Epoxy Resin for Wood

Wood Epoxy – Your complete guide for Epoxy Resin and Wood Epoxy

Epoxy resin is versatile and is used in various projects. A popular use for epoxy is mixing it with hardwood. Use epoxy resin to protect and maintain your hardwood. In fact, it’s possible to create amazing tabletops from resin in wood. The epoxy resin can be used in countertops, as well as flooring, gorgeous resin 3d floors , Epoxy Art and much more.

Epoxy is extremely satisfying to work with. I have created many epoxy and resin projects, and just love how each them are completely unique.

Epoxy Resin Overview

A common term for epoxy is that they are thermosetting polymers. When used together they produce an extremely stable surface. The best result is achieved by mixing both components in an optimal ratio for optimal results. This causes chemical reactions which end up producing durable surfaces that can withstand chemical solvents, water and surface rust. To achieve the greatest final result the method consists of these steps:

After thoroughly mixing a resin and a hardening material, an exotherm reaction occurs.

This liquid becomes gel-like, then cured and eventually forms solid and strong surfaces.

Epoxy Resin and wood can work very well together and many Woodworkers are turning to epoxy resin for wood to create items like a river table, table top, casting resin to be turned an a lathe and many more.

Best Epoxy for Casting with Wood: Deep Pour Epoxy

Highly abrasive casting resins come in two parts. Part A is normally the Resin and Part B normally are the Hardener. When mixed the two parts of epoxy and hardener reacts and will then set (normally within an hour) to a high gloss surface.

There is a difference in the types of Epoxy Resin that you get:
Art Epoxy Resin
Table Top Epoxy Resin
Casting Epoxy Resin
Deep Casting Epoxy Resin

The art and table top epoxy resin normally has a thickness layer of 5mm while the Casting can be used to cast depths of 50mm and Deep casting resin can be poured up to 100mm thicknesses. This differs from manufacturer and the manufacturer’s instructions should be follow.

This Casting Epoxy and Deep Casting Epoxy can be used as the casting material for casting, river table, or live edges among many other applications.

Art Epoxy works well with Cutting boards and Charcuterie Boards, Epoxy Jewelry, and small Art Items.

Table Top Epoxy Resin is mainly used for Counter Tops, Covering Table Tops.

Most epoxy resins contain UV blocking agents so that they should not turn yellow over time. In my experience I have found to still keep them out of the direct sunlight.

Curing Times for different Epoxy Resins

Art Epoxy and Table Top Epoxy normally dries overnight

Casting Epoxy takes two days to dry.

The deep-pour process can sometimes take 3-5 days to dry. It can take between 30 and 60 hours for it to harden. The duration varies with temperatures. and all of the epoxies normally takes 7 days to fully cure.

For Sealing: Crystal Clear Tabletop Coating

Table Top Epoxy Resin provides excellent performance and produces a beautiful, clear coating that can easily be usedon Table Tops and Live Edge Tables. Once cured, resin is durable and suitable for scratches or water. Ideal for bars and river tables. Its application is possible across many types of surfaces including wood.

Wood and Epoxy goes very well together, but the wood surface needs to be carefully prepared and clean from from dust and oil. Epoxy Resin is self leveling and crystal clear. When you use epoxy on a wooden surface be sure to use crystal clear epoxy resin. Quality matters and different Epoxy brands can give different results.

Epoxy Resin Layer Thickness for each casting

It’s important to think about the thickness of the resin epoxy that you are going to cast. Epoxy with a low viscosity (think of it as thickness) will heat up the most. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when it comes to application. For instance, if you have a piece of wood that you just want to cover with a thin layer of epoxy, you will use a Table Top Epoxy to set quickly without generating too much heat. Should you leave the same epoxy in a container that is for example 50mm deep, it will heat up fairly quickly and your epoxy resin will get damaged.

In the case of river tables, you should use Deep Casting Epoxy and the curing process will look completely different. You can do a thicker layer of epoxy in wood with Deep Casting resin without producing all that heat.

If we exceed these amounts, the resin and hardener reactions produce massive heat, which may cause the resin harden immediately. The resin can leave sagging residues that don’t match your expectations.

