Why You Should NOT Do Epoxy Resin Countertops [Do THIS Instead]

Four words: Stone Coat Countertops Tutorials. First, I saw YouTubers do it the way you would use normal resin for an art project. THEN, I watched Stone Coat Countertops videos that showed the CORRECT way to install an epoxy countertop. I am so glad that I found their videos before I attempted to take on this project.

MUY buena calidad, el texto imagenes. youtube.com/post/UgkxbnOKZBE4evMO5V2vroHeCjq6d_MV6… Un manuel muy completo y trabajado. Resulta muy práctico. Para principiantes y profesionales. Lo recomiendo

Refreshing to see someone share fails so honestly. I struggle with my failures and it's nice to actually see that I am not alone.

I have been remodeling homes for over 30 years now. One thing that I can tell you, is that we all fail, all the time. And through our failures, we learn what DOESN"T work. I fix a lot of stuff that is screwed up by another person's failure, or simply because of normal wear and tear. Sometimes I just stand there and scratch my head wondering what I'm going to do to make it right. But when I'm in that situation, the first things that come to mind are: I know for sure this or that won't work because I've tried it before and it failed. So over time, we learn through trial and error what definitely won't work. And that leads us on a path to explore other options. That's how we learn the most important lesson: MATERIAL & METHODS. But through our failures, come great success.

We learned more from this “fail” than if you had covered up your mistake and let is believe everything turned out perfectly. I have more respect for you as a result. Thank you and keep on trying new stuff. We learn a lot, good or bad.

I found this video quite refreshing tbh, I haven't seen many people post their fails and try to find the reasons for it. Chiefly because they dont wish to appear inexperienced or look silly. I like people that are honest and prepared to put themselves and their reputation on the line in the hope that others won't make the same mistakes. I like people that keep it real, for this reason and a bunch of others I have subscribed.

Love your video and your honesty. We are about to go down this path for kitchen countertops. The concerns you raised, along with the comments recommending Stone Coat Countertop videos have informed me for moving forward. It is not easy to talk about our failures, but I am sure you have saved many people time, money and frustration by sharing your experience.

The red stains after sanding is the blood from the bugs that were embedded in the epoxy. The white shiny spots are the white paint you put over the bugs in the epoxy that you sanded down. The reason your countertops stained is because you have to seal the sanded epoxy with another thinner coat of epoxy, because the sanded epoxy is porous after you sanded it.

Success comes with lots of failures and learning from them. kudos to you for taking it on Keep doing what your doing you have a healthy attitude and approach. I’m a professional contractor and tackled just about everything for the last 33 years And I’m still learning cheers Dave

I appreciate the honesty...you clearly are a very secure person to have admit this snd tell us all. Not many people admit anything bad

Omg- THANK YOU x1000 !!! I get so sick of watching tutorial videos that are edited to make projects look super easy and fun but in reality are extremely difficult. I'm glad not everyone is fake! I've watched 20 videos on this subject and not one other video mentioned potential staining, the thought of which makes me cringe. You are my hero of the day bc you saved me!

Built and did my first epoxy counter tops with my son last week, and following all manufacturers instructions and some research on youtube, had results that exceeded my expectations! I can't wait do my next pour.

