emma72•2mo ago

I watched a YouTube video about epoxy river tables and thought 'how hard can it be'

I spent about $150 on a nice slab of walnut and the epoxy kit, following a tutorial exactly. The guy made it look so easy, pouring it slow and steady. My pour looked good, but after two full days of curing, the whole thing was still tacky and covered in tiny bubbles. I realized my garage was way too cold, maybe 55 degrees, and the epoxy needs warmth to set right. Now I've got a sticky, expensive mess on my workbench. Has anyone else messed up a big epoxy pour and managed to fix it after it cured wrong?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamiew832mo ago

Feel your pain, man. My garage floor is basically a museum of my own bad epoxy ideas at this point. Maybe we should start a support group.

adam_butler382mo ago

Total waste of time and money. Epoxy projects are a trap for people who watch too many videos. That stuff is basically fancy plastic, and it never looks as good as real woodwork. Seen a guy at the store buy three kits for a table, came back a week later mad about the same sticky mess. Should have just sanded and oiled that walnut slab. Would have had a finished piece in a day, not a garage full of regrets.

mila_sullivan16h ago

Scrapped three tables myself before I figured out the trick. Seal the wood first with a thin coat of epoxy or shellac, let it cure totally, then pour the color. That sticky mess happens when the wood bleeds air bubbles through the resin. Also stop buying those little kits from home stores. Get a gallon from a proper supplier or it's gonna cure weird every time. Your walnut story is true though. Nothing beats a simple oil finish on real wood.