Epoxy resin and stained wood

Epoxy resin is also suitable for stained timbers. To be certain it’s all working properly, you can do a test project. Most colors can be worked on, but it’s best to try a bit first to avoid damage. It’s always best to dry everything before starting. It’s also advisable to use a stain that’s UV-resistant to avoid damage. If your epoxy needs to be removed, you’ll want to reconsider this because it will be very long to get it done.

Wooden Surfaces must be free of oil and dust, especially if you work on stained wood. Epoxy for wood can bring out the wood color and your piece of wood will reward you with a unique pattern and color.

Epoxy resin and shrinkage

Epoxy resin is lighter than polyester resin, which causes more damage but has some potential problems. If resin shrinkage occurs it could mean you will see areas which you believed covered but were not completely covered. Another layer is needed again and it takes a lot of time and money. Buy quality epoxy resin with the smallest shrinkage. The product will obviously have high quality to provide the highest reliability of results.

I have found that shrinkage on resin and wood is not that much of a problem. It is however worth mentioning that Epoxy is mixed by weight and not by volume, as these differs for the resin and hardener.

Epoxy Resin Guide to Sealing Wood

Your work environment is essential when applying epoxy. The environment should be clean without dust and the temperature within the environment should be similar. I prefer it to be neither cold or hot when I mix and apply epoxy resin. This helps you obtain high output with minimal difficulty. The best epoxy resin to seal wood, in my opinion, is Pourpoxy Table Top Epoxy. This product reaches medium-high viscosity and cures hard on durable surfaces. The epoxy resin and wood gel together, and forms a crystal clear finish on the wooden surface.

Resin Epoxy Firmness and Resistance to Heat

Depending on its properties epoxy resin can differ. The soft resin can be damaged with scratches, while the tough resin can withstand more scratches. Wood Epoxy however are not very scratch resistant. Always look for the high quality epoxy resin and make sure you know what the D-Shore hardness is. Working with Epoxy Resin is an art and learning it comes with experience.

I have been making Epoxy tables for some time now, and I still learn about epoxy, especially about the curing process as it determines the outcome of each project. Always follow manufacturers instructions and mixing ratios to ensure best results when using epoxy resin for wood.

Epoxy Resin and UV Protection

Crystal clear epoxy resin is widely available but does yellow. For epoxy resin to be used outdoors, it is important to use UV resistant resin. When manufacturers mix epoxy resin, they add an additive which produces a UV resistant property. They are however not always added and can differ from epoxy to epoxy and uv rays can easily damage your project. Ask your manufacturer for advice on this.

Working with epoxy resin can be very rewarding but also very challenging at times. There are many issues like UV resistant properties, bubbles, curing time, resin mixture, chemical reaction and many others factors that can damage your project.

UV rays has a big impact on resin projects and can damage the surface of the epoxy resin if it is not uv resistant.

Preparing the Wood Surface

Epoxy resin is more stable at a warmer temperature. Many people like to put the epoxy resin in warm water before casting. This is not something that I do, nor do I recommend it, not that I think it is wrong. Warmer temperatures affect the flow of the epoxy resin and has an influence on the self leveling properties.

Use epoxy cautiously and follow manufacturer’s instructions. Although epoxy resin is mainly non toxic, certain chemical reactions can make things difficult.

Epoxy resin sealing wood surfaces

Epoxy resin is an excellent choice for sealing wooden surfaces. Upon application, wood becomes water-proof and protected from scratches. You can also cover photos, glass, concrete and many other surfaces with table top epoxy resin.

Wood with epoxy resin layer looks amazing if it was properly done. The life of the wood, so to speak, comes out once you pour that layer of epoxy resin on the piece of wood it comes alive. This is always the best part of the project for me when I am working with Epoxy Resin.

The Epoxy Resin can also be challenging, to say the least, when you use epoxy resin. Air bubbles is one of the huge challenges, especially for beginners. Use a heat gun to remove them or use the Pourpoxy Bubble Pop Spray. These will help you get rid of the air bubbles on the epoxy surface and gives it a glass like finish. Also make sure you seal the wood with a thin layer of epoxy, sand it down with an orbital sander after it is dry, and then apply your final layer of resin epoxy.

