Epoxycraft
Menu
  • About
  • Epoxy Basics
  • How To
    • DIY
    • Artists
    • Board Sports
    • Woodworking
    • Boat Building
  • Trade Secrets
  • Projects
    • DIY
    • Artists
    • Board Sports
    • Woodworking
    • Boat Building
    • Motorsport
    • Aviation
    • Architecture
  • Meet The Maker
  • News
  • Contribute
  • Contact

Trade Secrets: TRADE SECRET: How to create the perfect epoxy coating on wood
28th December 2014

WEST SYSTEM® epoxy is an invaluable resource for creating a clear coating that showcases both the beauty of the wood grain and gives you four times the thickness of a single coat of polyurethane. In just a few simple steps, you can achieve a beautiful, bubble-free wooden surface using epoxy resin.

Bubbles are a frustrating side effect of epoxy coating that can make your clear-coated wood finish appear unattractive and rough. It is important, therefore, to remove all the air bubbles before the epoxy gels as this can lead to the bubbles being trapped within the coating or popping and creating a sharp ridge.

Preparing the surface

To create a clear coating, it’s vital to prepare the surface thoroughly. Surfaces ready for coating should be clean, dry and free from any contamination. Then sand down the surface and vacuum up any extra dust to avoid any bubbles, blisters or other damage to the quality of your coating. Any contamination on the surface can result in the coating reticulating, a phenomena where the epoxy beads together and creates dry spots.

For superior clear coatings, sanding with the grain will enhance the aesthetics of the finished part. Naturally oily woods such as teak should have the surface oiliness removed with acetone and paper towels.

The working environment can play a large part in the quality of the finished coating and a dry dust free environment will obviously give better results. Importantly the temperature of the workplace, the temperature of the wood and the temperature of the epoxy should all be similar. 18°C would be a comfortable working temperature.

It would be a big mistake to apply cold epoxy onto a wood surface that is being heated as this would cause the air in the wood fibre to expand. This is known as ‘outgassing’ and can cause air bubbles to be trapped in the coating, or ‘cratering’ and ‘pitting’ as the bubbles leave the surface.

Epoxy that is cold, or becomes cold when meeting a cold surface, will be difficult to brush or roll out and will be applied too thickly, which can result in an uneven coating.

Applying the epoxy

Once your surface is fully prepared, you can start applying the epoxy. It is advisable to apply multiple thin coats rather than a single, thick coat. best results are achieved by applying the epoxy evenly. The ‘roll on and tip off’ method is a great way to do this – ‘roll on’ a thin layer of epoxy with a foam roller and then ‘tip off’ by dragging another roller, cut into sections, across it to leave the surface both level and free from air bubbles. The yellow WEST SYSTEM® 800 (7” ) roller sleeves are superb for this application.

With some coarse grain timbers the first coat may be quite rough and lift some wood fibre from the surface. If this happens then stop, allow the coating to cure and then sand the surface until it is smooth ready for the next coating application.

Once the epoxy is as tacky as masking tape, apply the next coat. If you can’t make a fingernail impression in the coating, wait until that coat has cured and then wash any amine blush away before abrading the surface ready for the next coat. Whilst the epoxy cures, gently apply a dry heat source, such as a hot air blower (or propane torch used with extreme care), to remove any air bubbles. Warming the epoxy will reduce the viscosity, thus enabling the air to escape more easily.

For the best results:

  • Prepare surfaces scrupulously – make sure your surface is dry, free of dust and other contaminants, and thoroughly abraded.
  • Use WEST SYSTEM 207 Special Coating Hardener® . This will cure with limited blush in a good environment. Also the mixed epoxy flows out beautifully as the viscosity is ideal for clear coating.
  • Apply multiple thin coats using a foam roller and tip off the surface after each coat. You will typically need 2-4 coats, ideally applied once the previous coat becomes tacky.
  • If you are coating a surface that will be used outdoors, it’s important to apply a UV resistant clear coating over the epoxy. Whilst the WEST SYSTEM 207 Special Coating Hardener contains a good UV inhibitor, you will still need an additional UV resistant coat to protect the epoxy from the eroding effects of sunlight.

If followed correctly, you should end up with a smooth, aesthetically pleasing clear coating that you can be proud of – bubble and blister free.

For more information on using epoxy to get a perfect coating, click here.


Share on


Back to trade-secrets

Subscribe to our newsletter
Our unique epoxy knowledge and experience, delivered straight to you

Events

RYA Dinghy Show 2023 25th-26th February 2023

What is epoxy?

Epoxy Projects

Breaking the record – Hydroplane Part 2

  • 20th July 2022
Read More

Working With Epoxy In Warm Weather – Top Tips

  • 15th July 2022
Read More

Multi-Mission M-Class by Ultimate Boats

  • 15th June 2022
Read More
1234567
1234567
  • Home
  • Epoxy Basics
  • Projects
    • DIY
    • Artists
    • Board Sports
    • Woodworking
    • Boat Building
    • Motorsport
    • Architecture
    • Aviation
  • Trade Secrets
  • How To
    • DIY
    • Artists
    • Board Sports
    • Boat Building
    • Woodworking
  • News
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contribute
  • Contact
West System
Pro-Set
Entropy Resins
Subscribe to our newsletter
Copyright © 2023 Epoxycraft | Website by MAA
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
CookieDurationDescription
bcookie2 yearsLinkedIn sets this cookie from LinkedIn share buttons and ad tags to recognize browser ID.
langsessionThis cookie is used to store the language preferences of a user to serve up content in that stored language the next time user visit the website.
lidc1 dayLinkedIn sets the lidc cookie to facilitate data center selection.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
_ga_91ZH5F88XM2 yearsThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics.
_gat_gtag_UA_103456315_31 minuteThis cookie is set by Google and is used to distinguish users.
_gid1 dayInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
CONSENT16 years 3 months 20 days 13 hours 3 minutesThese cookies are set via embedded youtube-videos. They register anonymous statistical data on for example how many times the video is displayed and what settings are used for playback.No sensitive data is collected unless you log in to your google account, in that case your choices are linked with your account, for example if you click “like” on a video.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
CookieDurationDescription
_fbp3 monthsThis cookie is set by Facebook to display advertisements when either on Facebook or on a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising, after visiting the website.
bscookie2 yearsThis cookie is a browser ID cookie set by Linked share Buttons and ad tags.
fr3 monthsFacebook sets this cookie to show relevant advertisements to users by tracking user behaviour across the web, on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin.
IDE1 year 24 daysGoogle DoubleClick IDE cookies are used to store information about how the user uses the website to present them with relevant ads and according to the user profile.
test_cookie15 minutesThe test_cookie is set by doubleclick.net and is used to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE5 months 27 daysA cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface.
YSCsessionYSC cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages.
yt-remote-connected-devicesneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
yt-remote-device-idneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
CookieDurationDescription
AnalyticsSyncHistory1 monthNo description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional1 yearThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
li_gc2 yearsNo description
pvc_visits_11[0]1 dayNo description
UserMatchHistory1 monthLinkedin - Used to track visitors on multiple websites, in order to present relevant advertisement based on the visitor's preferences.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo