We love to use clear resin in mosaic projects to let the color of the tiles show through. It may seem daunting to use for the first time, so just follow these simple steps to mix and pour two-part resin. We are using it here to finish a mosaic tray. Click here for the complete how-to for the table.
Materials
EnviroTex Lite Pour-On High Gloss Finish kit, 16 oz.
4 Straight-sided cups, 16 oz.
2 Chopsticks
Rubbing alcohol
Paper towels
Protective gloves
Protective eyewear
Level
Steps
1. Before you mix the High-Gloss Finish, don your gloves and protective eyewear. In a well-ventilated area, pour the resin into a cup until it is half-full.
2. Pour the same amount of hardener into a second cup. Make sure the amounts in the cups are equal.
3. Pour the entire contents of both liquids into a third cup.
4. Stir immediately with a chopstick for one minute, whipping the mixture as you would whip batter.
5. Pour the mixture into another clean cup.
6. Mix vigorously for one more minute with a clean chopstick.
7. Immediately pour the resin mixture directly over the mosaic. Be sure resin falls across every item, keeping in mind that multiple coats may be necessary to cover items with a high profile.
8. Tilt the tray to help the resin reach all areas.
9. Place the tray on a perfectly level surface in a dust-free area. Five minutes after the resin is poured, bubbles may appear. To release them, gently exhale over the surface of the resin. (Do not blow on the resin. It is the CO2 in your exhaled breath that makes the resin de-gas.) Cover the poured resin tray with a cardboard box to keep it dust-free. Let cure for48 hours.
Finishing Tip: If you need a second coat, clean the surface of the cured resin with alcohol. Then repeat steps 1 thru 5 to pour another layer of resin. If your surface is smooth, with no items breaking through the resin, you are done!
We love getting pinned!
Can a mosaic item be outside where it rains?
Hi Denise,
We have created resin-grouted mosaics and they have been fine outside in the rain. For traditional mosaics with grout, we recommend sealing the mosaic. We use Mosaic Mercantile Mosaic Grout Sealer. Does that help?
Jennifer & Kitty
Thank you so much for posting this. I have been wanting to try Resin for sometime but was not sure how to go about it. I paint in acrylic on canvas. Are there any other tips you have to give me?
Thanks again, Lee Anne
Hi Lee Anne, Glad you found us! We love resin. If you want to cover something large like a canvas with the Envirotex resin, you can lay the piece horizontally and pour the resin so it runs off the sides. Then after it cures, you can sand the sides down smooth. This makes a very nice glossy surface on a canvas. (Envirotex has more tips on their website!) There are other kinds of resin you might want to check out too. We use the two-part resin by Envirotex for mosaics and tables, but for smaller things like jewelry, we use UV resin (Lisa Pavelka is a brand we like). We’d love to see what you make!
Cheers, Jennifer & Kitty
Hi Jennifer and Kitty, You have been so helpful! I can’t wait to try this and I will post my results once I have done it!
cheers!
http://www.leeannelaforge.com
You mentioned you use this varnish on resin grout. Can I also use this on a table that is grouted with tile grout?
Hi Dawn,
On a table grouted with tile grout, we recommend using mosaic sealer. Does that answer your question?
Jennifer & Kitty
I used the pour on for my countertop after a few days now it should be dry n instead it’s tacky like it’s not dry but it’s been 72hra what should I do to fully cure it?
This has happened to us when we didn’t mix completely throughly. We fixed it by removing the uncured areas with a craft stick and repouring with new (better mixed) resin. Here are some other troubleshooting tips: http://eti-usa.com/envirotex-lite/professional-tips/
Best of luck!
Jennifer & Kitty
what did you clean it with? the tacky part left?
If you want to add a second layer of resin, either to fix a tacky area or just to make it thicker, clean the first layer with alcohol. Then mix and repour the resin. Hope that helps!
J&K
Do you use the resin instead of grout or do you use the resin over the grouted piece?
Hi Jane,
For this project we used resin instead of grout. The clear resin really lets the color of tiles shine through.
Jennifer & Kitty
Was this grouted first and then the resin poured over?
Hi Mariam, The table was not grouted. We only used resin. We wanted the color of the tiles to really show.
J&K
thanks for this. it’s easy to follow and much appreciated
You are welcome! We made a video of How To Mix Two-Part resin too. It’s on our YouTube channel.
https://youtu.be/70bOH2j2vvs
Let us know if you have any questions.
Jennifer & Kitty
I have used this product in my mosaics/ pictures with sea glass. Sometimes they come out perfect , sometimes they look perfect until completely dried . Some have a cloudy shadow on the glass. Why is this ?
Hmmm….we haven’t had any problems with clouding. Is the resin cloudy on top or are you getting cloudiness on the sea glass within the resin? That could be trapped air bubbles, maybe. If the problem is the surface of the resin, you can pour a second coat of resin on top of a cured coat. You need to wipe it with alcohol first. That is also a fix if you have any sticky areas where the resin didn’t mix properly.
Hope that helps!
Jennifer & Kitty
I usually use this on thermose or a curved surface so I use a soft brush the problem is the bubbles it appears and I can’t removed them .. Some time I use the lighter but nothing happens
When we run into any questions with Enviro-tex Resin, we just call the folks that make it at ETI. They are so helpful! http://www.eti-usa.com/
J&K
This looks like fun. I want to make an ornament out of a hand of cards. This EnviroTex looks like a good bet. What do you think? I think I’d want to glue the cards together, then seal them with modpodge. After that… EnviroTex? No mold, just going for it.
Hi Sue, Gluing and sealing the cards with ModPodge might be all you need. But if you want to do the resin, prop them face-up over a foil covered cookie sheet and let the resin pour off the sides. Let it cure. Then do the other side. Maybe do a test first!
