Which resin to use for a mosaic tabletop

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    • April 15, 2020 at 11:04 am #84079
      Tricia
      Guest

      I experimented with a small amount of resin to apply to a mosaic tabletop to create a clear flat surface on top of the mosaic bumpy surface. It seemed to work (assuming I gave the resin jars a warm water bath first so it wasn’t cloudy). Now I’m out of resin and would like to try this on a full table. Which resin would you recommend? Also if I ultimately want to end up with about a half layer of resin, do you recommend I do this all at once or in multiple layers (and if in layers, what is the maximum height you recommend for each layer). Thanks

    • April 15, 2020 at 11:50 am #84081
      Katherine Swift
      Keymaster

      Hi Tricia,

      What’s the total depth that you want your resin layer to be? That will best help me with a recommendation.

    • April 16, 2020 at 11:14 am #84097
      Tricia
      Guest

      I am guestimating the height difference between the mosaic tiles are about 1/4 inch. THen I assume I would need at least one more smooth layer above that of about 1/8 inch? So a total of about 3/8 inches? I don’t know if this is accurate or underestimating. Thanks

      • April 16, 2020 at 12:54 pm #84099
        Katherine Swift
        Keymaster

        Hi Tricia,

        Thanks for the extra information. It is helpful.

        For what you want to do, the Resin Obsession artwork resin will work well to coat your table. It self-levels to a depth of one-eighth inch, so you will likely need to pour two layers. You can find the resin in several sizes here: https://shop.resinobsession.com/collections/resin/resin-obsession-artwork-resin. There are estimates on the specific product pages as to how much area the resin will cover to help you get the right resin kit size.

        To make sure your second layer goes on evenly, use painter’s tape to create a dam around the edge of your table. Then, remove the dam once the resin starts to soft cure.

        Does this help?

        This is going to be an awesome project!

    • April 18, 2020 at 3:07 pm #84118
      Tricia
      Guest

      Thanks Katherine. This does help. I have quite a few mosaic tables so this could be a real lifesaver if this works out (and it looked pretty good on my sample experiment so far). So looking online, it looks like the ratio of resin to hardener is 1-1. I had bought a sample kit earlier from this website and the ratio was 2-1. I had also experimented with some paperweights with shells, rocks, flowers, ect. that I liked. Can I use this new resin you recommend for mosaic tabletops and also use it for paperweights?

    • May 21, 2020 at 1:33 pm #84453
      Tricia
      Guest

      Hi Katherine. I ordered the deep pour resin as you suggested for my molds. One thing I’ve noticed is they take REALLY long to dry, like 3 days in my pretty nonhumid basement. Is there a type of resin that has the same benefits as deep pour resin for molds but has a shorter drying time? Thanks

      • May 21, 2020 at 2:06 pm #84454
        Katherine Swift
        Keymaster

        Hi Tricia,

        I’m afraid I don’t know of a deep pour resin that can be poured in large volumes that will cure quicker. We do have a casting resin that cures in 8 to 12 hours, but can only be poured in volumes of 3 ounces or less.

    • May 27, 2020 at 10:24 am #84526
      Tricia
      Guest

      Hi Katherine. Another question on my original question about which type of resin. My goals is to create about 1/2 inch of a cover of resin to my artwork/table. If I understood correctly on your video last night, you said that if my artwork does not have a border, I should use self-leveling artwork resin to cover about 1/8 of an inch and if I want it thicker I should do this multiple times. You also mentioned that if I am using tape as a border for my resin artwork, I could use either deep casting resin or artwork resin? Is this accurate? And if it is, and I can use either deep casting resin or artwork resin on a bordered piece of artwork, what are the advantages/disadvantages to choosing either one? Thanks

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