Some other problems with epoxy resin comes with the preparation of the surface. Epoxy Resin has a chemical reaction and can react counter to what you expect, especially if there is something on the wood surface that it reacts to.

Make sure that you seal around the surface with a first layer of epoxy resin and let it dry overnight.

Using Epoxy Resin to Repair Wood

To find the most appropriate solution you must know the exact problem. You can find wood which rots in the absence of moisture. In some cases you’ll need to replace damaged timber for something more durable. It is important to make sure that the surface is dry and clean from any dust. You should get rid of all dust, bark and lose pieces of wood, or they will come back to haunt you when you do that final layer thickness of epoxy resin. Once the resin cures, there is nothing that you can do to repair it if it has dust caught up in the project.

Epoxy Resin is normally used to fill up cracks in wood. You can use epoxy pigments to get various different effects, especially in river tables. Sometimes an Epoxy Pigment with a metallic effect, can make a huge difference to a wooden surface.

Wood and Epoxy goes very well together. River Tables and Counter Tops are a good example of this.

Mixing the resins

These two materials (resins and hardeners) must be mixed to a specific mixture. to get good results with Epoxy Resin. Stir the mixture for 2 minutes, add it to another container and mix it for another 2 minutes. The reason for this is that the epoxy resin can get stuck to the side of the mixing cups and mot mix properly, which can be a problem. The resin mixture should be accurate for the curing process to be effective. The curing time can also be influenced by the wrong resin mixture.

Wear nitrile gloves for safety with epoxy resins. Not only is it much safer and protects your skin, but resin and hardener can quickly become a messy business if you are not careful.

The mix ratio is listed on the packaging. In the market there are now different mixing ratios. Epoxy resins generally come with resin and hardener packaged in exactly what quantities are required. Plastic spatula or wood spatula can be used when mixing. The mixing ratio is important. If you do not adhere to the mixing ratio, your epoxy project can be damaged. The mixing ratio is normally indicated on the container.

The mixing ratio for different epoxy products differs, and is influenced by the type of epoxy.

How to calculate mixing ratios

During my Epoxy Resin Workshops, I very often have to explain how to work out the mixing ratios.

Pourpoxy Table Top Epoxy for instance comes with a mixing ratio of

Part A : 100 and Part B : 60

Add the 100 and 60 to give you 160

Then take the amount of epoxy resin that you want to mix, say for example 350g and divide it by 160 to give you 2,1875

Now multiply this number (2,1875) by 100 for Part A and by 60 for Part B

2,1785 x 100 = 219,75 grams of Part A

2,1785 x 60 – 131,25 grams of Part B

By sticking to the correct mixing ratios, your resin and hardener should give you a perfect end result.

For more on mixing epoxy you can check out my video on YouTube about “How to mix Epoxy“.

Sanding Epoxy Resin for wood

Sanding is an important step in the Epoxy Resin Process, and there are many ways in which you can treat epoxy resin for wood. You can choose to leave the final layer of wood epoxy resin to form a glass like finish or you can sand down and polish the epoxy resin to a finish that you prefer.

To get a perfect final layer you should apply a thin layer of epoxy resin on the wood and then let it dry overnight. Sand it down until it makes an even white layer, and then apply the final layer of resin epoxy. Make sure to sand down around the surface as well if you want to cover the sides with epoxy resin. The quality resin and hardener that you use is important.

Once your final layer of epoxy resin is cured, you might want to sand it down and polish it again. This is a process, and includes wet sanding with up to 2000 grit sand paper. If you want to know more about this, I recommend you check out my YouTube video on “How to polish Epoxy“. Wet sanding is not that difficult, but there is a specific way to do it correct.

When buying your resin kit for your projects, it is important to ensure that you get a crystal clear epoxy resin for wood that are of high quality.

Different properties of resin products

Epoxy resin has two components and can be cleaned, polished as soon as it has properly cured. The shrinkage is significantly lower for epoxy resin compared with polyester and polyurethane resin.

There are many different products to use and selecting a suitable one is important. It is sometimes referred to as an epoxy consolidant.

The best epoxy resins we recommend can be found at E-Poxy as it is of very high quality.

