FAQ, Troubleshooting

Epoxy River table why Sealing Live Edge is important

Epoxy River table why Sealing Live Edge is important

Epoxy River table Sealing Live Edge?

Epoxy River table Sealing Live Edge. Sealing the “Live Edge” using a Fast-Setting Sealer resin is a great way to avoid getting air/humidity coming out of the wood while the epoxy is curing. Epoxy also known as “Thermoset” (meaning the curing is induced by heat) will open up the wood fibers while curing and might release air/humidity being trapped which can cause bubbles to come out at last minute. By applying 1-2 coats of our fast setting epoxy CHILL SEALER 2:1 ratio, you will create a barrier blocking this air to come out and create bubbles.

NOTE : that every type of wood is different so is their density. High density wood will tend to release air, when low density woods will trap a bigger amount.

For example :

Solid                                       Density
(103 kg/m3)                           (lb/ft3)

Walnut      0.65 – 0.7              40 – 43
Maple       0.6 – 0.75              39 – 47
Oak          0.6 – 0.9                37 – 56
Pine         0.35 – 0.5              22 – 31

Wood movement and possible delamination?

When pouring a river tables with a certain thickess, for example between 1/2″ and 2″ thick, the exothermic reaction will generate heat. This quantity of heat can be enought to open up the porosities and release a small or big quantity of air. Is it important to understand that bubbles are not created by the epoxy, but by the presence of air. When sealing your wood before a pour, you limit the introduction of air into your mixture and thus reduce the number of bubbles.
Secondly, when adding 1-2 coats of epoxy on your wood or Live Edge, you will stabilize it and reduce any wood movements created be the combination of wood and heat. There is a lot of misconception about seal coats on Live Edge wood. Rumors of possible delamination. Those false ideas have been brought to day-light by people using medium to high viscosity epoxy systems. Those will not fill all the cavities and porosities and create a weak mechanical bonding. When using our Low-viscosity Sealer that really penetrates the wood fibers, you create a strong adhesion. We have put those techniques to the test multiple time without any failures.