Best Epoxy Resin for Art

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve got a resin craft project in mind and want to know which craft epoxy resin will be best for your project. Resin artists have many options; it can be pretty daunting to match the correct resin with the project you’ll be working on. 

Epoxy resin is an excellent choice for many different kinds of craft and resin art projects. It is durable, versatile, and easy to use, making it a good choice for many projects. You can use epoxy to create river tables, coasters, jewelry, cutting boards, and more. 

There are, however, various kinds of epoxy resin for crafts available, each of which has its own use. The best epoxy resin isn’t necessarily the one with the highest material qualities or the most desirable overall properties, but rather the one suitable for the job. 

In this guide, we’ll discuss the different types of epoxy resins available, their unique characteristics, and which one will be best suited for what project.

Safety First

Epoxy resin for crafts contains dangerous substances that can harm people in several ways. Depending on the product and its ingredients, it may emit harmful gasses and irritant odors when you open, mix, or use it. 

Getting epoxy resin on your skin can be dangerous, so it’s essential to wear gloves when working with the product. Always work in a well-ventilated area with the correct safety gear, like gloves, safety glasses, and breathing protection.

However, not all epoxy resins are toxic or harmful. Many epoxy resins are odor-free, non-toxic, and BPA-free. Refer to the manufacturer’s recommendations to discover potential health risks associated with a particular epoxy.

Read more about resin art safety here. 

Best Resins for Art and Craft

There are many different brands and types of art epoxy resin out there for many different purposes. To select the best epoxy resin for your arts or crafts project, there are a few things you need to consider. 

The first thing to consider is the type of project you will use the resin for. This will give you an idea of the type of resin that will be best suited for the project you will be working on and the amount of resin you’ll need to purchase to complete the task.

When deciding on the correct epoxy resin for a resin project, it’s essential to consider whether the resin is compatible with the material you’ll be using. Always check the manufacturer’s instructions before purchasing the product to see whether it’ll be compatible with the materials you’ll be using in your project.

Epoxy resin for crafts works well on a wide range of materials like wood, metal, fabric, glass, stone, ceramic, and even on concrete (coating floors). However, remember that epoxy resin does not work well on greasy surfaces like wax, polyethylene plastics, or silicone.

After considering the application and surface compatibility, you might want to consider other factors like:

• How long does it take for the resin to cure?
• Do you need clear or colored resin?
• Does the resin have UV-protective elements?
• Is the resin scratch-resistant?
• Will the resin fill a space or coat a surface?
• Does the resin have a strong odor?
• Is the resin food-safe?
• Is the resin heat-resistant?
• Is the resin brand reliable?

When choosing the suitable resin for your project, there are many things to consider. It varies depending on the resin craft you want to create.

Now that you know what to consider when selecting the suitable resin for your project, we’d like to show you what resins work best for which applications. Not all resins are created equal. Considering numerous resin options on the market, we’ve included a list of top-quality resins for each application you refer back to for your future projects.

Resin For Beginners

As a beginner resin artist, you’ll want to select a product that is easy to work with, versatile, budget-friendly, and very forgiving. Our best pick for resin for beginners is the Amazing Clear Cast Kit. See the description below. 

Best UV Resin

UV resin is a special kind of resin. Contrary to the conventional epoxy resin that relies on a combination of resin and hardener that hardens due to a chemical reaction between the two liquids, UV resin relies on UV light to harden/cure the resin. 

UV resin does not require mixing and will remain in liquid form until you expose it to a UV light source. UV resin saves a lot of time and is ideal for time-sensitive projects. 

We recommend casting UV resin in thin layers because doing so will guarantee that the UV resin is sufficiently cured. No layer should be thicker than 3 mm, and you must wait for one layer to cure before adding another.

While UV resin works well for smaller jobs and produces results quickly, epoxy resin is more durable. UV resin is very different from epoxy resin because it won’t last as long and can’t withstand heat or scratches.

Due to the many possibilities on the market, selecting the best UV resin for your project might be challenging. We’ve selected some of the top-rated UV resins you can use for your art projects. Each comes with a list of pros and cons to help you decide which one will work better for your desired outcomes. 

