Epoxy resin worktop sealant - any ideas?

[tomster]

I have just moved into a house that has a smaller, second house (like a guesthouse) on the property.

 

In the smaller house there is a nice wrap around kitchen worktop. This worktop has a new epoxy resin finish that is super sticky, obviously there was an issue with the hardener when it was applied.

 

Here is the finish:

 

 

Th owner is a really nice guy and has rented me the house super cheap so I feel like I should sort the problem out as a way of saying thanks....

 

So, the question is - what to put on the top of the epoxy to seal it and get rid of the stickiness?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

[stubuzz]

Here are some options.

1. A piece of glass.

2. More epoxy (mixed correctly) (Do a Google search in Thai as there are companies that do it)

3. Remove it all and buy a granite top.

[bbko]

I'm not an epoxy expert but it seems like you should sand it down before applying a new coat of epoxy.

 

 

[impulse]

Is the surface hard and sticky, or is it soft (mushy) and sticky?

 

If it's mushy, I'm not sure there is a solution.  If it's hard with a sticky surface, it may just be amine blush.  Lots of YouTubes on fixing amine blush.

 

Edited August 21, 2021 by impulse

[sometimewoodworker]

10 hours ago, tomster said:

Here is the finish:

 

The surface wasn’t prepared correctly, the epoxy wasn’t mixed correctly, there wasn’t enough epoxy used.

 

The only way to do a proper job you must strip the existing epoxy. I can’t see exactly what material is under it, that will decide what you can do, you may have to replace the substrate to get a proper finish.

[Saanim]

11 hours ago, bbko said:

you should sand it down before applying a new coat of epoxy.

Yes, but perhaps it will need a bit more to get rid of the sticky surface, then by a hand planner (or motorized like Makita). 

Then you can apply the resin in a correct mixture. And in thin layers, otherwise it will crack while hardening (a lot of heat is generated). 

 

Actually, it is not epoxy, but what is called resin - for so called river tables. Can be bought at local chemical shops or ordered in Bkk, few can be found on Internet. 

 

Edited August 22, 2021 by Saanim

[sometimewoodworker]

1 hour ago, Saanim said:

Actually, it is not epoxy, but what is called resin - for so called river tables. Can be bought at local chemical shops or ordered in Bkk, few can be found on Internet. 

Sorry to correct you, but yes it is epoxy, as is the “resin” used for river tables. The full name is epoxy resin and they are polyepoxides. There is a huge verity of compounds that are available for many different purposes. The river table kinds have a lower/longer exothermic reaction time so can be used in greater volumes without catching fire or boiling during the cure.

 

as to needing to use thin layers, that is only needed if you can’t get the correct formulated epoxy, the version sold as “bar top epoxy” can be 6mm deep pour with no problem, other formulas can easily do 25mm.
 

The depth of pour you can safely use is affected by the ambient temperature, most are designed for ideal use between 10C and 26C in a moderate humidity so if you have 36C and 90% humidity you have problems 

Edited August 22, 2021 by sometimewoodworker

[Yellowtail]

The easiest thing to do is give it another coat with an extra-hot mix. This almost always works, particularly if you are using the same product. We would typically go with 25% extra catalyst. 

 

Stripping and recoating it would be the best way, but if I went this route I would go with a chemical stripper first.