Uses
What is epoxy resin used for?
In Irish homes: worktops, shower walls, floors, garage floors, tables and repairs. In businesses: hard-wearing floors for kitchens, shops, units and factories. And in small pieces, art, trays and jewellery, which is where most DIY kits go.
Free, no obligation. One local resin specialist prices it, not five.
At a glance
Every use, DIY or not, and the price
| Use | DIY or specialist | Our price |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen worktops and islands | Specialist | about €540 to €840 a m² poured; about €300 to €480 a m² over the old one |
| Shower and bathroom walls | Specialist | €60 to €120 a m² |
| Kitchen, utility and living room floors | Specialist above a small room | €30 to €130 a m² |
| Garage and workshop floors | Single garage with care | €30 to €50 a m² + €10 to €20 a m² preparation |
| Tables, shelves and furniture | Small pieces DIY; big pieces a maker | Priced per piece |
| Repairs: chips, cracks, rotten timber | Small chips DIY | Priced per job |
| Shops, kitchens, units, factories | Specialist | €50 to €100 a m² |
| Art, jewellery, coasters, trays | DIY | The cost of the kit |
Prices are supplied and fitted. Ask for VAT to be stated on every written price.
In the kitchen
Worktops, islands and splashbacks
Two very different jobs share the name. A poured epoxy worktop is made to measure, in any colour or effect, and costs about €540 to €840 a m². A resin coat over your existing worktop keeps the old base and gives it a new face for about €300 to €480 a m².
Either way it's a surface for trivets and chopping boards: most table-top epoxies soften at 38 to 54°C and a knife cuts it. See epoxy resin worktops and resin vs quartz vs laminate.
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
- It's one pour over the whole worktop: level, edges and sink cut-outs have to be right first time.
- It needs a warm room (24 to 30°C is ideal) for the first day, and about a week before full use.
- Most table-top epoxies start to soften at 38 to 54°C, so it's a surface for trivets, not hot pans.
A poured epoxy worktop: about €540 to €840 a m². A resin coat over your existing worktop: about €300 to €480 a m².
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.
In the bathroom
Shower walls with no grout lines
A jointless wall in resin or microcement, over a waterproofed base. It runs €60 to €120 a m² fitted, and it can often go over sound old tiles. See resin shower walls.
On the floor
Floors and garage floors
Epoxy floors suit kitchens, utility rooms, basements and garages: hard, easy to mop and any colour. A floor costs €30 to €130 a m², and most of the work is in the preparation. Garages have their own guide: epoxy garage floors. For floors in depth, our sister site epoxyresinflooring.ie covers every system.
Furniture
Tables and furniture
River tables, coffee tables and shelves set timber in clear or coloured resin. Small pieces are what DIY kits are for. A dining table is a maker's job: deep pours get hot as they cure and can crack. Our sister site epoxyresintable.ie is about bespoke tables.
Businesses
Commercial and industrial floors
Commercial kitchens, shops, warehouses, workshops and plant rooms use epoxy for a floor that takes traffic, spills and cleaning. Industrial systems run €50 to €100 a m². See commercial coatings.
Fixing things
Repairs and bonding
Epoxy fills chips in worktops, cracks in concrete floors and rotten timber in sills and frames, and it glues almost anything. See resin repairs.
Not epoxy
Driveways use a different resin
A resin bound driveway is stone in a UV-stable polyurethane resin, not epoxy. It costs €90 to €250 a m² and lasts 20 to 25 years. See epoxy vs resin bound.
FAQ
Questions people ask
What is epoxy resin made of?
Two parts: an epoxy resin and a hardener. Mixed in the right ratio they react and set into a hard plastic. The most common epoxy resins are made from bisphenol A.
Is epoxy resin waterproof?
Cured, yes. That's why it's used for floors, shower walls and boats. Water gets in at the edges and through cracks, so the detailing matters more than the resin.
Can epoxy resin be used outside?
It works outside, but sunlight yellows it and breaks the surface down. Outdoors, a UV-stable polyurethane is the usual choice, or a polyurethane topcoat over the epoxy.
What's the difference between epoxy and resin?
Resin is the family; epoxy is one member. Polyurethane, polyester and acrylic are resins too, each used where its strengths suit the job.
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
- DIY or hire a pro?What a kit can do, why pours fail, and the safety part.
- Epoxy resin worktopsPoured worktops and resin over the one you have, and what each costs.
- Resin shower wallsNo grout lines: resin and microcement walls over a waterproofed base.
- Epoxy vs resin bound drivewaysTwo different resins, two different jobs.
Every project, every guide
Services
Get a free quote for your resin project
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