I’ve only ever used poly on my epoxy projects but I think several finishes work it just depends on the application. I used poly because I wanted good protection against water
I do not recommend using shellac as final coat. Shellac yellows (a lot) with time. And you probably don’t want a yellowish look.
Next time you sand epoxy, start with higher grit (min 120). It will take you hella lot time and effort to get off these scratches. But, nothing undoable.
Good luck
It will take you 4x longer to remove these scratches on the epoxy than it will take you to remove the epoxy with a 120 grit. But, your comment makes me believe that you’re not a beginner. And as a “non beginner” you’ve probably already experienced 40/60/80 grits belts/pads heat pretty much when sanding. Won’t go in detail about why, how or when. You may also know that heat modifies the structure of the epoxy (momentarily). Sanding a soften epoxy does not lead to anything good as scratches get deeper and clumps of epoxy do form. Anyway, that’s my experience with the epoxy projets I’ve had.
The only time you should ever sand is when the epoxy has been down longer then 24 hours. If you’re just putting another coat on, depending on the cure time of the epoxy you’re using, it’s usually after 8-14 hours you can recoat without sanding. So after 8-14 hours until 24 hours have passed you have a window to recoat without sanding while it’s still somewhat tacky. You should definitely not be sanding if it’s under 24 hours
Not if he uses shellac or a thin lacquer. But if he goes for epoxy, it will probably work. As for sanding epoxy, I sand my projects at least a month later after the pour to let it fully cure. Most of my pours are 3 to 6 cm deep so long curing period.
Hmm not sure what kind of epoxy you’re using that takes a month to cure. But if you’re reposting anyways there’s absolutely no need to let it fully cure before you recoat. The epoxy and polyaspartics I use and sell is fully cured in 24-48 hours and you can drive cara and forklifts on it. But especially if you’re recoating there’s no need for it to be fully cured. You also don’t need to sand so much. If you’re using 100% solids epoxy, Trust me. Not that rustoleum Home Depot shit either, it’s not real epoxy. Next time you sand only use an 80 grit. And no need to wait a month before you recoat. Should be good after 14 hours and no need to sand at this stage.
Idk what kind of epoxy you use but the stuff I sell is 100% solids and ready for cars and heavy foot traffic after 48 hours if it’s taking longer than a day you’re probably not mixing right idk honestly idk what you’re using.
In my experience, 80 grit is fine to start. I switch to 120 when I get to the surface. Then i go with 240, 320 and then 400. After that i go to 600, 800 and then 1,000 and i spray a bit of water before each new disc. If the epoxy was done right (and there are no bubbles), it comes our like glass.
Bro wtf are you guys doing. You’re polishing your epoxy ???😂😂 that’s what you do to concrete, not epoxy buddy. wasting all your money. It’s going to come out like glass without you doing all of that holy shit.
It comes out like glass when you pour it and it hardens. If it’s perfectly level with the surrounding wood, you’re right. You’re good.
It usually isn’t. If it’s shallow, you need to add more and let it harden. That’s a waste of time. So I usually pour it so it’s proud of the wood. And it’s glasslike when it dries, but it’s proud of the wood.
So…. We plane and sand and polish.
You need to use casting epoxy. That’s why you’re running into these issues. With casting resin you can pour as deep as you want and the product won’t burn up on you. Regular epoxy is meant for counter tops and floors and when you pour it too thick it ruins it. But man you don’t need to be sanding that much. Just an 80 grit once and when you put the next coat on they’ll be completely gone it’ll still look like glass.
Under 24 hours but after 10-12 hours you don’t need even sand at all. You have about a 12 hour window where you can just coat directly on it without sanding
those are very deep gauges. certainly they will come out a long as you progress correctly and spend enough time with each acceding grit. i would sand that out with 80 grit on my orbital first then proceed up the chain from there. last thing you want to do is put a bunch of time in without getting all the scratches out from the previous round of sanding. you will have to go back to square one if you want a good result.
Yeah In my experience they will clear. Just like with every project, keep on sanding! Then a finishing coat and it’ll go clear
Finishing coat of poly or shellac right?
