[Katherine Swift]

Hi Sylvia,

It has been my experience that 75% of the time when resin cures sticky or didn’t cure all the way, it is either from inaccurate measuring or incomplete mixing. We have a few other suggestions on why your resin may be sticky in this article: https://resinobsession.com/resin-frequently-asked-questions/resin-troubleshooting-tips

If the surface of the resin is sticky (not gooey), then yes, you can apply another layer of resin to fix it.

You are also correct in that thinner layers of resin may have a harder time curing. That’s because the heat produced from the resin and hardener mixing together is sometimes not enough to cause it to cure when it is spread in a thin layer. Warm your resin ahead of time (here’s an article showing how to do that: https://resinobsession.com/resin-resin-resin/resin-casting-in-cold-weather) and make sure your room is in the low 70’s F to help with the curing.

[Katherine Swift]

Hmm. There a few troubleshooting items in this article that may help you: https://resinobsession.com/resin-frequently-asked-questions/resin-troubleshooting-tips

The other consideration is whatever you used to color that mix of resin is attracting moisture which is keeping your resin from curing.

If the area is simply sticky, you can recoat with a layer of clear resin. If it is gooey, you will need to scrape off as much as possible before recoating.

[Katherine Swift]

How long is the curing time of the resin you are using? I would suggest giving it a little more time to see if things get any better.

You can recoat with another layer of resin, but if things are still gooey, it’s not going to help much. 🙁

[Katherine Swift]

Hello Rob,

The second layer of resin should have adhered to the first layer of resin assuming you were mixing and pouring the same kind. If they didn’t, then there is something wrong with the curing.

Without knowing what kind/brand of resin you are using, I don’t know if it should be fully cured after 3 days. I would suggest contacting the manufacturer who should be able to give you that information. I can tell you, however, that if it should have cured by now, giving it extra time isn’t going to help.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Patty,

Your best options are colors that are specifically designed to color resin. These will give you consistent results every time and also ensure that your resin cures properly. Of course, there are other things that work well to color resin, but use caution as your curing may be affected. Here are some ideas:

https://resinobsession.com/resin-art/resin-painting-additives
https://resinobsession.com/resin-resin-resin/experimenting-with-resin-colors

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Judi,

I’m not sure what product you are referring to, but any clear-drying, white glue would work to seal the papers onto a tile. You could also use the resin gloss sealer spray as well. You can find it here: https://shop.resinobsession.com/collections/tools-and-supplies/products/castin-craft-gloss-resin-sealer-spray

I don’t have any experience using Art Resin on tiles for coasters, so I don’t know heat resistant they would be after curing. In general, coasters will do well with warm mugs, but not hot mugs (like straight from the microwave).

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Rachel,

I would suggest pouring in more layers. For example, you might want to pour your first third, let it start to cure, then pour your next third. Place the flowers in the middle third and allow it to start curing. Finish with your last third. You are right in that waiting for the resin to cure, then placing your flowers, makes it more likely you will introduce bubbles that will be hard to get out later.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Alice,

Casting resin beads is challenging! The best advice I can give you is to cast in the mold a few times to learn how much resin to pour. Resin will shrink a bit as it cures, so you want to overpour enough that it will become even after curing. If not, you will need to sand it to make it even.

Your other option is to use bead caps. With those, the ‘ugly’ ends are hidden under the caps, so no one has to know they aren’t even. 😉

Good luck!

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Karen,

A few comments here. (and we won’t judge for the spelling mistakes 🙂 )

Envirotex Lite will work for coating artwork. If it is old, however, that may be part of the reason why it didn’t cure.

If you did not mix the resin thoroughly enough, that is another reason why the resin didn’t cure.

Not mixing anything else into the resin simplifies things. i.e. there isn’t anything else in the resin that could be attracting moisture that could affect curing.

I don’t buy hardware store resins for projects so it’s hard for me to know whether or not it should have worked in this case. The most important thing you need for this project is a self-leveling resin. That is most easily found in a two-part epoxy resin that domes.

As for salvaging what you have, you are going to have to scrape every last bit of wet resin off this project. A baby wipe will help. If the resin is simply a little sticky, that will recoat okay. If it’s gooey, it has to go.

Recoat with another layer of resin. If it were me, I would use the Resin Obsession artwork resin:

https://shop.resinobsession.com/collections/resin/resin-obsession-artwork-resin

A gallon is a lot of resin to mix together, especially for a newbie. You might want to break that up into a pint or so at a time to make sure you get a good mix. Some extra hand to help you with mixing might be good too.

Good luck!

[Katherine Swift]

@Dave, it’s normal for the surface exposed to air during polyester resin curing to remain tacky even after the resin underneath has cured hard. You will either need to sand off the surface or coat with a spray. This is the one I like to use: https://shop.resinobsession.com/collections/tools-and-supplies/products/castin-craft-gloss-resin-sealer-spray

[leah]

i’ve used old resin with mixed results. one kind refused to cure after a year (though i had issues with it curing when it wasn’t as old, either) and another (ice resin) was nearly two years old and had yellowed but otherwise cured just fine. i’d recommend trying yours on a smaller project that you won’t care if it turns out or not.

[Laura Franks]

I would make a mold or take measurements of the inside of the stump and pour the resin indoors. That way no chemicals will get into the soil, you won’t have curing issues and you still get what you want.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Elizabethe,

I’m not sure resin is going to work for your project under these circumstances. There are a few challenges here:

1. Resin hates moisture. There is no way to dry the tree stump, so I’m not sure the resin will cure.
2. The tree stump is going to release a lot of bubbles into the resin while it is curing. I would not expect your resin to be bubble free after curing.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any experience with using resin in this type of situation. A polyester marine resin would be what I would try first, but I would be worried about shrinkage/movement as the tree expands and contracts with the weather. I don’t know how much it will hurt the tree. If the stump is dead, I don’t know that you have anything to lose. It’s hard to say, however, how long the casting will last. It will definitely yellow over time and I don’t know that it will survive freezing temperatures without cracking.

[Rossella]

I had the same problem but with warm temperature. I used a slow curing epoxy resin in a mini glass vial and it cracked after curing. I knew that polyesther resin expands and epoxy slightly shrink, but so much for such a small amount….unbelievable! So I’ll go in creating with resin and excluding glass till we’ll find a solution!

[Katherine Swift]

Paint can should work provided the resin has room to drip off and hit the floor. Otherwise, if it drips off but pools on the paint can, you will have done a great job of gluing wooden pedestals to a paint can.

I don’t have enough wood experience to know whether or not the wood choice makes a difference. I do know that you will need to seal it because bubbles will come up later during curing. A clear, acrylic based product will do well.

What is your experience level with resin? That will help me guide you as to a choice.