Crafting Masterpieces: The Art and Science of Epoxy Resin Furniture

For over a century, furniture makers have relied on epoxies and resins as the fusing medium for their most exclusive, one-of-a-kind tables and decor items. That’s because from castings and flood coatings, to plant stands and river tables, the durability and water resistance of epoxies and resins make it possible to create striking arrays of long-lasting furnishings from natural materials like timber, leaves, and seashells without the worry of them ever degrading.

Not all epoxies are the same, though. Differences in viscosity, clarity, and even colour blending properties all make for widely different finishes, each resulting in a perfectly unique outcome, and knowing what to expect from these vastly different commercial offerings is an essential part of achieving the desired outcome every time.

Bring Your Creativity to Life with High-Quality Epoxy Resins

Ask any chippie, bespoke woodworker or artisan, and they’ll proudly tell you that their clients expect more from custom tables and decor items than just uniqueness. They want them to be as resilient as they are captivating and high-quality, Australian-made crystal clear epoxy resins are the key to some of the most stunning designs imaginable, with the strength and stability to endure years of heavy use.

Unlike the polyurethane glues and casting resins used to craft wooden tables, furnishings, and accouterments, woodworking epoxy resin offers a range of easy-working, hard-wearing characteristics that include:

• Shorter working, and quicker drying and curing times, as well as minimal shrinkage;
• More viscous consistency, with better adhesion properties;
• Greater resistance to water and rough handling, as well as mechanical influences;
• Superior resistance to UV exposure and temperature extremes; and,
• Lower tensile strength which, after curing, increases the finished product’s toughness and malleability.

With their ability to penetrate and infuse all types of timber and fibrous materials, the microstructural bonds formed by a fast-curing epoxy resin for wood are stronger than the combined strength of the resin and the materials used with them. And for artisans who already have a vision of what they want to create with timber, a high-quality wood epoxy resin has all the qualities necessary to construct a durable, one-of-a-kind original.

Attributes That Make Epoxy Resin Furnishings Standout

From their ability to produce glass-like, high gloss finishes, to the long-lasting, wear-resistant surfaces they provide when fully cured, wood epoxy resins are recognized for a wide range of attributes that make them such an obvious choice for timber furnishings. Their strength gives them a clear advantage in versatility and usability, culminating in a range of properties that include:

• A natural weight reduction. Regardless of the size of your decor items, when compared to models made entirely from natural wood, epoxy resin variants weigh less, making moving heavy tables and other furnishings a noticeably less strenuous activity.
• Uncommon flexibility. Although epoxy resin furnishings don’t compromise on tensile strength, their flexibility allows them to absorb, and ultimately resist damage from the kinds of harsh impacts that would otherwise ruin their all-natural timber equivalents.
• Chemical stability. The chemical stability of epoxy resins gives them the advantage when it comes to perfect curing properties on all kinds of smooth or rough surfaces, without the possibility of cracking or fading.
• Damage-proof durability. When fully cured, a non-porous epoxy resin provides the perfect protective layer against damaging stains, spills, and moisture that could result in timber damage, or mold or mildew buildup.
• Low-cost elegance. While the use of epoxy resins invariably means an increased outlay in time and material, the complementary increase in durability and uniqueness over ordinary wood or veneer furnishings are a favoured proposition for most artisans and DIYers.

Ultimately, not only do the tables, stands, and accouterments made with epoxy resins excel aesthetically, but they’re also easier to clean and maintain than ordinary wood furnishings. They don’t require any special wood varnishes or cleaners to retain a like-new finish at all times, and you can use any regular strength glass cleaner, or soap and water with a gentle rag to bring out the full array of colours that only a resin-made furnishing can display.

Popular Resin Formulations That Offer the Best Effects

Make no mistake: when it comes to custom furnishings that are as beautiful as they are strong, epoxy resins are more than just a popular alternative. And no matter if you’re crafting a centrepiece river table for your living room, or a set of custom epoxy chairs for your office, the selection of epoxy resin coatings that are formulated exclusively for timber are able to achieve the most impressive range of effects imaginable, including:

• Pure Glass resin and hardener. With their low viscosity and leisurely 60-minute working time, self-leveling Pure Glass crystal clear epoxy formulations are ideal for colour blending with a variety of pigments, and offer excellent clarity and transparency when cured.
• River Cast resin and hardener. Slow-curing River Cast resins offer a 280-minute pot life, are water-white in colour, and are designed especially to give superior bubble dispersion properties for thick river table and wood turning pours, or filling larger voids and cracks in timber.
• Castaway Ultra Clear resin and hardener. Castaway Ultra Clear is the low viscosity, low colour/high clarity epoxy resin Australia trusts for pigment blended artwork, and for thin casting applications with medium curing speeds.

Whether it’s a super clear, food-safe epoxy to bring out the best hues of some of Australia’s most exotic timber types, or just want to create a simple table surface that’s sturdy but cleans up easily, you can rest assured that there’s a resin designed to do precisely what you need it to.

The Final Word

At the end of the day, epoxy resins are able to transform even the most ordinary pieces of timber into stable, stunning works of art. No other medium has the ability to encapsulate and preserve the way resins can, and today’s modern formulations are better than ever.

Australian-made crystal clear epoxy resins are among the best on the market for one-of-a-kind creations. They give you the freedom to produce wooden furnishings that wouldn’t be possible otherwise, and to do it at a cost that you can’t help appreciating.