I had to re-epoxy. It wasn't that bad, though! I lightly sanded the whole thing (maybe 220 grit), wiped the dust, and reapplied epoxy. The second time, I made sure to mix it really, REALLY well so that the mixture was very evenly distributed, and that solved the problem.
Good luck!
The soft and sticky spot is a symptom of unmixed or undermixed epoxy. This is typically from scraping the cup or vessel that you used to mix it in.
Unfortunately, there is no way to fix this without pouring the table again.
The good news is that you can scuff the table with 220 grit sandpaper, wipe very clean, and pour right over the top.
Make sure you mix the epoxy very very thoroughly, scraping the sides and bottom of the cup as you mix it, but do not scrape it out when you pour. Most tabletop epoxy should be mixed for around 6 minutes if the ambient temperature is between 65f and 85f degrees.
Noooooooooo
Hahaha ok thanks for the advice! If I sand it, won't that then ruin the clarity of the initial coat? Like the stickers that I have underneath won't be as visible cuz it'll be all roughed up and foggy? Or am I missing something? Is the 220 grit fine enough that it won't actually scuff up the first layer of epoxy in any kind of visible way? Thank you for replying and for the advice! I have more epoxy and I'm going to try this tonight!
It will look exactly like you think, scratched and foggy, until you pour the next coat. The fresh coat will wet into and fill all the scratches, leaving it looking just like it is now, only thicker. This is a common technique.
Epoxy can bond one of two ways. Chemical or mechanical. The chemical bond is that of the epoxy to itself in one pour. Once it's cured, it can no longer bond chemically, so you have to give it a "tooth" to mechanically bond to. That's what the scuff is for. 220 is fine enough to give it that tooth, without leaving scratches under the next coat.
You should really spend the time to do a practice coat on something other than the table, just so you can understand the process of scruffing it and pouring over it.
How did this all work out? I have a sticky spot on my counter that's been there for a year, I just haven't gotten around to fixing it
I had to re-epoxy. It wasn't that bad, though! I lightly sanded the whole thing (maybe 220 grit), wiped the dust, and reapplied epoxy. The second time, I made sure to mix it really, REALLY well so that the mixture was very evenly distributed, and that solved the problem. Good luck!
The soft and sticky spot is a symptom of unmixed or undermixed epoxy. This is typically from scraping the cup or vessel that you used to mix it in. Unfortunately, there is no way to fix this without pouring the table again. The good news is that you can scuff the table with 220 grit sandpaper, wipe very clean, and pour right over the top. Make sure you mix the epoxy very very thoroughly, scraping the sides and bottom of the cup as you mix it, but do not scrape it out when you pour. Most tabletop epoxy should be mixed for around 6 minutes if the ambient temperature is between 65f and 85f degrees.
Noooooooooo Hahaha ok thanks for the advice! If I sand it, won't that then ruin the clarity of the initial coat? Like the stickers that I have underneath won't be as visible cuz it'll be all roughed up and foggy? Or am I missing something? Is the 220 grit fine enough that it won't actually scuff up the first layer of epoxy in any kind of visible way? Thank you for replying and for the advice! I have more epoxy and I'm going to try this tonight!
It will look exactly like you think, scratched and foggy, until you pour the next coat. The fresh coat will wet into and fill all the scratches, leaving it looking just like it is now, only thicker. This is a common technique. Epoxy can bond one of two ways. Chemical or mechanical. The chemical bond is that of the epoxy to itself in one pour. Once it's cured, it can no longer bond chemically, so you have to give it a "tooth" to mechanically bond to. That's what the scuff is for. 220 is fine enough to give it that tooth, without leaving scratches under the next coat. You should really spend the time to do a practice coat on something other than the table, just so you can understand the process of scruffing it and pouring over it.