I have used the EnviroTex Lite pour-on Epoxy resin for tile art projects and it works GREAT! It's totally waterproof, heat resistant and equivalent to 50 coats of varnish. It looks so beautiful! Plus, I get it at Michael's and always use their 40% or 50% off coupons...so it's a great deal!
I've never done anything as big as a dining table, but I think you could...it would just take a little more work. You might want to have 2 people working, because you only have 25 minutes to work with the epoxy resin before it starts to harden.
Definately put down a drop cloth or newspapers under the table. This stuff drips a bit. Read the instructions very carefully. It's important to mix EXACTLY equal parts of resin and hardener (both are included in the kit) and mix vigorously for 3 minutes. Do not try to mix anything larger than 1 gallon at a time. Then you pour it on the surface and get to work. Use a stiff piece of paper or something similar to spread out the epoxy. AFter about 5 min, bubbles will start rising to the surface. These can be broken 1 of 2 ways. I use an embossing gun over the entire surface; you can also use a propane torch. DO NOT USE A HAIRDRYER! You can also just breathe on the surface, but this can be time consuming, not to mention smelly!
As far as drips go, just use some stiff paper or craft sticks to gently wipe the undersides of your table as drips form. Once the resin starts to set you won't have to worry, but you'll need to keep checking and wiping for about 25 minutes or so.
It's important to let the surface set, undisturbed for 2-3 days, depending on temperature (the hotter the room, the faster the cure). Don't do anything to stir up dust until the process is complete. In fact, it's best to not go anywhere near the surface until then. You don't want to end up with little specks of dust in your tabletop.
I know this sounds complicated, but it's really not. I hope this helps. GOOD LUCK!
