People tend to get all creative with epoxy because it is easier to mold into different shapes and designs. Some artists run an entire business by making various decorative and creative items using epoxy. For example, people buy keychains, photo frames, coasters, necklaces, etc., made of epoxy and resin mixture.
Similarly, people use epoxy to coat their wooden, metallic, stone countertops in their kitchens, bathrooms, etc. Many people use epoxy to cover the gaps between tiles, cracks on the floor and countertops, etc. Artists have now started using glow in the dark epoxy resin to get more creative with epoxy for their projects. It is the regular epoxy, but it glows in the dark with the help of some powders and pigments easily available in the market. One can see a transparent layer during the daytime, but as the room starts to darken, the epoxy starts to glow.
In this post, we will mention some ideas that people use for their epoxy glow in the dark projects. Whether it is a kitchen countertop or items like keychains and coasters, one can prepare them using glow in the dark epoxy.
Application of glow resin epoxy
Glow in the dark epoxy is becoming interestingly popular among artists, homeowners, and people who make DIY home decor pieces. Some of the most common applications of glowing epoxy are:
● Filling cracks on the floor
● Making glow in the dark epoxy countertops
● Canvas artworks
● Making molds in silicone or rubber casts
● Glowing stickers of almost anything and everything
● Fridge magnets, keychains, coasters, glowing frames, and more.
There are endless uses of glowing epoxy. It is up to the user and his imagination as to how far he can think of to work with a glow in the dark epoxy resin. Fortunately, epoxy can fill any void in all the items, be it wood, metal, natural stone, plastic, or Caesarstone countertops. In addition, the heat and water-resistance properties allow people to use it in multiple ways.
Ideas to make glow in the dark epoxy resin
Professionals have their hands tried on various things. For example, they use sparkling powder, color pigments, and more to glow in the dark epoxy resin. However, if someone tries to work with epoxy using DIY techniques, then they can use the following ideas to make glowing epoxy for completing their projects:
Glow in the dark powder
One can find several glow powders in the market. The glow in the dark powder is easy to use, and anyone, whether working professionally or making a DIY epoxy product, can use it. Glow in the dark powder is an opaque-looking powder that mixes smoothly in the epoxy resin. It settles at the bottom and is transparent or translucent in color. Interestingly, they are available in many colors, so you can pick a color of your choice and buy it from online and offline markets. For example, choosing a green glow powder will look like transparent pigments in the epoxy resin but will glow green in the dark.
How to Prepare the Mixture
Although glow in the dark epoxy resin is easy to make, the ideal proportion of glow powder and epoxy resin is 1:5. Therefore, one should add 1 part of glow powder to 5 parts of epoxy resin. In general, people use clear epoxy solution to put over in the molds to get the best outcome of glowy epoxy.
However, others add color pigments to make colorful glowy epoxy resin. It all depends on the individual choice of homeowners and artisans. Nevertheless, it is easy to prepare the mixture; follow the below-given tips:
- Ensure that you have all the essential material with you, such as epoxy, glow powder, vessels, scales, a wooden tool for mixing, mold or countertop prepared for pouring epoxy, heat gun, and rags to save the mess around your project area.
- First, you need to measure the resin using the scale. Add the glow powder to the resin and mix it well using the wooden spatula. It is important to ensure that the directed part is added, or else the resin will get thick, and the powder will glow less.
- Next, add hardener to the powder resin mixture. Now, these mixtures need accurate proportions of every element. Nearly enough is never enough. If the mixture has less hardener, it will not cure well and break.
- Mix the hardener and slowly increase the amount to prevent the formation of bubbles. It is suggested to mix the hardener and resin mixture until the swirl texture fades away.
- In addition, it is suggested to keep running the wooden spatula around the inner corners of the mixing vessel to ensure that all the elements are properly mixed and settled.
- Now, the mixture is ready to pour. Ensure the mold or countertop area is clean and ready for pouring. Add the mixture slowly to the mold to prevent it from bubbling up. There will be some area with bubbles; here, use the heat gun to run over the mixture and wave off the bubbles and air from the resin.
- Keeping the epoxy uncovered is fine until it cures, or many people cover it in a way that the resin is left untouched.
- Once the mixture hardens, the project is complete.
One might not be a professional, but someone working with epoxy for the first time will end up creating a lot of mess because it is hard to handle. Gradually, they learn the art of putting the required pressure and controlling the hand movements while pouring the mixture.
Final words
Glow in the dark epoxy resin is easier to make when people read through the instructions on the resin and glow powder boxes. It is essential to note that the epoxy resin mixture works the best when made with accurate proportions of all the elements. Glow in the dark epoxy countertops are becoming increasingly popular among homeowners renovating their kitchens for a renewed look.
Other products such as coasters, keychains, photo frames, initial name stands, and more are made using glowy epoxy. In addition, people also tend to add the sparkling powder to the glowy mixture to add to the product’s final look. Whether kitchen countertops or tile makeup, glowy epoxy works like magic and gives an elegant look.
