Different Types of Epoxy Furniture & Epoxy Style

There are several types of epoxy resins that you can use for epoxy furniture, but how do you know which is the best for your project? How do you mix epoxy and apply it to your furniture?

Epoxy resins are designed to pour and cure at different depths ranging from 1/8” to 3”, either in multiple pours or a single pour. You must choose the right types of epoxy resin for your specific project, the depth of the epoxy, and the temperature in your workspace.

What is Epoxy Resin?  

Epoxy resin is created by a set of reagents with an “epoxy group” – a particular chemical compound with two carbon atoms bonded to an oxygen atom. The epoxy chemical compound likes to react with just about anything, which is good news for anyone wanting to make epoxy furniture. It will react exceptionally well with a hardening agent to dry and cure into a hard surface.

Something to note about epoxy reactions is that it needs to take place in a room temperature workspace, and you need to avoid using excessive amounts because the epoxy reacts in exothermic ways (it gives off heat as it reacts). If you follow the temperature and usage amount guidelines, the reaction won’t become a fire hazard.

Types of Epoxy Resin Used for Projects

There are several variations of epoxy that hardware stores would become overwhelmed if they were to stock all of them. Because of this, there are only a few types of epoxy resin on the market, and each is dedicated to a different type of project.

Let’s take a quick look at the two most common types of epoxy resin used to make epoxy furniture and go over the difference between them.

One-Component Pure Epoxy

Pure epoxy resin comes in either one or two-component forms. One-component epoxy can be used straight out of the container – there’s no need for mixing it, removing the air bubbles or meter it.

The downside to one-component pure epoxy is that it requires heat to cure, and the heat has to be extremely hot. Therefore, you’ll often find that pure epoxy comes with a heating element. This is called an “initiator” because it will begin the curing process.

If your type of one-component pure epoxy requires induction heating, you’ll need to cure your project for 5-7 minutes at a temperature of 325 degrees Fahrenheit to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. You can also get pure epoxy that can be cured using ultra-violet light.

One-component types of epoxy resin are typically weaker than two-compound types of epoxy resin and are also more expensive.

Two-Component Pure Epoxy

Two-component epoxy is the most common type used to make epoxy furniture. The two components of this epoxy resin are the hardening agent and the epoxy. Unlike the one-component pure kind of epoxy, this type does need to be mixed thoroughly to remove all the bubbles from the mixture.

When the two parts are mixed, they create an exothermic reaction that starts the curing process. You can cure the two-component pure epoxy at room temperature, or you can increase the temperature to hurry up the curing process. Because of these different curing environments you can create, it’s possible to get this type of epoxy to cure in 5 minutes to 8 hours.

Even when you think the epoxy furniture you created is cured after 8 hours, you must let it sit and cure for seven days at room temperature before doing any strength of stress testing. After seven days, the strength of the bond created by the epoxy should resemble molded plastic.

Picking the Right Types of Epoxy Resin for Making Epoxy Furniture

When making epoxy furniture, it’s a no-brainer that two-component pure epoxy is the best choice for the project. This is because the epoxy will let you “glue” just about anything together, and it can also be used to add strength to the wood slabs.

Two-component epoxy is the best for epoxy furniture because mixing the hardening agent and the epoxy gives you the most intense reaction, thus creating the strongest bonds.

Another benefit to using two-component epoxy is that you can cure it at room temperature, meaning that you don’t need special equipment to use it.

Different types of epoxy resin create different designs for your epoxy furniture. Some of these types of resin for an epoxy project include:

• Swirl Epoxy – This is a two-component low viscosity, high build swirling effect resin that woodworkers use to create a highly durable, swirly finish for epoxy furniture.
• Translucent Epoxy – Translucent epoxy furniture uses mica powder to make the epoxy resin you’re pouring between your live edge slabs translucent in color.
• Solid Color Epoxy – This type of epoxy is exactly how it sounds: it’s colored epoxy that you use as you would regular epoxy. The only difference is that it creates a deep color that brings your epoxy furniture to life.
• Resin River Table – This is a style of epoxy table that looks like it has a river running through the middle of the two slabs of live edge wood. This is the most common type of epoxy furniture style used, and it usually incorporates one solid color, swirl epoxy, or translucent epoxy. This is the most common type of epoxy furniture we sell at Brick Mill, Co.

Epoxy Furniture Style

Epoxy furniture is considered to be the most contemporary and newest trend in furniture. Epoxy furniture shows off the live edge finish of the wood of your table with epoxy fill.

Mixed materials have been popular statement pieces for a long time. Still, the ability for the types of epoxy resin to either complement the live edges of your wood slabs with vivid color or to show off the live edges with clear epoxy is absolutely stunning.

The most popular epoxy furniture style we offer at Brick Mill Co. is the Live Edge Walnut Epoxy Table.  It’s a great example of a river table that is often made using types of epoxy resin. An epoxy river table creates an exciting contrast between the live edge wood slabs and the dyed epoxy resin in the middle of the table and is extremely popular.

However, if you want a smaller piece of epoxy resin furniture, such as an epoxy coffee table, desk, sofa table, etc., we can talk about making that custom piece of furniture for you. All you need to do is contact us with your design request, and we’ll handle the rest.

Wrapping Up

While several variations of epoxy resin could be sold, there are technically only a few sold on the shelves of hardware stores. The most popular and commonly used types of epoxy resin are one- and two-component pure resin, and the two-component epoxy resin is the best for making epoxy furniture.

At Brick Mill, Co., we use the highest quality pieces of live edge wood and epoxy resin to create stunning pieces of epoxy furniture that are bound to bring in a stream of compliments.

 

FAQ

Is Epoxy Good for Furniture?

Epoxy is an unsung wonder in woodshops. The two-component pure epoxy resin often used in workshops has more purposes than the occasional repair job on wood slabs. Instead, you can also use it as a filler, finish, wood stabilizer, and adhesive.

What is Epoxy Furniture?

Epoxy furniture is one of the newest trends in the furniture market and primarily utilizes live edge wood and epoxy as a filler to create stunning river table pieces. River tables are the most popular style of epoxy furniture because they can be a variety of vivid colors and accentuate the natural, uncut edges of live edge wood.

Is Epoxy Furniture Expensive?

Yes, epoxy furniture is expensive. Creating epoxy resin furniture can take a long time, requires a lot of work, and the supplies are costly. A gallon of epoxy can cost around $30, not to mention the cost of purchasing high-quality live edge wood slabs. All of these things play a role in the final price of epoxy resin furniture.