As one of the most important (if not THE most important) aspects of successful epoxy creations, we’ve seen mistakes and leaks more times that we can count. If this first step isn’t done properly, you risk your epoxy leaking all over your floor and losing hundreds of dollars of product. If you’ve ever tried to clean up spilled epoxy, you know how impossible, difficult and frustrating it is. So we’re going to walk you through our process of building our forms and molds for our epoxy work! These are easy to build, inexpensive, reusable and ensure a successful pour.
Step 1: Acquire your materials. For this build, you will need:
A 4’x8’ sheet of sanded plywood (or smaller to accommodate your space - just make sure it’s sanded on one side).
A tube of caulking - we suggest the Akfix Sealmax, available for $4.99 on our online store/retail shop.
Tuck tape - available at most hardware stores (Canadian Tire, Home Hardware, TSC, etc.).
Some 2x4’s - the amount that you need depends on the size of the form that you’re building.
Heavy duty clamps.
Step 2: Build your base table (ours is built out of 2x4’s), or use an existing table/workbench - just make sure it is sturdy enough to support the weight of your epoxy projects and forms. Once your table is ready (and make sure it’s level!), screw down your sheet of plywood with the sanded side up.
Step 3: Cover the sheet of plywood in tuck tape - make sure you tape in straight, even and smooth passes. The less bumps and uneven spots in your tape job, the better.
Tip: if you spend the little bit extra to get plywood that’s sanded on both sides, you can just flip the sheet over when one side’s time has come to an end.
Step 4: Measure the size for your form and cut your 2x4’s to size. We suggest to give yourself a 1/2” to a 1” buffer in your form from what your finished dimensions are to be.
For example, if you’re building a coffee table that is 24” x 42”, make your form 25” x 43”.
Step 5: Once your 2x4’s are cut to size, cover one of the wider faces in tuck tape. Again, make sure you tape in straight lengths and an even amount of tape over the whole face. The taped side will be the one on the inside of your form, so you don’t want any of the wood exposed. If it is, the epoxy will bond to your form and you’ll have one h*@# of a time getting it apart!
For this form, we used some ripped plywood pieces since we had them laying around. This is a good alternative to 2x4’s if you want to reuse any old materials.
Step 6: Arrange the 2x4’s into your box shape and screw them together on each corner. Transfer this to your base table and clamp the box down to your base.
Step 7: Once everything is clamped down, apply some caulking to the inside and outside seams, including the corners. Smooth it out with your finger to get out any air bubbles and ensure the seal for your form. Don’t be afraid to “over caulk” your form - in this case, the more the better! We think it’s better to be over cautious than to end up with epoxy on the floor.
Step 8: Let it sit overnight for it to fully set up and seal off, and then you can get started with your pour! Voila! That’s it! You’re done!
This caulking does have a fast dry time and your form could be used much sooner than overnight, but we suggest to wait regardless. Again, better to be safe than sorry!
One of the best benefits to this style of form is being able to reuse it - re-tape the parts you need, and you’re good to go! We don’t benefit from any of the prebuilt forms because we are constantly making stuff with different dimensions. They are a great option if you are building pieces of the same size all the time, but for us they don't make sense.
If you have any questions about this form style, any of the products used, or really anything in general, hit us up! Y’know we’re always happy to help!
Thanks for reading! :) -Kyle & Ali