Most high quality Epoxy Resins are very self leveling and when you pour the epoxy resin it should give you a glass like finish. When building a river table, the wood and epoxy should bind very well and you need an epoxy consolidant which is of high quality. Epoxy resin is expensive, and you don’t want to waste your money on inferior epoxy resin for wood.

Surface Hardness

Different Epoxy resins have different hardness. We measure the hardness of epoxy resin in D-Shore scale, which is a measurement to test all epoxies and plastics.

Table Top and especially Counter Top Epoxy will have a much higher D-Shore hardness than a Casting or a Deep Casting Epoxy.

Use epoxy resin that fits your project. If you need Counter Top Epoxy, make sure the D-Shore Hardness is around 90.

UV Protection / Resistance to Yellowing

UV Rays has an effect of Epoxy Resin and you should choose an Epoxy Consolidant with a good UV Resistance. The resin generally appears clear but can occasionally turn yellow due to sun light. High-end resins offer excellent UV resistance that will not yellow in outdoor and home use.

Best Epoxy Resins for Wood in 2022

The best epoxy is the epoxy that fits your project. With that said, some epoxy is better quality than others. Good quality epoxy resins are less prone to air bubbles. The following are considerations when looking for the Best Epoxy Resin for Wood.

Epoxy Resin that is Great for Casting

Epoxy casting is not always so easy. It’s not just mixing it into the mould. This could lead to terrible consequences.

First of all you have to consider the size of your project. The curing process and curing time are both influences in casting epoxy resin. When you have a larger area to cover, you need a slower curing epoxy resin to ensure that the epoxy does not heat up excessively. Overheating of an epoxy consolidant can have bad consequences. The surface depth of the project also have an influence on the curing process.

Extremely glossy

With Resin art and cutting boards, you want to have a surface which is glossy . When using epoxy resin for Art Purposes, high quality epoxy with a low viscosity is the best to use. The curing time for Art Epoxy is shorter than that for casting epoxies. It can be used on wood, photographs, canvasses, painting, glass, concrete and many more.

A small piece of wood covered in high gloss epoxy resin makes a very nice item.

Epoxy Resin is Safe, but not 100% Food Safe

Most Epoxy Resins is marketed as safe and nontoxic, but its marketing may be somewhat misleading. Most people reckon than once epoxy resin has cured, it is food safe and non-toxic.

Although I use my epoxy resin cutting boards to place food on, I can not vouch for them to be food safe and non toxic. The surface of hardened Epoxy resin looks safe to use, but I am not an expert on that. Maybe you can give us your opinion in the comments.

Consistency issues with epoxy resins

When covering a surface with an epoxy consolidant, you want the result to be consistent, whether it is a wood surface, or any other surface. Especially when you are involved in resin art, you want to be able to predict the outcome of your project.

Consistency has very much to do with quality resin. The higher the quality of the epoxy, the more consistent the end result will be. It is just not worth the effort and money to use inferior liquid epoxy products. High quality epoxy resin cures better than low quality resins, and even if the results are just a little bit off, it will make a huge difference.

Epoxy that Stops further rotting

Its waterproofing properties are ideal for projects involving driftwood and other partially decayed wood. Once you have casted the epoxy into the mould with your wood or flowers, it always has the chance to still decay even further. This has nothing to do with the epoxy resin, it is simply how it works.

It is therefore important that you clean and dry the object that you want to cast in the casting molds as much as possible. The wooden surface needs to be cleaned properly and you should leave as little as possible of the loose matter and dust. People add all sort of items in resin art, and that is fine, because that is what the art project is about. But if you keep the surface clean then you should be ok.

Epoxy Resin Temperature and mixing

The most essential component is the temperature inside the workplace while mixing. This is a very important moment. You have to keep room as close as possible to 65° – 80° Fahrenheit or 18° – 26° degrees Celsius, which is the range manufacturers say is needed in most Epoxy Resins.

Mixing is important. Make sure your mixing cups are clean and your work surface is clean and well prepared.

No time flat

East Coast Resin Epoxy is extremely high grade and it can be cured very quickly and easily. Firstly, if it comes to working time, there are only a few epoxies that match the 30-min time limit for East Coast Resin. The cure time of the epoxy also falls between 16 – 20 hours depending on the amount of layers applied and the number of layers used. However this is the app itself and its preparation is more difficult to use as it demands more consistency than most of what others have suggested.

