lobby and Michaels also sell a more user friendly one!
http://liquidglasscoating.com/

I believe the poured tops are made with epoxy resin. It's a two-part product and must be mixed before using. Google for more information. It's fairly expensive.

One can get very thin sheets of laminate (the Formica material you asked about) at builder's stores that must be glued on. Using this product you might also need to do something to the edges--depends on the table you're covering.

If you can find it, aluminum flashing might come wide enough for the tables and there are sheets of other metal in the big box building stores.

One more option would be to glue linoleum to the tops but I doubt it would be gouge resistant.

If the tables are wooden, sanding and refinishing would be the nicest way.

Good luck and blessings for helping your school.

i just called her back. there are 10 tables which are about l.5 ft X 3 ft. they seat 2 pupils per table. and she said under the current finish, which looks painted she thinks, the wood appears to be compressed wood?.

so a roll of formica, might fix it easier. right?

as they are now, they have really been cut, carved, gouged, and when ever the kids write on them, the papers get holes in them. and the wood expands when it gets wet.

any ideas?

poly urethane???

Yep, two part epoxy resin...I made a tray with little tiles on it that I covered with it. Jacquie is right...smells bad, no wind, no dust, but beautiful when done :)

No suggestions except to have her make sure to check with administration before she does anything permanent to the furniture. Sometimes administration can be very particular about "alterations". I can't even put tacks into my walls.

If the gouged tops are the black kind of like rubber tops, I believe they are a special top just for science rooms. If that is the case, the new top would have to be an approved substance that could safely resist acids, budsen burners and all that other science crap.

There is a coating called Modge Podge, available in craft stores, maybe even Walmart, that I have used a while back. I uaed it to coat several hanging projects and some trays with different things under it for decoration. Pretty easy to use.

DH has used the sheet formica. The surface must be clean and sound. Gouges need to be filled in - he suggests bondo. Then sand surface smooth. Edges will need to be trimmed with a router and filed. This is not a difficult project IF you have experience with these tools. It's easy to make a mistake.

The 2 part epoxys are really beautiful for effect, but very expensive and you have to do it perfectly or it wont come out right, and - it has to be non reactive if its in a chem lab.

anything done in a classroom would have to be run by the admin/principal/board and so on or she might be written up or worse.

some official from the table manufacturer or supplier would have to actually let the school know what surface would be officially safe to use in a chem lab room, with MSDA forms - everyone already knows they will just say "replace the tables".

Face it, the only people who need to have the tables fixed asap are the KIDS! and their needs come LAST! By the time the dust clears from all the paper pushing for this project these fifth graders will have children of their own going to school here and your daughter will be ready to retire. (that's the reality of trying to do something nice these days) sharet

Not knowing what the desk tops look like....would it be possible to remove them and flip them over. Then maybe put some type of hole plugs or wood filler in the screw holes. Or if you get the ok to put new laminate on them, at least you would have a clean surface to work with. Good luck!

yes, ari, i was checking the price on line and see the 2 part system is VERY expensive. $119 a qt. she did tell me when i was talking to her the lst time. slow down, mom. we have to talk to my principle. she mentioned this, cause they were giving a test next week for 'gifted' classes. and that the kids had to be careful with the positions of their papers, or they would make holes in them. etc.
she did say the tops were black now.