Which Epoxy to Use For Your Project - A Complete Epoxy Guide
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Ever found yourself in the sticky situation of choosing the perfect epoxy for your creative escapades? Worry not, because we're here to un-muddle the resin riddle! 🤔
Epoxy vs. Resin - What's the Deal?
It's a common misconception, but epoxy is actually just one of the four types of resin. While epoxy is considered a resin, it's mainly used for bonding, sealing, surface coating, casting, or encapsulating. There are four major types of two-part epoxies we'll discuss below, but there are more materials we call "resin" beyond epoxy. A resin can be any one of the following - epoxy, polyurethane, polyester (also known as fiberglass resin), and silicone! They all have different chemical properties and can be used for different applications. And some are trickier than others 🤔 BUT....let's just talk epoxy for now.
The Fantastic Four: Types of Epoxy
Ready to dive into the epoxy pool? Here's a quick tour of our fab four:
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UV-Resistant: This is probably one of the most popular epoxies out there and for good reason. You'll want to use a UV-resistant epoxy for coating art work, tumblers, clear thin pours, and really...anything that you don't want to have yellow so quickly. It's a common misconception, but given enough time all yellow will resin, so those projects you want to protect for as long as possible...go with the UV resistance. It's a thin resin like Table Top and has a similar working and cure time.
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Deep Pour: Think 3D! Great for molds, figurines, and deep-pour projects like river tables. It's thinner, takes its sweet time to cure, and allows thicker pours. Patience is key here! ⏳
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Surface Coating Epoxy: Not just for bars and tables! This resin is ideal for unique projects like penny tables or bottle cap decorations. It's thicker, cures faster, and is super user-friendly. But you can only pour it 1/4" at a time so if you're looking for something with a larger pour depth you'll want to go with a Deep Pour Epoxy 🍹🔨
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Marine Grade Epoxy Resin: Ahoy, sailors! For boat repairs, this is your best mate. It sticks better than polyester, doesn't shrink, and fights off water like a champ. 🚤💪
There you have it, friends! Whether you're a seasoned pro or a budding beginner, there's an epoxy type just for you. If you ever have any questions about which type of epoxy to use for your project just give us a call and we'll walk you through it!