Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing 1989-2024
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Coating tables and bar tops with thick clear pourable plastic
Q. I use EX-74 to coat stained & sealed wooden boat transom signs that I make. While easy enough to get a nice clear finish, my problem is that the fingerprints left during the drip removal process (after 5 days of untouched curing) won't go away. I follow the mixing instruction to the tee, using 2 containers and placing hardener in first one (recommendation from ETI). Tried to use beeswax furniture polish to remove fingerprints...no luck...even left a couple new scratches in surface and dulled a small portion of sign. This is not the first time this has happened ... but a problem I don't remember having with the non-UV protected Envirotex Lite.
- Warren, Michigan, USA
November 21, 2012
Q. I wish to coat old books with a plastic (waterproof) coating that will protect them enough to be placed outside. These old books are made into bird houses. And I would like to, in effect, turn these books into a solid "slab" like a board. Ideally I am thinking that the liquid should be able to be "painted" on, all over the book, edges, etc. Any ideas? I would really appreciate any input. Thank you.
Lee Desmarais- Ashcroft B.C. Canada
February 12, 2013
A. Fiberglass resin should do the trick for getting the waterproofing you want. I would suggest a slow set resin thinned down with a styrene based thinner rather than acetone. You can heat cure the resin if you like (around 175-200 °C), but considering that it is books I think the standard catalyst should be used.
Marc Banks- Boone
February 24, 2013
A. Thank you for the response, I will be sure to try it..
best regards Lee
- Ashcroft. B.C. Canada
February 25, 2013
Q. My project is an outdoor bar. Can anyone tell me of an epoxy product that is UV protected and can handle the extreme range of temperatures we get in north Texas? From what I have read here the EX-74 will not stand up to freeze. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Scott Jones- Ft Worth, Texas, USA
August 4, 2013
Q. We just did a pour on epoxy on our bar top. Unfortunately we didn't do the seal step and there is a spot of bubbles that came afterwards and it is drying now. Is there a way to get this out and there is also some spots that didn't fill in like the rest, is it possible to put on a second thin coat to fill in?
Carole Strong- Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
August 25, 2013
Q. What great advice, tips & warnings! I'm now encouraged to do my own project (3 pc coffee table set).
Quick question: has anyone tried the "Rustin's Plastic Coating"?
If so, How did you like it?
Thank you for all your help (so much of it above, fabulous!)
Chantale
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada
September 12, 2013
Q. I have covered a dining room table w sand from different beaches and lots of flat seashells, sea fans, star fish, sharks teeth, seahorses ... etc. it turned out great. I didn't bother with torching the bubbles as to me the bubbles make it look like bubbles under the sea! It's COOL!
However I had to use too many small,
expensive packages of resin mix.
I know it's not cheap but I need to buy EX-74 in gallons. Several friends are now getting in line for me to do tables for them!
Anyone know where to buy gallons in Florida or online? Thanks a bunch!
- Sarasota, Florida, US
September 16, 2013
Q. THIS IS A CRAZY ENDEAVOR...creating a 'living room' area outside. It is down about three feet down from grass level, and found a unique corner I am turning into a small pond area. The colors are absolutely unique and there is a table rock across the bottom of part of the area. Rather than put a pond liner down that covers up the beauty, would it be possible to pour and spread this epoxy resin right on the dirt and rock to make a sealed pond effect that I could put water in? It would be in a shaded area. I really would like to do this or any other method that would show the 'dirt color' a beautiful rock through the medium. I have never handled this type of product before.
Evelyn Garrett- Nashville, Tennessee, USA
October 1, 2013
Q. I poured the Envirotex on my bottle cap table for the top coat finish it said it gives, and its been drying for 2 whole days now, and is still not dry. What should I do?
Elizabeth Wilson- Cedar Falls, Iowa, U.S.
November 5, 2013
Q. Yikes! Now I am scared. We live on a Gulf Island and I have created an 'antiqued' map of the island. My husband has created a kitchen island and we are about to to use EX-74 (recommended by our plastic store) to put the 2 together. I have the humidity down (not too easy this close to the water) and the temperature up, edges dammed and miles of plastic down. Any last minute advice?
Moira Laurie- Protection Island, Nanaimo BC Canada
November 16, 2013
A. Hi. My advice is to read the mixing instructions very carefully. The thing to remember is that 2-component coatings don't "dry", they "react". Without the proper amount of hardener, properly mixed in, they will remain wet and sticky forever.
