Epoxy Smell (Everything You Need To Know)


Does epoxy smell? or have an odor?

If you are thinking of getting into Epoxy crafts or woodworking, you may have wondered about whether epoxy smells and how that odor affects you as you work with it. I was wondering about this topic myself and decided to do a lot of research around it.

All epoxy resins do give off a smell. How pungent the smell is depends on the type of epoxy resin you are using and the brand that distributes it. The smells can range from mild and bearly noticeable to strong pungent smells that are noxious. More expensive epoxy brands have lower odor levels that last for a much shorter time than the cheaper brands. Let’s look deeper into this topic and discuss some of the things you should be concerned with about the way epoxies smell.

Does Epoxy Smell?

All Epoxies give off some type of odor. Some brands are more pungent than others and this is influenced by the amount of VOC (Volatile organic compounds) in the brand of Epoxy.

Before buying any epoxy, check its VOC level

What is VOC in Epoxy

To understand VOC, you will need to understand what someone means when they say that epoxy is 100% solid. 

When a coating is added to a surface and is exposed to the air, it will usually shrink by a percentage in the process of drying. This means that the percentage coating they reduce is emitted to the room in which they were applied.

With this in mind, most epoxy resins are considered to be 100% solid meaning that they do not lose their material when exposed to the air. In theory, this means that epoxy does not give off any odor. 

However, this does not mean that the epoxy you are using is safe. 

Why does epoxy smell

As the epoxy cures, it is actually going through a chemical reaction that allows the epoxy to harden. The smell emitted from this reaction and from the solvents used during the hardening period is what you smell when working with epoxy. 

Here is a quote from Mixerdirect explaining how epoxy cures.

Epoxy is an epoxide, which simply means that it’s more reactive to other chemicals. A polyepoxide such as epoxy is made up of unreacted epoxide. This basically means that pure epoxy is extremely susceptible to reactions with other chemicals. The other chemical in the case of epoxy is a hardening or curing agent which works to cure it into a very strong adhesive. (Mixerdirect.com)

The reason why having a 100% Solid epoxy is a good idea is that the curing process will not have any fumes leaving the epoxy while it hardens.

How long does the epoxy resin smell last?

The amount of time it will take for the epoxy to stop smelling will depend on the brand of epoxy you are using and its VOC level. However, the standard rule is that, if you had mixed the epoxy correctly, it will stop smelling once it cures completely. 

Depending on how thick your epoxy pour was and the temperatures in the place where it is curing, a complete epoxy cure can take from a day to about a week and after this,  the smell will stop being really strong.

It may take about another month for the scent to completely go away if you were using an epoxy that is very pungent.  

How to make the smell of epoxy go away faster

Since the smell of epoxy that is properly mixed disappears when it fully cures, you will need to do two things  to get the smell of epoxy to go away faster:

  1. Ensure that you have mixed the epoxy thoroughly so that the epoxy and hardener are completely mixed in with each other. If you don’t mix the epoxy thoroughly, it will harden but still have some uncured epoxy mixed in with hard portions. The uncured epoxy will continue giving off an odor for a very long time since it’s not really curing but sitting there. If this happens, the only way of getting rid of the smell would be completely redoing the work and destroying the epoxy you already have.
  2. Use Heat: Epoxy cures faster at higher temperatures. Introducing some heat in the area where the epoxy is curing will help it dry faster and this will get rid of the smell. Curing epoxy in temperatures above normal room temperature will help it cure faster and turning up the heater can help with this.

Is the Smell of epoxy Dangerous

Based on this paper published by the California Department of Public Health, epoxy resins can have bad effects on your body if you are exposed for long periods of time.  

Specifically on the topic of odor, here is what the CDPH paper describes as the effects of Epoxy.

“The chemicals in epoxy resin systems can affect your health when they come in contact with your skin, or if they evaporate or form a mist or dust in the air you breathe. The main effects of overexposure are irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and skin, skin allergies, and asthma. The solvent additives can cause other effects such as headaches, dizziness, and confusion. Lungs: Vapors and spray mists of most epoxy resin system chemicals can irritate your lungs. Some people develop asthma from the curing agents. Symptoms may occur after work or at night. Once a person becomes allergic to curing agents, even the dusts from sanding or grinding the hardened plastics can cause an asthma attack.- (California Department of Public Health Paper)”

Is odorless epoxy dangerous?

Based on a CDC web page on the safety of epoxy resins, how strong epoxies smell does not affect whether they are dangerous for you. 

Here is a snippet of that article:

Keep in mind that smelling or not smelling a chemical doesn’t mean you are safe or not safe. Harmful levels of chemicals cannot always be smelled, and some much less hazardous chemicals have an odor. (Epoxy Resin Article on the CDC.gov website)

In addition to this, here is a video of a lady who used odorless epoxy for long hours without using any protective equipment. Based on her story, none of the epoxies she used had an odor but she still had issues with her health.

Do all epoxy brands smell?

As mentioned earlier, different epoxy brands have different odor levels and the best way to check if a brand has strong odors is to check if any of the people who reviewed the product on the online platform you are buying it from complained about the smell.

So, Should you use epoxy in your next project?

Based on my own research in the preparation of his article,  I am starting to rethink my decision to start doing epoxy resin projects. I will likely use epoxy very rarely and be very cautious about using personal protective equipment around it.  Especially a good respirator. 

 I don’t think epoxy resins are dangerous if you work with them as advised by the manufacturer, but you need to walk cautiously to prevent any of the issues that I discovered and have listed above. 

Conclusion

One big takeaway that I’m getting from this research is that you will need to  ensure that your epoxy is thoroughly mixed and in the right ratios before doing your pour.  this will save you a world of Pain and will ensure that you are epoxy does not smell for longer than it needs to. 

Antony Njoroge

I love working with my hands. From when I was a little boy, I loved taking stuff apart and trying to put them back together (Most of which were unsuccessful and would only get me in trouble). This passion for working with my hands gnaws at me constantly and I enjoy starting new hobbies and learning something new and challenging. I feel a deep sense of fulfillment when working on something creative and that is why I started this Blog. It is a way for me to experiment with several things that I have always admired (like woodworking, epoxy projects) and share my experiences and lessons along the way.

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