Table Top - Bar Top

Pour on Epoxy

SCAMS!

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Insider Warnings - What to Look For

table top bar top epoxies

CONSUMER WARNING - bar top -- table top epoxy scams

Table Top Epoxy - Pour On 2 part resin scams - BUYER WARNINGS

Call 603-435-7199 ANYTIME (including Sundays, nights and holidays). No two bar / table tops are the same. A mistake could be costly. Issues like sealing the surface, how thick to pour, how much epoxy is needed, and dealing with  bubbles are critical items. A quick call gets you information and answers. After calling some people change their minds about doing a poured epoxy surface. They go for a brushed on spar varnish surface over an epoxy sealer and a brushed on marine epoxy layer. This might be better for you too. Got a few minutes? Let's talk now. Or EMAIL us Instead.

EPOXY GURU - "how to" epoxy/coating help.

You're talking with:  Paul Oman, MS, MBA -- Member since 1994: NACE (National Assoc. of Corrosion Engineers), SSPC (Soc. of Protective Coatings)  --  Technical Help - not sales talk!

"You provide outstanding products, and Fantastic Support. Thank You." Brian S.

"Thanks for all your advice, tips & moral support concerning my project. It turned out beautiful. Quality people backing a quality product is the only way to go!" Joe

A.K.A. “Professor E. Poxy”" -- "Epoxy Guru"

Up until a few years ago the epoxy, paint and coatings industry was a very professional group. They worked in chemical plants, testing labs, engineering firms, large industrial groups in both the public and private sector. Most of these professionals hold engineering degrees, are members of well respected industry trade associations and expand their knowledge through industry classes and professional trade publications.

Things have changed, especially in the consumer market primarily due to the Internet. Suddenly last week's mall shoes salesman hires a web site designer, locates some clear epoxy (or pigmented epoxy) and presents himself as an epoxy expert. Note that just any clear epoxy is not always suitable for table and bar tops (ditto pigmented epoxy and garage floors). Add to this that pouring epoxy table and bar tops (and spreading epoxy on a cement floor) involves much more knowledge than simply learning the product data sheet for a specific two part epoxy.

This web site is all about protecting the reputation of professional coatings and epoxy professionals and in helping you spot the web sites of real professionals amid the clutter of sites now online and run  by snake oil salesmen just interested in making a quick buck at your expense.

DO NOT BUY EPOXY FROM ANY WEB SITE THAT DOES NOT OFFER

A LINK TO THEIR EPOXY MSDS DOCUMENT

WHAT TO LOOK FOR ON AN EPOXY WEB SITE

   1) Successful professional companies are proud of their years of operation and technical credentials and tend to post this message online. Look for sites that say 'founded in 1975' or 25 years of experience. Also look (or ask) for the professional credentials of the owners, technical/sales support folks and other key staff members. Those folks take pride in their training and background. Ever know a doctor that didn't put MD behind his name?  The professional companies will usually post their 'story' - the shady vendors have nothing to brag about and hope you don't notice. (I look for people to fix my computer by looking for any certifications/formal training listed on their web site. Only a few % of the computer repair sites can/do list this).

2)  Look for sites that give you the whole picture. In other words, the downside of the products, what can go wrong, issues that need to be addressed or acknowledged. Most sites only tell the happy side of the story. When working with a poured clear epoxy table top these issues should be made known to you:

--  all epoxies yellow in sunlight and over time. You cannot add UV blockers to thermo-set resin systems like epoxies. Some epoxies yellow faster than others but they all do it. It is part of the epoxy chemistry. Thus epoxy bar tops and tables are keep indoors (there are some clear non epoxy top coats you can consider to apply on top of the epoxy). If they claim non-yellowing epoxy, they are dishonest - shop at some other site.

--  without careful mixing and spreading you and get areas of not well mixed epoxy that will stay tacky forever.

--  air bubbles from over mixing the epoxy or from the surface of things on the surface that the epoxy is poured over can be the #1 problem in an epoxy pour project. The vendor should give some help and advice about bubbles, instead of just pretending it doesn't happen.

---  when pouring an epoxy into a bar or table cut-out it is important to check for leaks ahead of time. You don't want your $$$ epoxy to drain out all over the floor and ruin your project. Again, some helpful advice upfront is how the professionals handle this. Ditto for making sure everything is level. A 1/4 inch thick pour on a bar that is only a 1/4 inch off level over its entire length, is a crisis about to happen.

---  the true cost of your project - the mathematics of an epoxy pour. A gallon of any liquid poured at just a 1/4 of an inch thick only covers just over 6 square feet. That's a two foot by three for area - a small table top at best. And a 1/4 inch thick layer will not even cover most bar room drink coasters.  Most projects take gallons of epoxy at about $60 - $100 per gallon.  Folks wanting a 2 inch thick epoxy surface don't realize it could be approaching $100 per square foot.

3) Look for support before (and after the sale). I is always good to email the online epoxy vendor with a question just to see if and how long it takes for them to reply. Keep in mind that a reply after the sale can be much harder to get if the vendor is only interested in getting your money and not helping you with a successful project.

4) Watch out for web sites that seem to push you into making a quick (impulsive) epoxy purchase. All sites will ask you to buy or give a link or phone number to purchase but beware of those that seem 'pushy' - good advice anytime - more important on the internet. Things like a quick order 800 phone number, free shipping (no such thing - just ask UPS or Fedex), same day shipping etc. are all marketing and sales games. Serious professional epoxy vendors might have one or two of these tools, but they don't 'go all out' because with professionals, its about the epoxy and real-world business methods. They are not focused on gimmicks to get you to make a quick impulsive buy.

5) And the best for last! Industrial chemicals like epoxies have a Product Data Sheet  and MSDS written about them. The data sheet is a one or two page summary about the properties, characteristics and suggested uses for the product. In addition, the government requires a Material Data Safety Sheet (MSDS) for every chemical. It lists the chemicals involved, heath issues, transportation issues and other health and safety concerns. MSDS docs must be made available upon demand. For professional companies data sheets and MSDS docs are no big deal. It is like having  your drivers license and registration on hand when you drive. But less than professional sites seem to rarely provide links to their product's MSDS and data sheets. -- I've also seen some very strange looking (probably fake) MSDS pages. The MSDS and data sheets should be easy to obtain from any vendor's web site. If not, shop some place else.

DO NOT BUY EPOXY FROM ANY WEB SITE THAT DOES NOT OFFER A LINK TO THEIR EPOXY MSDS DOCUMENT

(pour on epoxy - bar top table top epoxy)

Hopefully the above hints will help you select quality epoxies from a responsible and professional vendor.  The above

advise works for most on-line vendors - not  just pour-on table top bar top epoxy (or epoxy garage floor paint) vendors.

Pls visit the Bio Clear 810 (tm) table top epoxy site as a 'good' example site  CLICK HERE

This product is featured on the GreatThings4u.com website

A commercial epoxy Bar Top