Best of luck.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
November 19, 2013
Just to let you know it went very well. We followed the directions completely and it has dried hard and clear with no bubbles. It seems a little thin though, the edges of the map and a few wrinkles in the paper still show, so we think we might do another pour on the weekend after it has had a chance to really settle. It's been a fun project!
- Protection Island Nanaimo BC Canada
November 19, 2013
Cold weather coatings for bartop
Q. I am building a bar on my back deck and it will be under a roof. What I am looking for is a clear coat to put on the bar top like an epoxy resin but the trouble I have is I live in Pa. and I have heard horror stories about the epoxy cracking and peeling off in the cold states. Does anyone have suggestions for a glass finish that will withstand the cold weather? Thanks.
jodi
- Pennsylvania
March 21, 2014
A. Jodi,
Standard clear acrylic resin should do fine. Since I'm inclined to be a bit on the cheaper side I'd do a sheet of acrylic over the bar top and glue in place with something like Lexel. That way the acrylic sheet can expand and contract with the temperatures and won't have that sheering stress it would if attached.
Blacksmith - Lenoir, North Carolina USA
March 28, 2014
Q. I gave a glass top coffee table. The glass fits inside the table. Will it work to glue and epoxy pennies on the underside of the table top, leaving enough room around the edges for the glass to fit in when complete? Will the pennies stay adhered to the table upside down? Suggestions?
Thanks
Kim
- Pembroke, Massachusetts
May 3, 2014
A. Hi Kim. If the glass is clean and the pennies are clean, I think transparent Crazy Glue would work fine.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
May 2014
Q. I'm wanting to make a sand and seashell resin floor in my kitchen. It's a small kitchen, maybe 30 sq ft. How thick does it need to be? Is this even doable? Can it handle it if I had to pull out my refrigerator? Thanks for any help and advice.
Gary Randall- Florida, usa
May 14, 2014
A. Hi. If there is no air below the shells it doesn't sound to me like a refrigerator or anything else would break the coating if the floor under it doesn't flex. And it sounds like a very cool project. But we must learn to crawl before we walk, and I personally would not attempt such a large, questionably satisfactory, and non-fixable project without prior experience. For example, what happens if the coating doesn't harden and remains gummy? Play with the coating on something smaller first :-)
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
May 2014
Is there any solution to epoxy that didn't harden?
Q. I admit that I am at fault. I must not have stirred the ingredients for a long enough period of time because it has not fully hardened and it's been 2 days. I am writing to see if there is anything at all I can do to salvage the project. I love it and so want to be able to keep it.
I placed mirror and slate on a black painted background then poured the clear Enviro-Tech mixture over the whole thing as a counter top. The first time I poured it, it settled and hardened beautifully...but I needed more material to finish the job. I waited a couple of days and then finished the job. It looks beautiful but it feels tacky. It has been raining for the past few days so I am hoping that the moisture in the air may contribute to a slower drying time.
If you have any suggestions at all, I would greatly appreciate your help. Thank you.
Ellen Dokton
- Weare,New Hampshire USA
May 24, 2014
A. Hi Ellen. I doubt that humidity has anything to do with it, as these two-component coatings don't "dry" through the evaporation of water, they "cure" through a chemical reaction between the components.
Nobody has ever written to this site with a solution to epoxy that didn't harden because of too little hardener, but that doesn't necessarily mean there is no solution. I think I'd try painting the tacky finish with a very light coat of the hardener and see what happens. With luck, it will harden and leave only an oily film of excess hardener that you can wipe up after allowing plenty of curing time. It's probably worth a try.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
May 2014
Q. Thanks, Ted. I will definitely try your suggestion and get back to you. I really appreciate your help.
Quick question - Should I do another mixture of the material or simply use the hardener?
Ellen Dokton [returning]- Weare, New Hampshire USA
May 25, 2014
A. Hi Ellen. Again, I've personally never heard of anyone achieving success with poorly mixed and sticky epoxy, so I'm only suggesting something to try, not promising a solution.
But the hardener is an oily solution, and I believe you will be able to wipe up any unreacted hardener. So I'm suggesting that you try just applying hardener, hoping that it will react with any uncured epoxy, and hoping that the excess will wipe up fairly easily. You might experiment first, making a small sample batch of material with two little hardener, and apply it to scrap, then apply this second wash of hardener and see if it hardens and can be cleaned up.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
May 2014
Q. We have built a counter top and poured Famowood Glaze. There a few puck marks. It looks great and the marks can be fixed.
