DIY Network

Resin Paintings Make a unique 3-D painting with fiberglass resin. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-149

Layering resin and paint makes the colors seem to float over the surface.

Even if your last artwork involved fingerpaints and was followed by naptime, you can create something striking with help from B. Original host Michele Beschen. She'll share her techniques for painting on a recycled hollow-core door and using fiberglass resin to give the project depth and interest.

Michele Beschen likes painting on hollow-core doors because they give her a nice, thick surface to work with. On top of that, they're cheap, they come in a variety of widths and you can cut them to whatever height you choose. Cutting a door to size does leave a hollow, exposed end; Michele Beschen suggests either covering this with a thin scrap of wood or plastic, or simply using the gap as part of your design.

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Prepare Your Space

• Pick a well-ventilated work space—the fiberglass resin used in this project gives off extremely strong fumes.

  Safety Alert: In addition to working in a well-ventilated space, always wear a ventilation mask and gloves when working with fiberglass resin.

• Protect your work surface with plastic. The resin is extremely sticky and could become a permanent part of whatever surface it touches.

• Use wooden blocks, bricks or some other material to create a platform for your work. Otherwise, the resin will end up gluing your piece to the surface underneath.

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D

Create Your Painting

• Paint the door with a neutral base coat before beginning. If the door already has a finish, sand it down before painting.

• Place the panel on its platform and layer on different colors of acrylic paint (figure A). Michele Beschen likes to use this technique for abstract art, so she simply dribbles paint onto the surface and moves it around with a paintbrush. Be sure you paint around the sides of the panel, not just on the top surface.

• Apply the resin while the paint is still wet. While wearing a ventilation mask and gloves, pour 16 oz. of resin into a plastic container, followed by the amount of hardener specified in the manufacturer's instructions. (The resin Michele Beschen used required 224 drops of hardener.) Mix the resin and hardener thoroughly with a rubber spatula and pour it over the painted panel (figure B).

• Immediately use the spatula to mix some of the wet paint on the panel with the resin on top. This will make it look like some of the paint is embedded in the resin.

• Use a spreader tool and completely cover the panel with the resin (figure C). Work fast—the resin sets up quickly. Also, use your spatula to clean up any drips hanging onto the bottom of the panel.

• Allow at least two hours for the resin to set.

• Once the resin is set, do another layer of painting followed by a resin coat (figure D). Keep repeating the process, building up layers of paint and resin so that it looks like the paint is suspended in the plastic.

Once you're happy with the piece, hang it with pride. You have a beautiful piece of wall art that nobody would guess used to be a closet door. And you did it yourself!