How to construct a temporary dam for epoxy

Constructing a temporary dam is a careful process. You want to be able to remove it easily after your epoxy has cured.

Here is our suggested method:

1. Gather what you'll need. We recommend:
   
   1. 2x4 wood (similarly sturdy, straight pieces of wood may also be viable)
   2. Tyvek tape - Tyvek tape is put on the 2x4 wood to prevent resin bonding
   3. Silicone caulk - Silicone caulk won't bond with epoxy and is easy to remove later.
2. Cover the wood with Tyvek tape. Make sure you cover the front face of the wood completely. Epoxy will attempt to bond to any wood it touches.
3. Position the wood where needed to form the dam.
4. Fill the seams between the tape-wrapped boards with the silicone caulk.

That's it. If you follow these steps, you should end up with an effective temporary dam.

If your project is an epoxy bar top, table top, or countertop, you may not even need a temporary dam.

• Our UltraClear table top epoxy is self-leveling and designed to spread smoothly over a surface and slowly flow down adjacent edges.
• Pour deliberately and keep an eye on the edges to confirm that they're being coated evenly. You can reposition your pour to make sure the entire surface gets covered.
• The epoxy will conform to the contours of your substrate, wrapping around and even underneath. It won't hang like "icicle" shaped droplets unless you pour far too much.
• Note: This freeform method does cause dripping momentarily, so you'll want to place 2 mil painters plastic underneath your workspace to catch any drops of epoxy.
• Finally, once it's cured (hardened) later, you can come back and sand away bumps underneath your countertop or table top.