Epoxy resin may seem like a limited medium, but just look under the lid and you'll see that it offers you a whole range of possibilities for what to make of it and how to work with it. This article will show you these ways. Find out what specific epoxy techniques and procedures can offer you!
Epoxy resin techniques and products
Even before we start of how to work with resin, most of you – especially epoxy newbies – are certainly interested in what you can actually make from resin.
Each specific epoxy technique would need a separate guide, its own article, but we will first organize the most popular ones for you. As soon as you succumb to the magic of casting and working with epoxy resin and master it, nothing will stop you from achieving absolutely amazing, original results.
What can be made and what can epoxy resin be used for?
- Different types of furniture (very often combined with wood), massive tables with epoxy river, epoxy lamps or clocks are especially popular.
- Stabilization of wood with epoxy (processed wood is extremely durable, saturated with epoxy; can be used for the production of knife handles, cutlery, axes, tools, writing pens, etc.).
- Stabilizes moss, keeping it looking fresh and vibrant for years.
- Various types of kitchen and serving utensils, often combined with wood (bowls, cups, vases, cutting boards, coasters, trays, shelves and others).
- Epoxy jewelry, keychains and other similar small items.
- Pouring floors, especially popular in bathrooms.
- Cast epoxy paintings, which basically resemble acrylic "fluid art", but of course also offer a few specific effects, such as the sea washing the beach.
- 3D box art made of epoxy (an image drawn in layers of epoxy, which in the final gets a three-dimensional effect).
- Production of epoxy figurines and objects of various shapes and sizes (using silicone molds).
- Decorative products, such as epoxy geodes or Petri dishes, are among the most requested.
- Epoxy casts containing all kinds of objects, very often flowers and plants too, but you can epoxy almost anything if you know how 🙂.
Procedures and tips for working with epoxy resin
You need to know that each project – depending on what you intend to create – will have a slightly different procedure and its own specifics. There are several universal principles and advice you should follow regardless of the type of your creation:
- Always remember that working with epoxy safely is working with epoxy the right way. That is why we have already devoted an entire article to this topic.
- Choose the right type of epoxy for your project. Always read the resin data sheet before starting to make sure the type is right for your project. Each epoxy has slightly different properties and lends itself to a different type of casting (especially the thickness of the cast layer), so keep that in mind when choosing an epoxy resin.
- Never forget the protective equipment, read the instructions on the package carefully, and strictly follow the proportions of the components when mixing the resin. A practical calculator for calculating the weight and ratio of epoxy resin will help you with this. We recommend also reading our article How to calculate epoxy consumption for your project.
- Also think about high-quality ventilation of the room in which you work. And since room temperature can affect your results, don't hesitate to read tips on how to work with epoxy in hot weather.
- Mix the ingredients slowly, thoroughly, but work with them quickly. Mixing slowly will avoid unnecessary bubbles, but you need to be sure that the ingredients are properly homogenized. However, don't keep mixing too long, because each epoxy – at a different rate – polymerizes, and waiting too long can ruin prepared material, time and work.
- When working with wood, always penetrate it thoroughly before you start pouring. We have already described in detail what wood penetration entails in the article Casting epoxy resin step by step.
- Equality is needed! And this is also true in the case of epoxy casting. Make sure your mold is lying on a flat surface before pouring everything in and letting it harden.
- Epoxy takes time to cure, so give it time. Do not try to remove the casting from the mold before it is completely cured. Don't even touch it until you're sure it's fully cured.
- No matter where you leave your product to harden, be sure to cover it (for example with a plastic box) to prevent dust, hair or other dirt from sticking to it before it hardens.
- Before and after opening, be careful where you store the resin and don't forget that even this substance has a limited shelf life, so keep an eye on it.
We recommend: Beginners, and perhaps even those who have already tried their first few attempts at epoxy, will appreciate our articles 30 Tips for Epoxy Resin Beginners and Practical Tips for Epoxy Casting. Just go see if you know all the points!
Instructions for working with epoxy resin
Did you like the list of epoxy items in the first part of this article? Then you would certainly like to have detailed instructions on how to make each specific product.
The good news is that we are working on it, the less good news is that we only have a few topics covered so far. But they will definitely help you with your first projects and give you an insight into the issues of working with resin!
- The most important thing is to know how to cast epoxy resin step by step.
- In order to have somewhere to cast the resin, you will need to know how to make a mold for casting of epoxy resin.
- Well, with the finished casting, sanding and polishing of the epoxy resin awaits you.
But we also have instructions for specific products for you, so you can choose which will be the model for your new project:
- How to stabilize moss and create a moss painting.
- Creating a Petri dish effect in Veropal Art 430 resin.
- Casting a simple epoxy table through the eyes of a beginner.
- Making a table from epoxy resin step by step
You often wonder: When you are already planning larger and more expensive projects, you want to do your best so that the result lasts for a long time. That is why we prepared the article How to increase the UV resistance of an epoxy product.
Another of the most frequent questions is about bubbles. And yes, even the battle with them can be won, as the article on bubble-free resin casting reveals.
We're online on Facebook and Instagram, so don't hesitate to let us know what would interest you the most in terms of different techniques and procedures. You can also ask us personally, at one of our workshops. Good luck with your creation!