DIY or pro
Epoxy resin: DIY or hire a pro?
Do small pieces yourself: coasters, trays, a shelf, a small tabletop. Hire a specialist for anything you walk on, cook on or shower against. On those jobs the preparation and the cure decide whether it lasts, and a failed pour has to be scraped or ground off before anyone can start again.
Free, no obligation. One local resin specialist prices it, not five.
Where the line is
What's DIY and what isn't
| Job | DIY or specialist | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Coasters, trays, jewellery, art | DIY | What kits are made for |
| A small tabletop or shelf | DIY | A thin flood coat over timber |
| A worktop | Specialist | One pour, level, cut-outs, heat, food contact |
| A floor in a room | Specialist | Grinding the concrete, damp, primer, the system |
| A single garage | Possible, with care | The prep; hot tyres lift a thin coating |
| A dining or river table | Maker | Deep pours get hot and crack |
| Shower walls | Specialist | Waterproofing behind the finish |
| A shop or commercial floor | Specialist | Slip, chemicals, downtime |
The DIY check
DIY or hire a pro?
Three taps: the project, the size and how much epoxy you've used. You get an honest verdict, the reasons and what a specialist charges.
Hire a pro
One for a specialist
- The preparation is the job: the concrete is ground or shot blasted, not just cleaned.
- A new slab needs at least 28 days; damp coming up through an old one lifts the coating.
- A floor coating is 150 to 300 microns thick. It shows every dip and crack under it.
A resin floor, fitted: €30 to €130 a m². A 20 m² floor: €600 to €2,000.
Send this for a real priceHow this is worked out
Anything you walk on, cook on or shower against, at any real size, is a specialist job: the preparation, the cure and the waterproofing decide whether it lasts. Small pieces are what DIY kits are made for. Experience moves a borderline job, never a shower wall or a commercial floor. Prices are our price guide; your written price comes from the specialist.
Why pours fail
Why DIY epoxy goes wrong
- The ratio. Resin and hardener are measured exactly, by volume or by weight, whichever the label says. Close isn't good enough.
- The mixing. About 3 minutes, scraping the sides and the bottom. Unmixed resin from the edge of the pot leaves soft, sticky patches.
- The room. Cold and damp slow the cure and leave it tacky. 24 to 30°C is ideal for the first day: an Irish garage in November isn't.
- Too thick a pour. Epoxy gets hot as it cures. A deep pour in a resin not made for it can crack, cloud or yellow.
- The surface. On a floor, a swept slab isn't a prepared one. The concrete is ground or shot blasted so the resin can grip.
- Dust and bubbles. A garage or a kitchen in use is full of both, and both set into the finish.
When it fails
What happens when it goes wrong
Tacky resin sometimes recovers in a warmer room. Runny or gooey resin doesn't: it has to be scraped off and poured again. On a floor that means grinding the failed coating off before anyone can start again. Taking an old floor up costs €5 to €15 a m², and preparation €10 to €20 a m², before the new floor.
Safety
The safety part, plainly
Uncured epoxy is a skin hazard. The Health and Safety Authority says skin contact is the main route of exposure, and that epoxy resins can cause irritant and allergic contact dermatitis. Once you're sensitised, a small splash can set it off again.
- Nitrile gloves, long sleeves and eye protection, every time.
- Fresh air: windows open, nobody else in the room.
- Follow the label and the safety data sheet that comes with the kit.
- Wash skin with soap and water, never with a solvent.
- Keep children and pets out until it has cured.
The HSA's information sheet on epoxy resins is on hsa.ie.
What a specialist does differently
What you're paying for
- The preparation: grinding, filling, priming, and testing a slab for damp.
- The right system for the job, not a kit made for coasters.
- A warm, clean, controlled room for the cure.
- Edges, joints, cut-outs and corners done right first time.
- A written price, a stated cure time before use, and someone to ring if it fails.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Is epoxy resin hard to use?
On small pieces, no: measure exactly, mix for about 3 minutes and keep the room warm. On a worktop or a floor, the hard part is the preparation and getting one pour right.
What's the most common DIY mistake?
Measuring by eye and not mixing long enough. It leaves soft or sticky patches that have to be scraped off and poured again.
Is epoxy resin toxic?
Uncured, it's a skin hazard and can cause allergic dermatitis, so use gloves, sleeves, eye protection and fresh air. Fully cured, it's an inert plastic.
Can I epoxy my own garage floor?
A single garage, with care, if you prepare the slab properly. A thin coat on a swept slab lifts under hot tyres. A good, thick coating lasts about 8 to 10 years.
Is it cheaper to do it myself?
On small pieces, yes. On a floor or a worktop, a failed pour costs the kit, the removal (€5 to €15 a m² on a floor) and then the specialist anyway.
Free quote
What's your resin project?
Six taps and your mobile number. It goes to one local resin specialist who covers your county, who rings you to ask the rest and gives you a written price.
Keep reading
Related guides
- What epoxy resin is used forWhere epoxy resin goes in an Irish home and business.
- Epoxy garage floorsA coating that takes tyres, oil and salt, on a prepared slab.
- Epoxy resin worktopsPoured worktops and resin over the one you have, and what each costs.
- Is epoxy resin food safe?Cured, not cured, and the EU rules on BPA.
Every project, every guide
Services
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