Plywood is the improper substrate for epoxy resin counter pour. MDF is recommended. The nature of plywood is that it contains air within the layers ( it breathes) where as HIGH DENSITY FIBERBOARD does not. The proper term is Epoxy Resin System. The goal is a chemical reaction. In order for that reaction to be predictable the components must work together. I suspect the primer used was not "part" of the recommendation system and was incompatible for this purpose. To prevent the accumulation of dirt, dust, hair and bugs during the curing process it is recommended to "tent" the project. There are portable painting booth tents that can be modified for this purpose. Unevenly coated edges are the result of improperly prepared substrate. Epoxy is self leveling, however the chemical structure cause ERS to build or pool at 90° edges. The raw edges of the substrate are highly porous and must be sealed with a Bondo type material, sanded smooth and slightly rounded at the 90° corner with a sander. A " tape dam" needs to be create under the edges to "hold" the epoxy on the vertical edge longer. This "tape dam" extends out away from the substrate as well as under it. Edges are coated last as the ERS begins to setup allowing for better adhesion and coverage. The torching is necessary because of the fast high heat, not carbon dioxide to release air bubbles. The heat allows ERS to thin, releasing the air. When this is understood, then it explains why other method do not work such as heat guns and lighters are not applicable. The honed finish is accomplished through speciality products as well as some sanding. There most likely was not enough material on your board due to improper preparation, so the material was sanded through much like sanding through veneer. MDF would have eliminated the unevenness of of the substrate as well. There are a level of complaints of staining on ERS counter, especially lighter colors. First, it is not recommended to prep food directly on ERS. It has been documented that heat can also discolor ERS. In this case though, as there was never a "system" created then the fact that it didn't perform well is to be expected. This experience really demonstrates the need for lots of research when undertaking such a project. The problem is two fold. People watch a few YouTube videos and think "easy". They do not do research or if they do, they modify the process without understanding how ERS works; its chemical nature. Epoxy Resin Systems are a chemical reaction. In order for that reaction to be predictable (desirable) exactness must be adhered to. Measuring accurately, timing, compatibility with all components, proper tools, all matter. Because the process was not done correctly, the end product was not an epoxy resin product and cannot be evaluated as such.

Many of the other people have said pretty much what I would like to say to you. One thing that I didn’t see in a few comments that I took the time to read is that you should have built up a barrier along the sides of the countertop using wide painters’ tape. Go around the entire edge at least twice, making sure it gets a little stiff and making sure you have good adherence, especially at the corners. Then when you do your pour, you’re initially NOT letting the epoxy run off the sides; you’re “forcing” the epoxy to build up in thickness on the top, which would have allowed the self-leveling of the epoxy to actually work, to overcome any inconsistencies in the plywood substrate. Then, once that starts to get a little thick you can carefully remove the tape to allow what is truly excess to start coming down the sides. You can help that along with either a paint stick or a plastic squeegee or something to make sure that you’ll get total and even coverage on the sides without losing the thickness and smoothness on the top. I thought the tape on the underside of the counter was an interesting solution to try to help avoid the bubbles on the bottom that many end up getting and then need to sand away. It’s an interesting solution, but I did also see one of the other commenters mention that you can end up pulling the epoxy off the sides when pulling the tape. If you really wanted to try that I would suggest not placing the tape all way to the edge of the underside—leave about 1/8" of the underside exposed. When pulling the tape, pull downward so as not to put stress on the epoxy. However, another way to avoid having that problem on the underside would be to consistently watch the curing and to periodically scrape any epoxy from the underside as it is setting up, until you no longer have any buildup forming. Then you will have a nicely sealed edge and no sanding of the underside. As far as the sanding for honing, I don’t know what kind of epoxy you used and perhaps it was a lesser quality so that, in fact, you did kind of “open up the pores” which allowed for staining to happen. I believe that it is Stone Coat that has the Ultimate Top Coat product that you use after your flood coat that will give you the finish you were looking for without compromising the integrity of the surface and you would not have to do it by sanding. Good luck with your next attempt.

I appreciate your honesty. I recently did an epoxy pour and I can honestly say as an experienced DIYer this was one of the most stressful things I have ever done. I too experienced these holes where the epoxy spread away. I have done this twice and it is still not there. I need to do this again on my kitchen worktops, but I feel scared and terribly defeated, it is so much out of my control. I tile, Imhave replaced glass in windows lay linoleum, carpets decorate tonged and groove work. I do not tackle electrical or plumbing. I am so disheartened. Thank you.🤗👏

Thank you for this video. It was extremely helpful. Getting ready to do my first epoxy pour. I appreciate the time you took to do this.

Sanding the counter takes away any stain resistance , there’s a topcoat that has a matte finish. Also remember epoxy isn’t just a diy easy to do, you need to special order epoxy online that is good quality. There’s also topcoats that have more durability for people who need it. Everything you did was basically wrong but it’s what’s expected for first time. Alsways practice on a small sample or something first.

When sanding you created small areas where staining agents can get trapped. In terms of sanding, anything over 320grit requires wet sanding. If you want to avoid stains, you need to go to at least 1500 grit. And you need to seal it afterwards with either a wax or a specialized product.

My husband and I are in the process of doing deep pour, first time with resin. Thank you

Hard learned lessons but you are an angel to share. Thank you so much for taking the time.