5 Things I Have Learned Working with Epoxy Resin

Hi, I'm Emily. I'm a DIYer, and I also have ADHD, and my hyper-fixation the last few months is using epoxy resin on these gorgeous slabs of wood. I've learned a lot doing this and have worked on six different boards, and so I wanted to share the top five things I've learned so you don't have to make the same mistakes I did!

5 Things I Have Learned Working with Epoxy Resin | 1) Over-Pour Only Within Reason

Over-pouring is a good thing, but don't overdo it! If you're working with a piece of wood with cracks or holes in it, you will need to do multiple pours of epoxy to get it to be the same level as the rest of the wood and you can only pour so much at a time in order for it to cure. Once you get the epoxy to the same spot where it's going to be level with your piece of wood, you WILL want to over pour so when you're done, you can sand it down and make sure it's all level before you do a top coat.

However, keep in mind that if you over-pour too much, you're going to spend DAYS sanding, like I did with the very first piece of wood I epoxied. I over-poured way too much and I ended up having a really thick layer of epoxy I needed to sand down. It probably took me about three days total to get this sanded down. It was really hard on my body and pretty annoying. Just be careful when you're over-pouring that you are not overdoing it so you don't have to sand later.

5 Things I Have Learned Working with Epoxy Resin | 2) Two Pours Are Always Needed

You will always need at least two pours of epoxy for it to be even, one pour is not going to do it. Even if you did a really thick pour and you think everything is even, go back and look again. You're going to find spots that did not get full coverage and you're going to have to do it again, and that's okay! Just go in expecting to do that. You also need to have 24 hours at least between each pour in order to let it cure.

5 Things I Have Learned Working with Epoxy Resin | 3) You CAN Drill Holes

You can drill holes into your epoxy! I would suggest doing it from the back of the board where no one's going to see the holes just in case. You're also going to end up with a cleaner hole on the other side when you do it this way. When I did this the first time, I was really worried about how it would impact the epoxy on the other side. I really worried it would crack or split and all of my work would be ruined. It turned out that it was totally fine! I did make sure to let the board cure for about two weeks completely before I drilled into it, so that made a difference, but it is possible! Not only is it possible, but it will look good, just be very careful when you do it and do it from the opposite side so it's cleaner.

5 Things I Have Learned Working with Epoxy Resin | 4) Change Your Clothes Immediately

Change your clothes as soon as you're done pouring and working with epoxy for the day. There's kind of a musty smell to epoxy once it's been mixed and it will stick to your clothes. I'm not exaggerating when I say it's a seriously gross smell that gets down to your socks. Whenever I do this, I make sure I have a change of clothes I can change into because I will reek of epoxy if I don't. I know, it's so bizarre, but I would highly recommend doing this!

5 Things I Have Learned Working with Epoxy Resin | 5) Leave it Outside to Cure

Like I said before, this stuff is STINKY! Make sure to leave the piece outside to fully cure and air out for at least a week after you've finished pouring the epoxy. When I say outside, I mean a covered, well-ventilated area like a shed or a garage. You don't want to just leave this outside in the open air. I learned the hard way that if you do not let it completely cure and air out, the room it's in will start smelling that musty smell I was talking about. I did that with our headboard and our room has just barely stopped smelling. I would highly recommend leaving this out to cure and to air out for at least a week, maybe 10 days, because then you're not going to have that smell issue.

I have really fallen in love with epoxy resin. I've loved really learning how to perfect this skill and it's something I will continue to do moving forward. I'm loving how these raw pieces of wood are looking now that I have figured out this really awesome way to preserve them and showcase them. You can shop all of my epoxy essentials below.

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