Good luck!
Jennifer & Kitty
Thank you so much for this info. I am going to try this on some mosaic letters I have done. Did use the resin on kitchen cabinet door inserts and love it.
Sounds great! Glad the info helped! J&K
I love this stuff. I made a beautiful scrapbook page for my grandsons baseball pics.
Sounds wonderful Debbie!
I just bought a kit and was a little intimidated but now I can do it…thanks jon
So glad we could help! Let us know if you have any questions.
J&K
the platter was painted? then mosaic? then resin
Hi Debra,
For our mosaic, yes it was painted first. Here’s the complete instructions for the mosaic table shown in the resin how-to. https://runningwithsisters.com/smashing-tile-table/
J&K
Hi there,
Thanks for the useful info. Just one question for you: I am going to grout my mosaic and wonder if that will affect the way the resin sets up?
Thx
Rob
Hi Rob, We usually use the resin in place of grout and haven’t tried putting the resin over grout. But it should work fine. Just watch for bubbles as the resin sets up and remove them before it solidifies.
Hope that helps,
J&K
Went back and looked at the pics again. After reading comments, that’s not grout, it’s a painted surface you placed the tiles. Makes more sense now. Will check out your YouTube vids to learn even more. Very cool stuff. Thank you again
WHERE CAN I PURCHASE THE RESIN
THANK YOU
We buy the resin at Michael’s or Amazon. Hope that helps! Jennifer & Kitty
Hi, I have just done some mosaics on a glass window and was just wondering if I need to glue all the pieces down befoe applying the epoxy clear gloss coat or just pour it over?
Kind regards
Wendy
Hi Wendy! We think you should glue the pieces down so they don’t move or float in the resin and also to prevent some bubbles that might come up from under the pieces. Hope that helps! J&K
What type of glue would you use on a clear pc of glass?
Once you open each bottle for mixing, must it all be used at that time, or can you save the unused material for a future project? Assuming that it had not been mixed. I’m thinking about a very thick (1/4″-1/2″) resin topped table made out of a tree stump with pennies underneath the resin.
Great question! Yes you can save the unused portion. Your table sounds fun!! Jennifer & Kitty
Thank you for breaking it down in simple terms for even me to understand. The trick is finding a dust free area to do it in. lol I love the tile colors and grout used. Do you have an instructional on that too? I need all the help I can get. 😉
What is the best sealer for exterior mosaic projects?
We use Grout Sealer by Mosaic Mercantile. But any grout sealer for outdoors should work fine. J&K
Does this brand of resin work outside? I used a resin on my mosaic steppingstone and the sun turned it opaque. It ruined the stepping stone that I worked so hard on.
We have used it on a mosaic table we kept outdoors and it aged very nicely. The Envirotex company has a great customer support team. Why not contact them and see what they recommend? https://www.eti-usa.com/contact
I need to resin a very large coffee table and have never used resin before. Do I need to do one large pour or multiple small pours? If I do one large pour, the trouble will be finding something big enough, any ideas please! ?
Hi Susan,
We think it’s better to do multiple small pours. Much more manageable! The folks at ETI who make the resin have great customer service and lots of helpful instructions. Here’s a link to their instruction sheet for pouring multiple layers to make a table top:
https://www.eti-usa.com/envirotex-lite-epoxy-bottle-cap-table-bar-top-project
Hope that helps!
Jennifer & Kitty
Hi dear
Should we use heat gun to release the bubbles??
Thanks
Hi Baheya,
The heat gun should be a great way to release the bubbles. But we haven’t tried it ourselves. We usually just exhale over the surface of the resin while it is still wet.
J&K
Can the resin be used on an outdoor mosaic table? Also can it be used on a shower pan?
Great questions, Judy! We have a mosaic table made with resin that has happily lived outside on the patio for years. For regular use in a shower, we think you might want to ask the folks at ETI who make the resin. They are super helpful! https://www.eti-usa.com/contact
Hope that helps!
J&K
thanks I wanted to try it on a large letter that had really beautiful colored beads, I’m going to do it now, and post a picture in a few days.
Sounds like a fun project Edith!
J&K
Can I pinch to bubble with a pin?
We use that method for other resins so it might work. Give it a try!
J&K
I used VARATHANE, Ultimate Polyurethane water based, crystal clear gloss, interior on a wood kids step tool. I sprayed twice, can I still use the Resin?
We’re just not sure. Maybe ask ETI the folks who make the resin. They are super helpful. https://www.eti-usa.com/contact
J&K
I want to make a sea glass window and want to know if I can just lay the pattern down and pour the resin over it or will it need to be glued on first?
Hi Fran,
That sounds like a great project! You should glue the pieces down first. Otherwise they can lift up and poke through the top of the resin before it cures. They also can release air bubbles from underneath. We recommend gluing with Clear 100% Silicone. You can find it at the hardware store with bathtub caulk or glue.
Hope that helps!
Jennifer & Kitty
I have a mosaic piece I want to try resin, epoxy on. I glued my pieces with Weldbond onto MDF board. The piece is a pre cut chicken. I thought resin would be easier than grout. The feathers will be tough to get grout in between them. My questions are, do I paint the MDF before pouring the resin and will the resin cover the sides of my tiles? Also, can you add color to the resin/epoxy?
Great questions! The resin will be clear so be sure the spaces between the mosaic pieces are the color you want. You can paint the MDF to get the right color. You can pour the resin as deep as you like if there are sides to your MDF piece. Otherwise the resin will drip off the sides and just leave a thin layer between the tiles. That would be nice too. Yes you can tint the resin! Here’s a how-to:
https://resincraftsblog.com/poured-resin-chevron-wood-arrows/
Hope that helps!
J&K