Epoxy / Resin & Wood Notes

New site for notes that I’ve been making while learning about epoxy/resin wood tables and creating my own desk. Some of this info has been collected from websites, YouTube, and the Epoxy Resin Advices and Tips Facebook page. I’ve quoted people where I had the quotes that I got them from, sorry if I missed one but send me a correction and I’ll get it fixed!

More Learning Resources

Blacktail Online Class - NOTE Watch for the Black Friday sales for the classes, totally worth it!

I’m sure there are a ton of YouTube videos, most I found skimmed over some parts, and deeper in others, so you might have to watch a lot, and also why I started taking these notes

Picking Out The Wood

Make sure the moisture content is below 12%.
I’ve also read this can highly depend on your meter too, some read high and some read low, so the general consensus seems to be 5-10% is better.

Picking Out The Epoxy

Minor scratches and cracks

Tabletop -

“Tabletop epoxy is a type of epoxy resin that’s used to coat flat surfaces, like tabletops, countertops, and bars, to create a durable, high-gloss finish. It is self-leveling and is usually poured in thin layers, typically 1/4 inch or less. Curing time depends on factors like temperature and humidity, but it’s usually around 12-24 hours.”

Deep Pour-

“Meant for pouring inches thick. Lower exothermic reaction so good for heat sensitive projects”

Picking Out Epoxy Coloring

Pigments - Dyes - Mica Powder - Coloring

Other ideas for coloring

“Alcohol ink, liquid resin dye, acrylic paint. I’ve even added glitter glue to resin which made it so the glitter didn’t sink down” Mladen Sakotic

Tools You’ll Want/Need

Some of these tools are optional depending on the project, but I’ll list some known good tools I have used or others have reviewed.

Safety / PPE Gear

Full face mask
- Amazon - Honeywell 1A. Full face mask + respirator
- Amazon - Wytcyic
Respirator
- Need Link
Hearing protection
- Need Link
Leather Apron
- This one is more optional, I have found I like mine so when you get hit with a stray word or epoxy splinter it doesn’t hurt
- Amazon - FIGHTECH
Nitrile Gloves
- Harbor Freight

Large vacuum

Many shop vacuums to choose from, but you should have one with decent capacity and suction power

Router

Harbor Freight - Hercules

Router Bit(s)

Surfacing Router Bit

Router Sled

Router Templates

Router Circle Cutting

Router C-Channel Cutting

Health of Mind Art

Circular Saw Track Guide

Kreg Accu-Cut

If Removing Bark

Hammer & Chisel
Wire brush

If there’s a heavy amount:

Draw Knife
Drill with cup wire brush
Angle grinder with wire brush
Drill with Nylon wheel/brushes, they aren’t as aggressive on the wood

Orbital Sander (with dust collector)

Epoxy Spreader

Amazon - Dynatron

Epoxy Mixing Container

There are a lot of variations of these, I think it really just depends on how much you are pouring at one time. One trick I saw someone use
was to put rice into the spots to fill, then pull the rice out and measure how much. I haven’t tried it yet, but looked promising!

Epoxy Mixing Tool

There’s a ton of different ones like this, not sure if there’s good/bad ones to look for, I tried these and worked good so far.

Epoxy Gallon Pump

A pump for small amounts is handy to quickly dispense the both part A & B

Ol Loggin

Silicon Molds

Crafted Elements
- I haven’t ordered from this place, yet, because of the projects I’ve done but heard great things about them, they have a great story and made in the USA!
Rusty Design-Canada
Amazon-Kalinta
Health of Mind Art

Heat Gun / Propane Torch

Harbor Freight Heat Gun
Menards
Home Depot Propane Torch
- Your basic torch you’ll find about anywhere, though I do usually prefer the nicer torch if I’m using it a lot:
- Updated Torch

Preparing the Wood

Removing any bark

Unless you are going to 100% seal the bark, you’ll want to remove it before starting the pour.
Another option I have heard works is to carefully take the bark off, and use some wood glue to put it back on and clamp it tight.

Sealing the wood

Use the same epoxy that you will be doing your pour with, just brush it on as the first coat to make sure to seal the wood and keep out the bubbles.

Prepare Your Mold

Can be made of many materials, melamine works well if making your own, see the list above for pre-made
I’ve used sheets of HDPE plastic and had good luck
Whatever type you use, make sure it’s sealed all around so as you pour it’s not seeping out. I recommend watching it carefully to make sure so you can fix if it does.
To seal or cover a custom mold so the epoxy doesn’t stick Tyvek house wrap tape works well, slick side facing the epoxy
You should also cover your mold with a Mold Release product, which will help ensure that your project comes out of the mold easier.