Easy. Easy

It is not the easiest thing to use but has many features to provide comfort to the user. Although the SRC epoxy is not the quickest in most categories, it has at the same end time as our quickest at between 16 hours. It’s even better with its excellent early cure time of 40 minutes, which gives an additional 10 minutes of work time for users. Even experienced experts might feel frustrated by the additional 10 minute waiting, new consumers and DIYers are sure to enjoy it.

Fully protected against UV damage

UV protection can be divided into two pillars: UV stabilizer and HALS additive. The first one prevents yellowing and peeling caused by sun UV radiation but the other prevents them permanently. Evidently, most epoxy products do not contain this ingredient. This product provides UV protection in all its forms and is therefore ideal for use outdoors. Outdoor activities are no problem. If it is used in coating, it can become the final product the item needs.

Surprising performance

Although the surprise may seem quite outspoken without much knowledge of the business, Pro Marine Supplies has created some of the best products that I have ever seen. In addition, the formula contains a non-VOC based formula lowering respiratory symptoms and cancer-related cancer-causing effects, and is one of the most stable resins available today. It has an extremely large area and has blush protection as well.

Less Prone To Bubbling

How should we use pressure cookers for correct epoxy casting? Whenever the material has been melted or molded without any tension, it absorbs air into the atmosphere. Eventually there can be many bubbles in a resultant product. Even in your molds it is good to have something that doesn’t have the chance to bubble. The situation can be quite disruptive to work.

Like a Professional

A major feature of MAS Epoxie resin is its ability to make professionals understand that DIYer will follow their own course. MAS resin took away some of the guess work and provided a complete kit and step-by-step instructions. The application of MAS epoxy is also very easy as it is a lot easier on the skin and more efficient on the skin than some products.

Important considerations for wood and resin projects

When you work on wood or resin you must keep in mind that most hardwoods can change their thickness depending on the surrounding temperature and moisture. This means the wood volume will change a little bit causing problems when glued with epoxy resins. The epoxy product must be chosen for its use on wood. When assessing epoxy options for wood it’s essential to consider:

Layer thickness

When preparing multiple layer resin you must always follow manufacturer’s recommendations. This happens primarily in casting molds where your resin choice affects your thickness. Resins with too much thickness cause epoxy to overheat causing uneven cure of epoxy. Thicker coatings also cause more bubbles because the pockets of air are trapped by hardened resins and can’t escape the surface of the surface. Low tensile materials make casting molds a very effective method as they have thin consistency allowing for casting thicker layers.

Temperatures

The drying process has an essential role in reusing resin because during this time surface hardens. Whenever an interruption occurs in the treatment procedure, there’ll be uneven surfaces – some are softer and permeable while others are characterized by a high degree of durability and scratches resistance. It is important that both resins can be regulated by a temperature environment. Therefore, you must always adhere to manufacturer’s recommended temperatures when working on the resin.

UV-Resistance

Epoxy resin is produced as a transparent substance and may be colored and used for top coatings. In a coating, epoxy must cure as quickly and efficiently as possible to avoid cracks. Although epoxy surfaces are highly resistant they can be yellow and fade when exposed to ultraviolet rays. Hence, choosing the resin that is UV resistant is important when the resin can be exposed to sunlight.

Shrinkage

Epoxy resin is less susceptible to shrinkage than polyethylene resin although it varies depending upon its quality. Resins less expensive may shrink when cured and reveal open space in a previously unrecovered area of the surface. For a more durable wood, you can buy an excellent product formulated for low shrinkage from the beginning.

How to seal wood with Wood Epoxy?

Crystal-clear epoxy resins provide a great means of attracting attention to its natural beauty. You can use resin to seal and repair the wood and also increase the durability of the material against scratches, scrapes & damage. It is possible to use a resin sealer on wood of the following types. You want a good ventilation area with large and dry spaces.

Casting Wood in Epoxy Resin

Casting Wood and other objects in casting epoxy creates amazing art pieces. There is such a wide variety of items that you can make, that it is almost impossible to name all of them.

Items can include Pens, Jewelry, driftwood for lamps, flowers, medallions, coffee beans, pine cones and many more.