Best Resin for Molds

If you are looking for the best resin for molds, you’ll want to use casting resin. Before we dive into the best casting resin for your craft project, let’s first consider the difference between casting resin and coating resin.

Casting resin and coating resin are the two main types of epoxy resin. Many use the two as interchangeable terms. Although the two products are epoxy resin and the same material, they have different properties and applications, making them different products.

In the table below, you can find properties related to each resin type.

A liquid resin plus an appropriate hardener, also in liquid form, make up epoxy resin. Once you combine these two liquids, a chemical reaction will start to occur, causing the solution to solidify over a certain amount of time. The instant the two liquids combine, this reaction starts, and it will produce some heat. This is because it is an exothermic reaction. 

Casting resin has a very low viscosity, meaning it flows easily and quickly through the mold. Coating resin is thicker and denser than casting resin. Because of this, you can use coating resin to coat larger surfaces like wood, glass, stone, or ceramics. 

Depending on how thick you pour the resin onto the surface, it may take anywhere from 30 seconds to several hours to fully cure. Once cured, coating resin is highly durable and resistant to scratches and dents.

Below is a list of the best resin for casting projects: 

Best Resin for Jewelry

There are a lot of good resin options for any kind of epoxy resin jewelry. We’ve narrowed the list to two of our favorite epoxy resins for jewelry. You can also use these brands for a wide range of other applications. 

Best Deep Pour Epoxy Resin

If you are looking for a resin to make a river table, lamp, or another project where the resin will be very thick, then this is a perfect option. Deep pour epoxy resin is the best resin for thick pours and refers to any casting 2 inches in depth or more. 

Deep-pour resin is necessary for this kind of casting because its thinner consistency enables you to pour more of it without compromising the resin’s capacity to cure correctly.

Best Clear Epoxy Resin

An optically clear casting resin is utilized when a robust, UV-resistant, non-yellowing product is needed. Clear-casting resin is often used to enclose items. We’ve selected a list of the best clear-casting resins for you. 

Best Resin Brands

There are a lot of resin sellers on the market, but which brands are the best? The answer to this question depends on the type of project that you’ll be working on and also your individual preference. 

While there are a lot of amazing brands out there, you’ll always want to ensure that you purchase the correct resin for your resin art project. If you buy the wrong resin type for your project, even if it’s a top-rated quality product, it won’t deliver the results that you’d like to see. 

There are a few things to consider, to select the best resin brand for your project. First, it’s always good to check the reviews of any product. See what customers like and dislike about the product. This will give you a good idea of what to expect and whether the brand is reputable. 

If there are not a lot of reviews about the product, then chances are that the product is either new or not very popular. Try to stick to brands that people recommend and that have good reviews from verified customers. 

Next, always try to buy the best resin brand that you can afford. What do we mean by this? Some brands of resin are very cheap, while others are costly. Product quality is often linked to a price tag, and although this is not always the case, it is true in most situations. 

This means that if you’d like to see the best results, you’ll most likely have to buy the product that is a bit more expensive. This is especially true if you are looking to sell your art. 

However, if you can’t afford the top-rated products opt for the best-rated product within your budget. If you grow in your resin art journey and your budget increases, you can switch to a better-rated brand. 

Some of the well-known best rated resin brands are: 

• Puduo resin
• Amazing Clear Cast Resin
• TotalBoat Resin
• HXDZFX Resin

You can also try any of the resin brands mentioned above. You might have to experiment and try a few brands before you find the best brand for your project and technique. Sometimes it comes down to personal preference and what brand works well with what you are trying to achieve. 

Questions About Epoxy Resin

The Bottom Line

In conclusion, epoxy resin is a great way to create beautiful projects. It’s versatile and easy to work with. 

However, you’ll want to select the correct resin for the job to get the best epoxy resin. Hopefully, this article has proven helpful in this regard. 

Please reach out if you have any other questions, and don’t forget to share this article with your fellow resin crafters! 

Happy crafting!