Resin Finishing: Your 8 Point Checklist

So you’ve made something gorgeous with resin. In fact, you’re grinning like a possum eating a sweet potato. (That’s pretty happy in case you’re not from the south.) Now you’re ready to share or wear or even sell what you’ve made. Can you do that right away? Is there more to do first? Here’s your resin finishing checklist so your masterpieces are more refreshing than sweet tea on July 4.

1. Did it fully cure?

Resins are generally 90% cured within 1 to 3 days. But, you should give resin at least 7 days to fully cure. You want it to be as hard as possible before someone uses or wears it.

If after this time your resin isn’t as hard as you expect, you should consider if it’s something usable.

How do you decide?

If it’s sticky or gooey, it’s a NO. At least not without fixing the stickiness first.

If it’s bendy, it’s a MAYBE. Personally, I don’t have a problem using my own resin creations if they’re bendy. But, if you want to sell them, I say it’s a no. Customers won’t treat your resin designs as kindly as you will. You’ll eventually have an upset customer because their purchase isn’t holding up.

2. Is it structurally sound?

You don’t want to worry about your resin art breaking while you use it. Thin resin can break if it’s supporting a heavy item. Plus, resin that cracked while curing may not be structurally sound. Carefully inspect your art before using it.

3. Does your cured resin have uncomfortable edges?

You should finish a resin edge that might bother someone, even if it isn’t that sharp. The (uncomplicated) test I do is to close my eyes and go over the area with my fingers. If something feels off, then I sand it.

💡 Pro tip: Think about how you or a customer would use the piece. A pair of resin earrings that you might be wearing when you fall asleep need to be a lot softer than the surface of resin art.

How much should you sand?

Other than as little as possible? 🤣

It depends on how you’re using your art. Someone may not notice the rough edge of a resin table like they would on an epoxy tumbler.

You might find that you can knock the edge down with a fingernail file. But you might find that you have to go hardcore sanding.

Or better yet, you might be able to cover the surface with something else (like these resin coasters) to keep edges from scratching.

4. Are there surface imperfections?

A resin and wood table or a piece of epoxy art can have pulls and dimples that will distract from the smooth surface.

Should you sand the surface?

You don’t have to if you’re going to recoat the surface with resin and your divots are 1/8 inch or less deep. If your divots are deeper than that, you can still recoat, but you’ll have to create a tape dam first.

5. Is your resin finish the way you like it?

You can finish your resin to have a satin sheen or a glossy shine. It’s all about what you or your customers like.

Now the first five steps of this resin finishing checklist are enough for you to feel comfortable that you’ve made a piece of resin art that will last the ages.

But, if you want to sell your creations, here are more items you need to address:

6. What instructions do you need to include?

This includes care, wear, and/or hanging instructions. Your customers need to know how to look after their purchase.

7. Do you need to add extra implements?

No one expects to buy earrings only to have to buy ear wires separately. The same for epoxy art. People expect they can hang it as soon as they put the nail in the wall.

Ensure your resin creations are ‘ready to use.’

8. Do you have the right packing materials so you can send the art to customers?

Shipping earrings in a mailing envelope isn’t a big deal, but have you thought about how you will send a charcuterie board?

💡 Pro tip: Prepare for the WORST. In the years we’ve been selling resin supplies, I’ve seen some pretty bad package abuse. Get the right supplies and packing materials so you can avoid shipping damage.

⭐️ BONUS: Here’s a downloadable resin finishing checklist so you can have it handy while you’re working.

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