When casting a mold, it is important to know the thickness in which the resin can be casted. Different epoxies have different properties and if you cast the wrong epoxy too deep, it can heat up too much and damage the project.

It is also possible to cast various layers of epoxy on top of each other. The first layer has to dry before you can cast the next layer. If the layer has been dry for more than 7 days, you should sand it down lightly before casting the new layer. A 240 grit sandpaper is normally used for this.

Bubbles can pose a problem in casting epoxy and you should take great care to ensure that the bubbles are out before the epoxy sets. Using a heat gun and Pourpoxy Bubble Pop Spray should take care of it. It also helps if you use a high quality epoxy resin.

Finishing Casted Epoxy Items

Finishing Epoxy Resin correctly is important because it can make or break the project. Having a glass like finish is important. But how do you accomplish it?

You should always let the Epoxy cure for about 7 days before you start finishing it. When Epoxy is fully cured after the specified curing time, it is easier to sand it properly. You can plane, router, saw or sand down Epoxy once it is cured. This help you to form the Epoxy in any shape that you want.

Start out with 60 grit sandpaper and work it all the way up to 2000 grit before you start polishing it with a polisher and some polishing paste the ensure a glass like surface.

Wood preparation

Wood can be made from wood before coating with epoxy resin or putting in epoxy resin. The orbital sander should not damage large surfaces like wood tables. Tip : Before dumping, measure bubble depth by checking if wood surfaces are level. The epoxy resin will otherwise just flow to the lower end and not spread to the desired extent.

Sealing Wood

Epoxy resin can protect and waterproof the surface of wood. Typical applications for such applications include securing tabletop surfaces, laying out wood boards for cooking or furniture. Sealing kitchen floorboards and wood floors is also possible using it. Applications are unlimited, as we have already demonstrated.

How to use Epoxy Resin on Wood?

Once the wood was poured in Step 1 and the resin mixed in, you were ready for work. Its most difficult problem lies with fluidity: if the resin isn’t cured, then it flows quickly where it will.

Coloring Resin to Create Contrast with Wood

Resin is usually used as a clear substance and is easily colored. There are many possibilities for the application of transparent colours or transparent fluids. Normal acrylic paint will fail if there is water. It is possible to use the following paint in combination with all epoxy resins:

Filling Wood with Epoxy Resin

Depending on the materials used, you can get various shapes, some with knots that give the pieces their unique character. If your work surfaces are flat like a table, and you need to preserve those imperfections, it will help fill in the cracks. Tell me the process of doing it?

Woodworking Epoxy Supplies

In addition to preparing wood for restoration and repair projects we have detailed step-by-step instructions. The project needs various materials. Below is an extensive list of most commonly used woodworking epoxy materials.

Casting wood in resin (Resin Casting)

Beautiful pieces of wood fully cast in resin. Pieced wood with luminous grain or fine burling would be perfect. In some cases epoxy jewellery can be made using wood pieces as turners.

Tutorial for Casting Wood in Resin

There are 2 possible ways to view this product: See on Amazon. See on Amazon. For such a procedure, you’ll have a resin panel sealed by silicone caulking followed by a silicone oil application. If you do not use covered sheets, the resin is bonded to the panel and you cannot release the mold from the mold.

Best Wood Epoxy Recommendations

It is easy to get good results from this professional product. They have comparatively low shrinkage, a high flow rate and excellent compatibility. It’s a good epoxy for wood.

Epoxy Wood Filler – Filling and Repairing Wood Filler

Often old weathered wood pieces eaten by woodworms or gnaring pieces of wood have no value for carpenters. It can also be filled with resin to create an artistic effect.

How to fill cracks in wood with Epoxy?

You may want to fill the boards first with holes that do not exist and that resin cannot be sucked from them. These types of holes are sealable using a tape or silicone sealant that will quickly disappear after removal. Then fill the cavities by adding resins. It would also make sense to color resin so the resin has an effect against wood colors in the filling areas. The possibility for dyes and paints to be illuminated under blacklight is equally great as well. Once epoxy has dried out, the epoxy must be cleaned and dried.

What is the best Epoxy Resin for Wood?

There are several different kinds of resin that can best suit different kinds of woodworking projects. The best epoxy for wood depends upon the outcome of the piece.