Wood and Resin Beach Art

7 Materials
$30
2 Days
Easy

In this HT post, I show you how to make wood and resin beach art. I also show you how to experiment with different techniques and colors without ruining the finish product.

Resin Mold

A resin mold is a mechanism to hold the resin in a specific spot until it cures and to prevent leaking.


Ultimately, many options exist for creating a resin mold.

I’ll show you the method I used for this resin beach art project.

Particle board, plywood, or any other flat surface works well for the bottom of a resin mold. 

Next, cover the resin mold with packing tape.


Also, be sure to overlap the tape by 1/4″ and smooth it out after each piece. I find packing tape works very well and it is much cheaper than Tyvek tape. Essentially, furniture wax and vaseline serve as resin mold release agents. If applied correctly, my wood resin beach art should release easily once the resin completely cures.


First, I placed a leftover 1.5″ thick piece of cypress on the resin mold.

Next, I used 1×2’s to form a 3 sided box around it. I secured the 1x2s with 1″ brad nails.


Then, I removed the live edge cypress wood from the mold. I did not secure the resin mold perimeter to the wood just yet.

Sand Wood (if needed) & Seal


I rough sanded the top of the cypress wood during a previous project. So, I only needed to sand the live edge to remove the loose debris.

Essentially, I used 220 grit sandpaper along with my Festool RO125 rotex sander. Any handheld rotary sander will do just fine.


Seal Resin Mold


First, I used silicone caulk to seal on the inside and outside of the resin mold. Then, I used a scrap 2×4 along with a straight edge and 2 clamps to secure the cypress wood to the resin mold.

Mix Resin


First, I gathered a measuring bucket and epoxy resin (Part A & Part B).

I measured 16 ounces of Part A and 16 ounces of Part B for a total of 32 ounces. 

Next, I mixed the resin and split the resin into 3 different containers. 

I had 16 ounces in one container and 8 ounces in each of the other ones.

Pigment Powder

I poured Cobalt Blue pigment powder in the 16 ounce bucket and I poured a lighter blue pigment powder into the second container.

Then, I put roughly 10 drops or white alcohol ink in the third container.

Alcohol Ink

Alcohol ink is a resin dispersion agent, so it creates cool resin effects when added to resin. 

Also, I’ll explain more about alcohol ink later in this resin art tutorial.

First Resin Pour


I mixed each bucket thoroughly and started pouring.

Also, I knew this amount of resin would be 1/4″ thick and would not be enough resin to reach the top of the wood. Essentially, this layer would be covered up with additional layers and allows me to experiment with colors and techniques.

Move Resin


In any resin art project, the magic happens when the resin is moved around either with a heat gun or by tilting the resin mold.

Resin Ocean Waves


I decided to add alcohol ink directly to the wood resin ocean art.

In case you don’t know, alcohol is a resin dispersion agent and used quite often to create ocean waves and cool effects such as resin lacing and cells.

Alcohol ink can be added directly to resin or pre-mixed with clear resin before pouring. Ultimately, Each option produces a different type of look.

Resin Wave Effect


Ultimately, I learned alcohol ink applied directly to resin works best in transparent resin to create depth.

Alcohol ink mixed with resin before pouring works best for creating uniform lines or tinting colors.

Finally, I moved the resin and alcohol ink with a heat gun.

Second Resin Layer


For the second layer, I repeated the process for the first layer with the same amount of resin for this ocean resin wall art.

First, I mixed blue and a small amount of blue/green pigment powder. Next, I added alcohol ink to a small amount of resin. I poured blue/green pigment powder over the first resin layer.

Transparent Blue Resin


These projects are fun because, as I stated previously, I can experiment or change something without impacting the final product.


So, I decided to try something and use transparent blue dye near the front to simulate shallow water and to create depth.


In addition, alcohol Ink added to transparent blue resin creates a 3D wave effect. It is sort of similar to the white foam below the surface of the water after a wave crashes.


Additionally, I meant to add the alcohol ink directly to the transparent resin instead of mixing it in clear resin before pouring, but I didn’t.

So, I poured the alcohol ink and resin mix on top of the transparent blue resin.


Thankfully, it still turned out ok.

I used my heat gun to create resin beach art ocean waves.

Final Resin Pour


I repeated the same process as the second layer. 

Ultimately, I had a good idea of how to achieve the look I was after.

First, I poured blue resin in the deep resin ocean.

I added light blue in the middle and moved the 2 shades of blue resin around.

Next, I poured transparent resin near the live edge cypress.

Then, I poured resin mixed with alcohol ink on top of the transparent resin.

Finally, I used my heat gun to move things around.

In this article, I talked a lot about transparent resin, alcohol ink, and ocean waves.

The pictures below show a close-up of how alcohol ink blends with transparent resin for a 3D depth effect.

Remove Resin Mold


First, I lifted the DIY folding wall table from the resin mold bottom. 

The packing tape and furniture wax really makes the resin easy to release from the mold.


Next, I realized I completely forgot to cover the resin mold perimeter with packing tape.

In turn, I used my rubber mallet to knock each of the 3 sides away from the resin.

Luckily, this worked! I only had a small amount of wood stuck to the front of the wood resin beach art.

Sand and Polish Resin


I used my orbital sander with 220 grit sandpaper to sand the entire surface and sides.


Next, I used a polishing compound to polish the surface and bring the colors to life.


Then, I used my sheepskin polishing pad to remove the excess compound. This also attaches to my soft sanding pad.

Close Up Picture


Here is a closeup picture of how the transparent resin and alcohol ink blend together.

Close Up Picture 2


Here is another picture which shows the dark and light blue blending.

Conclusion


In summary, I hope you enjoyed this project and it brought you some form of value.


Be sure to  visit my blog to find out how I converted this resin wall art into a foldable desk.


Please consider  subscribing to my YouTube channel for more DIY project videos.

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Jeremy Hoffpauir
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