It's common knowledge that a good epoxy resin is incredibly durable, with heavy resistance to various types of damage, including scratching, denting, moisture, and more.
But less recognized about epoxy resin is how well it handles being outside. Because epoxy is a beautiful finishing material, outdoor projects make for an appealing option, where they can receive plenty of ambient natural lighting to showcase their remarkable allure.
In this article, we'll talk about how epoxy fares outside, and what you can do to mitigate any potential concerns.
Will epoxy hold up outside?
Knowing how well your epoxy resin can weather the outdoors will help you make the right decisions for your project goals. Let's start by listing the strengths of epoxy resin.
Advantages to using epoxy resin outside
- Rock-solid surface strength.
- A waterproof bond.
- Smooth, easily cleaned exterior.
- Customizable appearance.
- Light, cost-effective, and low-maintenance.
Next, we'll take a look at each feature in more detail.
Advantage #1: Rock-solid surface strength
Generally speaking, a high-quality epoxy resin will have no trouble enduring a typical climate. The tight-knit bond of epoxy results in an incredibly durable surface strength, making it an exceptional choice for an outdoor finish, such as on a table top or bar top.
Advantage #2: A waterproof bond
Epoxy resin—once cured—is inherently waterproof. This allows it to persist even in the presence of high humidity or intense rainy weather. It's an ideal finish for materials like wood and metal.
Advantage #3: Smooth, easily-cleaned exterior
Because of epoxy's ultra-smooth surface, it's also easy to clean, making it a terrific option for an outdoor finish, where any type of surface is more likely to get dirty.
In most cases, warm water and a mild soap will clear away debris and residue. Additionally, a common glass cleaner can be an effective cleaning agent for epoxy resin, and there are other methods for more substantial debris.
Advantage #4: A customizable appearance
Two-part epoxy resin starts off in liquid form, as two separate components. It's when these components are mixed together—thus starting a chemical reaction—that the epoxy begins to harden.
Prior to it hardening, epoxy resin is highly customizable. Its free-flowing nature allows it to conform to all manner of regular and irregular shapes, making it suitable for almost any type of outdoor furniture.
Additionally, epoxy resin is highly receptive to appropriate colorants, such as epoxy pigments and resin dyes. These colorants imbue the epoxy with vivid tones, of which there are many options.
Furthermore, it's easy to embed various objects within the epoxy finish, such as paper memorabilia, coins, natural items like stones or seashells, and so much more.
Advantage #5: Light, cost effective, and low maintenance
Epoxy resin is a relatively light material. It doesn't add much weight and can be great for outdoor furniture that needs to stay portable. It's also cost-effective, bringing great value compared to its expense.
Premium epoxy resins are also low maintenance. This means you won't have to perform significant upkeep to maintain an epoxy finish during its standard lifetime.
Speaking of lifetime, a high-quality epoxy finish, such as our UltraClear Bar & Table Top Epoxy, will last a minimum of 7 years, with very little upkeep.
In truth, with epoxy resin you end up sustaining far fewer costs due to repair or maintenance that are normally necessary for maintaining other types of materials.
Disadvantages to using epoxy resin outside
With that said, epoxy resin does have its share of weaknesses.
For one, epoxy resin has a fair but not extraordinary resistance to heat. It can handle temperatures of up to 135°F without issue, but beyond that it begins to falter.
Fortunately, you're unlikely to encounter such high temperatures in most locations, but for arid regions with sweltering weather, wherein that becomes a concern, an unsheltered resin surface may not be a suitable option.
Secondly, non-tinted, clear resin finishes have a tendency to yellow over time when exposed to directly sunlight. This isn't usually a big deal, and often isn't noticeable, but for those who prefer to have a crystal-clear appearance without any yellowing, epoxy resin may not be the right choice.
The yellowing can be diminished or prevented entirely through the use of epoxy pigments, which are colorfast, or by providing adequate shelter, to shield it from the sun's intense UV rays.
It's also important to select a high-quality epoxy resin, as substandard epoxies are far more likely to yellow prematurely, among a host of other problems.
So, will epoxy hold up outside?
The answer to this question is yes. While the aforementioned caveats do apply in some situations, most of the time epoxy performs its role incredibly well. It's strong, resilient, waterproof, with a smooth easily-cleaned surface, making it an excellent solution to a timeless problem.
In our store, you can find our premium UltraClear Bar & Table Top Epoxy, which is an exceptional choice for outdoor resin projects.
Have questions? Want advice? Contact us!
If you have any questions about outdoor epoxy resin projects, or if you'd like some assistance in planning one of your own, please reach out to us at UltraClear Epoxy—our epoxy experts are ready to assist!
You can contact us via phone or email here. During business hours, you can also text chat online with one of our resin specialists by clicking the Help button at the bottom of your screen.
And in our online store, you'll find a variety of useful tools and supplies, ideal for resin projects, as well as our award-winning UltraClear Bar & Table Top Epoxy.
