Painting or Photo Coating with Epoxy - 5 Easy Steps

Epoxy casting resin is used for many purposes. Casting floors, tables and coating paintings or statues. The coating epoxy of UltraEpoxy is widely used by artists and furniture makers for finishing paintings .

With the right techniques and some handy tips and tricks, you can apply a beautiful epoxy coating that not only protects your canvas or painting, but also looks great. In this article, our epoxy specialists will show you how to properly apply epoxy to a painting or canvas of, for example, a photo.

Step 1: Preparation

Make sure you have all the necessary materials at hand before you start. Apply masking tape to the edges of the back of your canvas. You do this to protect the back. Epoxy can drip onto this later. After curing, we remove this tape and the back is still completely neat.

Put on the gloves and prepare your work area. Cover your work area with cardboard boxes or plastic foil, for example. Epoxy adheres to almost all surfaces such as MDF, plywood, plastic and wood.

Epoxy casting resin: Choose a high quality epoxy casting resin that is suitable for casting paintings and/or coatings. For this, use the coating epoxy from UltraEpoxy.
Materials required: Coating epoxy , disposable nitrile gloves , 750 ml or larger mixing cup , mixing spatulas, scale, acetone and masking tape.
Workspace: Work in a dust-free workspace and make sure your surface is level so the epoxy doesn't run off.

Step 2: Calculate how much epoxy you need for your canvas

You can easily calculate how much epoxy you need for your project. A liter of epoxy casting resin gives 1 mm layer thickness per square meter. If you are pouring a painting or canvas photo , 1.0-2.0 mm thickness is common. The table below shows how much epoxy you need for the most common canvas sizes.

Canvas size (cm)		Epoxy	Canvas size (cm)		Epoxy
Canvas size (cm)		Epoxy	Canvas size (cm)		Epoxy
20	20	65 ml	80	80	1020 ml
30	20	95 ml	90	30	430 ml
30	30	145 ml	90	60	855 ml
40	30	190 ml	100	70	1110 ml
40	40	250 ml	100	100	1600 ml
50	50	400 ml	120	40	760 ml
60	20	190 ml	120	80	1530 ml
60	40	380 ml	150	50	1200 ml
60	60	570 ml	150	100	2400 ml
70	50	550 ml	200	90	2850 ml
80	40	510 ml	200	100	3175 ml

Step 3: Applying the epoxy coating

Place the painting or photo on canvas on a small elevation, so that it is not directly on a surface. You do not want everything to stick later. Follow the instructions on the packaging of the epoxy casting resin. Mix well for 5-7 minutes. Also scrape the bottom and edges of the mixing cup.

Pour the epoxy evenly over the surface from the mixing cup. Keep a small amount of epoxy in the mixing cup in case you need it later.
Start in the middle and then spread the epoxy with a mixing spatula or with your hands (make sure you wear gloves). In our opinion, this works best with your hands. Spread the epoxy evenly over the surface with 1 hand. With the other (clean) hand, you will finish the edges later. Check whether the epoxy is evenly distributed.
Finally, spread the epoxy (see photo below) over the edges. There may be drips on the surface, this is completely normal. Work this with a spatula for one minute. The epoxy will flow out level by itself.

Step 4: Remove air bubbles

Use a burner or the Bubble Burst spray to remove air bubbles. Let the epoxy rest for a few minutes, so that the air bubbles burst. Then remove the air bubbles again. Also remove the drips along the edges with a spatula. Then follow the curing time, as indicated on the packaging of the epoxy.

Step 5: Apply a second coat if necessary

If you want to add more depth and shine, consider applying a second coat of epoxy , repeating the steps for mixing and applying the epoxy.

More information?

Do you have questions about making art, jewelry or casting/coating floors or other objects? At itsOkay, several epoxy experts work, each with their own expertise. We are happy to help you. Contact itsOkay customer service or take a look at the Epoxy knowledge center .