We HATE the fact that our coffee cups leaves dents! The glaze can only take 120 degrees. And also that the glaze is flexible. If we leave the mixer on the countertop it leaves foot marks from the mixer that are to disappear after awhile(self-leveling). We know it also needs to be sealed because food types will stain the glaze deep into the epoxy.
We want to know if there is an epoxy we can pour over our cured epoxy glaze. That can tolerate extreme heat(like 200 degrees) as well as finishes out hard without the flex of Famowood Clear Glaze.
DIY - Reamstown, Pennsylvania USA
September 26, 2014
Q. I would like to paint my walls in my bathroom with a clear Polyurethane, the walls will be Opal. I plan to seal the whole washroom to use a power spray to wash it with.
Can I use this to do walls and ceilings?
Any help would be appreciated.
- Toronto Canada
November 8, 2014
Q. I want to do a round table about 5 foot diameter. I'm wanting to place some coins and mostly matchbook covers. have used a router for a nice 1/2 inch round edge. Do I have to make a border around the edge or can I just do multiple coats that run over the edge.
Frank Thomas- Newport Michigan USA
November 25, 2014
A. Years ago there was a product called "liquid plastic". it was a one-part product primarily used to finish wood. Does anyone know if it is still available and at what retail outlets?
I used it as a wood hardener/preservative by thinning it down with paint thinner and then letting it soak into the "dryrot" wood and had pretty good results. it was a lot cheaper than using Minwax's wood hardener.
- des moines, iowa
November 21, 2014
Q. I have some 2" thick oak planks that have been cut from old warehouse timbers. The wood is filled with cracks, worm holes, knot holes, and other imperfections which give it character. I am making a table top out of it and am looking for advice on how to fill those imperfections but still allow them to be visible. I want a relatively smooth, matte or satin finish when complete, not glossy.
Jim Petek- Athens, Alabama USA
January 15, 2015
A. Hi, I'm responding to the question regarding the reclaimed oak planks. I use a two part 50/50 epoxy all the time to fill any nail holes, checks, dry rot etc. that I want to fill or stabilize yet remain visible. You need to make sure the product won't run out the bottom of the piece, so after applying a few sealer coats on the bottom I always heavily tape anywhere I think it might flow out as it's so expensive and it WILL find somewhere to flow if it can. I preheat both containers with a hair dryer ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] prior to combining and continue with heat as I mix which I do slowly as not to create excess bubbles. My product I stir 4min. then pour into another container and stir additional 2 min. The heat creates a virtual bubble free mix and aids the flow. I fill all holes etc. and let sit over night as they almost always settle below the surface which I then refill just above surface and sand down after hardening flush with surface. it is now ready for a good over pour. To achieve matte finish I then overspray with dull lacquer which maintains clarity while muting the high gloss. (Note: small holes such as wormholes take several rounds of filling as air gets trapped and takes time to come to surface.)
Tom PowersReclaimed wood - Ontario, Canada
March 15, 2015
Q. So I'm refinishing my kitchen table and I'm making a luminescent table and want to put a high gloss epoxy finish. What epoxy allows UV light to go through to get the full effect of the glow powder?
Mario ortiz- Grain valley, Missouri
February 5, 2015
Q. I make a lot of wood things -- beds, kitchen tables ... and I have used good wood for these. my daughter wants a country kitchen table. I'm going to use some oak I have and it has knots in it and some thin cracks. all of these are in the middle of the planks. I want to fill them with a clear poly -- something like EX-74. I wanted to tape the bottom, then pour in the poly stuff to level; sand; then put a poly coating over it. Any idea as to what substance to use?
richard merriss- alvaton, Kentucky
February 25, 2015
Fixing a sticky epoxy tabletop
Q. I recently made a table, with thousands on bottle caps on the top. I sealed it with a two bottle expo resin that was mixed together. I let the table dry for about 4 days, and I thought it was done. The first day, a box was sat on the table and part of the cardboard stuck to the table. Obviously the table was not done drying, but now I have a huge "peeled paper" look on the top of the table. I have tried every cleaner and Goo Gone to get it off. Nothing seems to work. Can I sand the top and reapply a new layer of the epoxy resin? Or will this make the table cloudy? I'm not sure what to do and I don't want to make the table any worse.
Thank you for your help!
- Mansfield, Texas, USA
March 29, 2015
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