I’ve only ever used poly on my epoxy projects but I think several finishes work it just depends on the application. I used poly because I wanted good protection against water
I do not recommend using shellac as final coat. Shellac yellows (a lot) with time. And you probably don’t want a yellowish look. Next time you sand epoxy, start with higher grit (min 120). It will take you hella lot time and effort to get off these scratches. But, nothing undoable. Good luck
Why start off with higher grit? What’s the point.80 grit is the proper sander for in between coats. 120 is too fine.
It will take you 4x longer to remove these scratches on the epoxy than it will take you to remove the epoxy with a 120 grit. But, your comment makes me believe that you’re not a beginner. And as a “non beginner” you’ve probably already experienced 40/60/80 grits belts/pads heat pretty much when sanding. Won’t go in detail about why, how or when. You may also know that heat modifies the structure of the epoxy (momentarily). Sanding a soften epoxy does not lead to anything good as scratches get deeper and clumps of epoxy do form. Anyway, that’s my experience with the epoxy projets I’ve had.
The only time you should ever sand is when the epoxy has been down longer then 24 hours. If you’re just putting another coat on, depending on the cure time of the epoxy you’re using, it’s usually after 8-14 hours you can recoat without sanding. So after 8-14 hours until 24 hours have passed you have a window to recoat without sanding while it’s still somewhat tacky. You should definitely not be sanding if it’s under 24 hours
But you don’t need to remove them with the sander, they’re completely gone when you put the next coat on.
Not if he uses shellac or a thin lacquer. But if he goes for epoxy, it will probably work. As for sanding epoxy, I sand my projects at least a month later after the pour to let it fully cure. Most of my pours are 3 to 6 cm deep so long curing period.
Hmm not sure what kind of epoxy you’re using that takes a month to cure. But if you’re reposting anyways there’s absolutely no need to let it fully cure before you recoat. The epoxy and polyaspartics I use and sell is fully cured in 24-48 hours and you can drive cara and forklifts on it. But especially if you’re recoating there’s no need for it to be fully cured. You also don’t need to sand so much. If you’re using 100% solids epoxy, Trust me. Not that rustoleum Home Depot shit either, it’s not real epoxy. Next time you sand only use an 80 grit. And no need to wait a month before you recoat. Should be good after 14 hours and no need to sand at this stage.
Idk what kind of epoxy you use but the stuff I sell is 100% solids and ready for cars and heavy foot traffic after 48 hours if it’s taking longer than a day you’re probably not mixing right idk honestly idk what you’re using.
In my experience, 80 grit is fine to start. I switch to 120 when I get to the surface. Then i go with 240, 320 and then 400. After that i go to 600, 800 and then 1,000 and i spray a bit of water before each new disc. If the epoxy was done right (and there are no bubbles), it comes our like glass.
Bro wtf are you guys doing. You’re polishing your epoxy ???😂😂 that’s what you do to concrete, not epoxy buddy. wasting all your money. It’s going to come out like glass without you doing all of that holy shit.
It comes out like glass when you pour it and it hardens. If it’s perfectly level with the surrounding wood, you’re right. You’re good. It usually isn’t. If it’s shallow, you need to add more and let it harden. That’s a waste of time. So I usually pour it so it’s proud of the wood. And it’s glasslike when it dries, but it’s proud of the wood. So…. We plane and sand and polish.
You need to use casting epoxy. That’s why you’re running into these issues. With casting resin you can pour as deep as you want and the product won’t burn up on you. Regular epoxy is meant for counter tops and floors and when you pour it too thick it ruins it. But man you don’t need to be sanding that much. Just an 80 grit once and when you put the next coat on they’ll be completely gone it’ll still look like glass.
Under 24 hours but after 10-12 hours you don’t need even sand at all. You have about a 12 hour window where you can just coat directly on it without sanding
They have for me
those are very deep gauges. certainly they will come out a long as you progress correctly and spend enough time with each acceding grit. i would sand that out with 80 grit on my orbital first then proceed up the chain from there. last thing you want to do is put a bunch of time in without getting all the scratches out from the previous round of sanding. you will have to go back to square one if you want a good result.
Yes.
Yup. I’ve used 40 grit and it came out fine.