Wood is the most common resin substrate — but it's also the one most likely to trap air and off-gas into your pour if you skip a seal coat. Here's how to match the resin to the project and avoid the classic wood-resin problems.
Quick answer
| Project | Best resin | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bar tops, dining tables, coffee tables, charcuterie boards | Table Top Epoxy Resin | Self-levelling, designed for large flat surfaces |
| River tables, thick single pours, deep moulds with wood | Deep Pour Epoxy Resin | Lower heat build-up allows pours up to ~5 cm in one layer |
| Small wood art, wood + resin jewellery, wood coasters | Epoxy Resin for Resin Art | Low viscosity, easy to work in small batches |
| Sealing wood before a bigger pour | Same resin as your final coat, applied thin | A thin "seal coat" traps air in the wood so it can't bubble up into your final layer |
Why wood needs a seal coat
Wood is porous — it's full of tiny air pockets that expand when warmed by the resin's curing reaction, sending bubbles up through your pour. Before your main pour, apply a thin layer of resin (a seal coat) and let it cure. It plugs the wood's pores from the inside, so your final coat stays clear.
Moisture matters
Wood with more than about 12% moisture content will keep off-gassing no matter how many seal coats you apply, and can cause the resin to fog or peel. If you're not sure, let new or reclaimed wood dry/acclimate for at least a few weeks before pouring, and avoid pouring over wood that feels damp or was recently outdoors.
Table Top vs Deep Pour on wood
- Use Table Top Epoxy Resin when the wood surface is mostly flat and you're coating rather than filling — bar tops, charcuterie boards, most tabletops.
- Use Deep Pour Epoxy Resin when you're filling a void deeper than about 6 mm in a single pour — river tables, embedding thick slabs, filling large knots or cracks.
- For a river table, most people seal the wood, then use Deep Pour for the river itself, and finish with a thin Table Top coat over the whole surface for a glass-smooth finish.
Still not sure? Tell our support team what you're making — the wood type, whether it's a flat coating or a deep pour/river, and the size — and we'll point you to the right product.
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