Do I need a seal coat, and when can I skip it?

It depends on whether the surface is porous. Any porous surface needs a seal coat of UltraClear Bar & Table Top Epoxy before the flood coat: wood of every kind (pine, oak, walnut, butcher block, live edge slabs, old barn boards), concrete, and stone such as marble. Non-porous surfaces like laminate and Formica don't need one; you can pour the flood coat directly onto them.

On wood, the epoxy is always a two-stage process: brush on the seal coat, then pour the flood coat 4 to 6 hours later. The flood coat self-levels to 1/8" thick and flows over the sides to coat them seamlessly.

Don't skip the seal coat on wood. If you do, the wood keeps releasing air bubbles into the flood coat while it cures. You can only torch bubbles out during the first 20 minutes after pouring; popping them after that leaves craters the epoxy won't level back out.

The seal coat isn't a finish by itself. It's brushed on and not smooth, so it always needs the self-leveling flood coat over it.

The same rule applies to Deep Pour projects: seal coat any wood that will touch the UltraClear Deep Pour Epoxy with the Bar & Table Top Epoxy first. Rough or cracked wood may need 2 to 3 seal coats; see the Advanced Techniques section of the instructions.

Instructions: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0320/7168/0140/files/Epoxy-Instructions.pdf?v=1616443869 Tutorial videos: https://www.bestbartopepoxy.com/tutorial-videos/