Preparing the Epoxy

Make sure you are storing your epoxy in a temperature controlled environment, and definitely don’t let it freeze
“Add the glitter or mix ins 40 mins after pouring and you will get an even dispersion.”
“Aim to have about 70% wood to 30% epoxy ratio when laying out your piece” - heard this from an “expert” but not sure the reasoning
“Carmen Hofman - Once opened.. the shelf life is about 3-6 months. Even after that, it will most likely still cure perfectly, but may have a yellow tinge. Just add a mica or pigment paste to mask it”

How to properly mix

If you are mixing < 1 gallon it’s recommended to stir it slowly by hand in order to not introduce bubbles
Temperature of epoxy before/during mix needs to be no less than 65°F
Generally, deep pour is 2:1 mix ratio, and tabletop is 1:1, but ALWAYS look at the manufacturers labels first

*NOTE: At one stage here do you put the epoxy in the pressure pot?

How much mica powder to use?

“It depends” - most people will say to mix until you like the look, but sometimes for first-timers that’s hard to gauge so what I was told as a general starting rule, is: 1/2 teaspoon per liter for opaque looking (non-translucent), and 1/16 of a teaspoon for a translucent finish

Initial Pour

Watch the temperatures
Sand with 120 grit sandpaper and clean with 90% alcohol between pours

Flood Coat

Flood coats are coats of epoxy that are about 1/8” thick and cover the entire epoxy project. Their purpose is to complete the project, adding a glossy finish
Upstart Epoxy

Sanding the Wood

Sand Paper increments: 80, 100, 120 (wipe down with damp towel to “pop” the grain out between sanding) * Note: If you are going to use a top coat for the wood and you’re not going epoxy coat it, refer to the manufacturers recommendation for how fine to sand it

Sanding the Epoxy

Dry Sand increments: 80, 100, 120, 150, 180, 220, 240, 320, 400
Wet Sand increments: 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, 3000
Polish (epoxy only!) with ceramic car wax

Final Coating the Wood

Always follow the manufacturers cure times for best results! Like sanding, no shortcuts here!

* NOTE: I could use some guidance on which of the Odie’s works best for a natural wood finish
* NOTE: I also like the idea of Odie’s better, just because it doesn’t contain the chemicals that Rubio or Osmo contain, personal preference

Odie’s Oil
Odie’s Wax
Howards Wood Wax
Rubio Monocoat
Osmo Polyx Hard Wax Oil
1. “I use a microfibre 100mm roller, and just roll it onto all my projects, though I’ve used a brush and rag at times too.”
2. Reportedly more toxic than Rubio, but just as good of a finish once it’s cured.
Walrus Oil
1. Not sure about this one, but I’ve seen it mentioned a couple of times

** General consensus seems to be that putting a coat of ceramic car wax over the top of your wood finish will help reduce scratches and give it a better shine

Final Coating the Epoxy

Obviously the epoxy will need to be sanded per the above instructions.
Polarshine 10 Polishing Compound

Adding Legs

*NOTE: Seems to be one of the top asked questions, could use some good links to places that sell legs for those that can’t build them

Services

Forged of Wood and Stone
- Ty was awesome to work with! Some services and wood selection

Troubleshooting

What to do if you get micro bubbles in the top coat?
- Sand/router it down and re-pour a thin coat over the top
What to do if you didn’t pour enough and it shrinks down?
- Pour another coat over top (should you do this as soon as possible or wait?)
“My last flood coat and it has fully set what grade sand paper should I rough it up with first”
- “A little more than 220 I use a 280”, most comments are 220
“I am making an epoxy river table with 2 waterfall edges, when I assemble the waterfall would it be best to use wood glue or epoxy resin?”
- “Resin on the resin, glue on the wood”
How do you clean off epoxy when done or before another pour on top?
- Use 90% Isopropyl alcohol to make sure everything else is removed

“What would cause the clear epoxy to come out milky color?”
1. “It’s either moisture in the wood, or if you did multiple coats of finish, the previous coat(s) was not fully cured before re-coating.”
2. “Mixed too vigorously micro bubbles”
“Advice on using a pressure pot”
1. “JC Tremblay - Bought one of these a while ago. I found the best way so far was to warm the epoxy in water for around 20 minutes. Then mix for 2 minutes. Then I poured it into another container that is the same diameter as the tank (fits inside and about 6” high) for another 2 minutes. The larger surface area for the degassing made a huge difference and virtually stopped the bubbles over flowing. Let it run and let the air out slowly a few times and when big bubbles appear and pop u will be close to clear. I let it run the whole time and it took around 10-15 minutes. This worked for me.”