Attaining a flawless epoxy finish is a terrific accomplishment, one that often results from deliberate planning and an understanding of the epoxy process. But once you've got it, it's important to take good care of it.
That’s why maintaining your epoxy finish is crucial. After investing considerable effort, the last thing anyone wants for their finish is to let a preventable mistake spoil that immaculate seal.
In this article, we'll provide five essential tips for maintaining a stunning epoxy finish, ensuring it remains as impeccable throughout its considerable lifespan as it was when it first finished.
Achieving a perfect epoxy finish starts with selecting high-quality epoxy.
Maintaining and applying epoxy can be straightforward processes. However, perhaps the most important decision in any epoxy project is choosing the right resin.
In today's market flooded with subpar brands, it’s easy to fall prey to numerous unvetted products, often accompanied by suspiciously glowing reviews. Unfortunately, online marketplaces can be manipulated by unscrupulous sellers who push low-quality resin at attractive prices to unsuspecting customers. Using inferior resin can lead to numerous issues, such as cracks, soft spots, and other blemishes, and may even fail to cure properly.
This is why choosing your epoxy from a reputable and established source is vital. At Primaloc, we pride ourselves on offering only premium-quality epoxy products. Our resins are formulated to cure to a crystal-clear finish and withstand many years of typical wear and tear, ensuring the longevity and durability of your projects.
You'll find our Primaloc epoxy products on the following pages:
- Primaloc Bar & Table Top Epoxy—The strongest resin, designed for finishing nearly any type of project, including bar tops, countertops, and table tops. Crystal-clear and incredibly durable, this is the right choice for most users.
- Primaloc Deep Pour Epoxy—This deep casting resin can be used to pour thick layers of epoxy when the usual self-leveling limitation is insufficient. River tables, epoxy art, and a variety of atypical projects can benefit from this increased versatility the most.
Keep Your Epoxy Looking Good as New with These 5 Superb Tips
Maintaining the pristine condition of your epoxy finish can be straightforward with the right care. Here are five valuable tips that can help.
Tip #1: Regular Cleaning
One of the most basic yet nonetheless essential steps is to regularly clean your epoxy surfaces. Allowing residues and debris to linger can mar the surface over time.
Thanks to the ultra-smooth molecular bond of epoxy, these surfaces are easy to maintain. For routine cleaning, simply wiping spills and messes with warm water and mild dish soap is effective. For quicker cleaning, a multi-surface or glass cleaner can also be used efficiently.
It’s important to note that harsh solvents like acetone or bleach should be avoided as they can damage the epoxy finish. These strong solvents are generally unnecessary due to the durable nature of epoxy.
For more detailed cleaning tips, check out our FAQ article on maintaining epoxy finishes!
Tip #2: Protect Your Epoxy Surfaces with Trivets and Coasters
Epoxy is well known for its remarkable resilience, comprehensively surpassing most other sealants options for relevant projects.
While epoxy is renowned for its resilience, it isn't completely immune to damage, especially from heat. While epoxy can withstand temperatures up to 135°F, common items like cookware and hot beverages often exceed this temperature.
To prevent heat damage, it’s wise to use trivets and coasters. These accessories are designed to act as a buffer between your epoxy surface and hot items. Coasters not only protect against heat but also against moisture and cold, capturing or absorbing condensation and minor spills. Trivets serve a similar purpose but are generally larger and primarily focus on shielding surfaces from heat.
By using trivets and coasters, you can extend the life of your epoxy finish, maintaining its pristine appearance for years to come.
Tip #3: Shield Your Epoxy Surfaces from UV Exposure
A common issue with epoxy finishes is yellowing, which can happen before or after the epoxy has blended and finished curing. This is when the appearance of the epoxy changes from crystal-clear to a yellow tint over time. Although this doesn't compromise the structural integrity of the epoxy, it can detract from its aesthetic appeal.
The primary culprit behind the yellowing of epoxy is UV radiation, primarily from the sun. While the earth's atmosphere filters out most harmful sunlight components, enough UV radiation penetrates to potentially degrade materials exposed to it—similar to how it causes sunburn in humans.
Strategies to Prevent Yellowing:
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Keep Indoor: The simplest way to protect your epoxy from UV radiation is to keep it indoors, where it is less likely to be exposed to direct sunlight.
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Natural Shading: For outdoor epoxy projects like picnic tables and bar tops, natural shading can be effective. Positioning these items under trees, beside walls, or in the shadow of buildings can provide significant protection from direct sunlight.
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Construct Shade: If natural shade isn't available, creating your own shade is a viable option. Many epoxy users construct shelters, use large umbrellas, or position their projects near architectural features that block sunlight during the peak hours of the day.
Properly shielding your epoxy projects from UV exposure ensures that they retain their pristine, glass-like appearance for years.
For more tips on maintaining outdoor epoxy finishes, check out our epoxy weather guide!
Tip #4: Avoid Using Harsh Solvents
Our fourth tip emphasizes the importance of steering clear of potent solvents when cleaning epoxy surfaces. Given the ease of cleaning epoxy, mild detergents and cleaners are usually sufficient to maintain its pristine condition.
It's crucial to avoid stronger cleaning agents like acetone, bleach, and acetic acid, which go beyond the cleaning strength required for epoxy and can potentially weaken or damage the finish.
Instead, to ensure your epoxy surface remains undamaged and continues to look its best, opt for gentle cleaning solutions such as mild soap, glass cleaner, or multi-surface cleaners. These are more than adequate for routine cleaning and will help you avoid any unnecessary chemical damage to your epoxy finish.
Tip #5: Use Epoxy Surfaces Wisely in Food Preparation
While epoxy is indeed food safe and suitable for contact with consumables, it's important to note that it should not be used as a direct food preparation surface.
Many homeowners apply epoxy to kitchen countertops or create custom charcuterie boards with it, attracted by its food-safe qualities. However, using epoxy surfaces directly for food prep activities like cutting or chopping can lead to scratches and other marks, as common kitchen utensils can damage the epoxy finish.
To maintain the integrity and appearance of your epoxy surfaces, always use appropriate tools such as cutting boards or butcher blocks when preparing food. This approach keeps your epoxy surfaces pristine while still enjoying their food-safe benefits.
Primaloc Epoxy: Premium Epoxy for Premium Results
With our premium Bar & Table Top Epoxy and our Deep Pour Epoxy, Primaloc gets the job done. Our epoxy resins are premium-grade, with high performance in every category, including:
- Unmatched Strength: A Primaloc finish won't buckle, even under high pressure.
- Long-Lasting Resilience: Primaloc epoxy lasts for many years with minimal care, and can endure high-traffic environments with ease.
- A Crystal-Clear Coating: With its pristine, transparent appearance, looking at a cured Primaloc coating is like peering through a window.
Epoxy resin can be beautiful, strong, and long-lasting—which is why you shouldn't compromise on quality. With Primaloc Epoxy Resin, you get the ultimate finish in durability and visual appeal.
Protect your surfaces by giving them a rock-solid epoxy finish. Choose strong. Choose reliable. Choose Primaloc.