Why did my epoxy cure cloudy, milky or white instead of clear?

UltraClear Bar & Table Top Epoxy cures crystal clear when mixed and applied as directed, so a cloudy, milky or white finish means something went wrong. It is not a bad batch — first work out when it turned cloudy.

If it was already milky in the mixing container: it was over-mixed — stirred too long, too fast, or with the drill bit mixer on a batch under one gallon. The drill creates a vortex that pulls in thousands of microbubbles that a heat gun or torch won't clear. To get a clear mix:

1. Warm the resin in a bucket of warm tap water for 10-15 minutes before mixing.
2. Mix any batch under one gallon by hand with a stir stick for about 3 to 4 minutes, until no strands of resin are visible.
3. Use the drill mixer only on a full one-gallon batch (1/2 gallon resin plus 1/2 gallon hardener, the maximum), with the paddle kept fully submerged. That is also the most you should mix at once.
4. Follow the mix times in the instructions and do not over-mix.
5. Keep the room above 75°F while mixing and during the cure.

If it was clear after mixing and clouded after pouring, there are two likely causes:

• The room dropped below 75°F at any point during the 72-hour cure, which traps curing heat and leaves a cloudy surface or patches — even 73°F can do it, so use space heaters and set the thermostat a few degrees high.
• The surface wasn't 100% sealed, so air kept rising from porous wood or knot holes into the flood coat; very porous areas can need 2 to 3 seal coats. Prep with acetone or denatured alcohol, not 91% isopropyl alcohol.

If a milky batch has already cured cloudy, the only fix is to sand out the cloudiness (coarse grit first, finishing with 220-320), wipe the dust off with acetone or denatured alcohol on a clean rag, and pour a new flood coat. Do not sand down to bare wood, or you will need to seal coat again.

A bottle that leaked in shipping doesn't affect how the epoxy performs.

Instructions: Epoxy-Instructions.pdf