When choosing a finish/sealant for your bar top, it's important to consider all of the options. What are their benefits? What are their failings? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you decide if they fit your needs.
Among the diverse selection of sealants and finishes available to you is epoxy resin. You've likely heard of epoxy being used on bar tops before—though if not, that's fine—but either way, you're here because you want to know if it's actually good for a bar top finish.
In this article, we'll make the case for why epoxy is not only good, but one of the best possible choices for a bar top finish.
Is epoxy good for a bar top?
Epoxy resin, as a finishing material, brings unparalleled strength, protection, and clarity to a substrate surface. Features that it's best known for include:
- A rock-solid surface strength.
- A crystal-clear appearance.
- Low maintenance requirements.
- An easy, straightforward application.
In these four traits, epoxy stands above the rest. In other words, epoxy is very good for a bar top, often the best choice.
But how, specifically, does it fare with bar tops? First, let's consider the typical use cases of bar tops. Bar tops are generally:
- Placed in a high-traffic environment. Such locations can be particularly busy when commercial, while for domestic locations it varies.
- Subjected to occasional or frequent rough use. Whether by friends, family, customers, etc, it's not uncommon for things to get a bit boisterous.
- Exposed to significant moisture. Moisture and condensation from cold drinks and dishes, humid environments, and cool atmospheres are all contributing factors.
- In need of frequent cleaning and sanitization. This is essential concern for commercial bar tops, which carry a greater burden of health and safety.
So then, how does epoxy handle each of these aspects? Find out below.
Four bar top concerns that epoxy handles with ease.
Let's take a look at each entry from that list, one by one.
How does bar top epoxy hold up in high-traffic environments?
A good bar top epoxy resin will have no trouble sustaining the type of high-traffic environment associated with bar tops—after all, that's one of its primary purposes.
Upon curing, epoxy develops an incredibly tight bond with rock-solid surface strength. This means that ordinary wear and tear don't matter to epoxy, which shrugs typical use off with ease.
Regardless of whether a bar top is commercial or domestic, epoxy resin makes a great choice for preserving your substrate while exhibiting a beautiful finish that holds up long term.
How does bar top epoxy handle wear and tear?
Well, as mentioned above, the high strength of epoxy is nearly impervious to most wear and tear.
Epoxy has heavy impact resistance, scratch resistance, and even decent cutting resistance—though a deliberate effort to cut epoxy—much like any other material—with a sharp blade will have an effect.
How does bar top epoxy react to moisture and humidity?
An epoxy resin finish doesn't mind either of these issues at all, because epoxy resin is waterproof. In fact, it's often chosen as a finish for wooden surfaces specifically because of its waterproofing capabilities.
This means that epoxy's ultra-smooth bond won't allow water and other forms of moisture to permeate its surface, keeping the substrate material safe and sound from liquids, stains, and related types of damage.
How difficult is it to maintain epoxy and keep it clean?
Not difficult at all. Epoxy is exceptionally easy to keep clean, given its waterproof surface and smooth seal. In most cases, warm water and mild soap will do the job just fine.
If something more impressive is needed, most multi-purpose cleaners and glass cleaners excel at the task, which is handy since these are common items for households and businesses.
Maintenance-wise, a premium bar top epoxy performs very well. It doesn't require much upkeep whatsoever, and—if it was applied properly—won't need to be addressed for a minimum of 7 years.
Beyond that, it can simply be refreshed with a light sanding and a new coat to make it look good as new. Contrast that to other sealants, many of which require reapplication every one to three months, and you can see why epoxy is so appealing despite a slightly higher upfront cost.
Conclusion: Epoxy is excellent for a bar top.
For the ultimate bar top finish, one that:
- Easily endures high stress,
- Delivers a waterproof seal with high physical resistance,
- And doesn't require consistent maintenance...
...there's only one choice—our premium UltraClear Bar Top Epoxy Resin.
In the end, the choice is yours to make. Other sealants may be marginally cheaper in the short term, which can be an immediate concern when working with a very limited budget, but the quality and peace of mind provided by epoxy is unmatched.
Epoxy isn't invincible or without any weaknesses, but it is the top performer in most categories. If you really want the best for your bar top—and at a reasonable cost—you want epoxy resin.
Have questions? Want advice? Contact us!
If you have any questions about using epoxy for a bar top, or if you'd like assistance in planning an epoxy bar top project, please reach out to us at UltraClear Epoxy—our epoxy experts are ready to assist!
You can contact us via phone or email here. During business hours, you can also text chat online with one of our resin specialists by clicking the Help button at the bottom of your screen.
In our online store, you'll find a variety of useful tools and supplies, ideal for resin projects, plus our award-winning UltraClear Bar & Table Top Epoxy and our UltraClear Deep Pour Epoxy.
