Traditional wood inlays are a great way to dress up a woodworking project, but cutting and fitting all those small pieces can be tedious and time-consuming.
Colored epoxy offers a simpler alternative. Instead of fitting pieces of contrasting wood into a recess, you fill the routed or cut design with tinted epoxy. Once the epoxy cures, it's leveled with the surrounding wood to create a smooth, colorful accent.
The process only takes four basic steps.
1. Seal the Wood Around the Inlay
Before adding the epoxy, apply a coat of spray-on lacquer to seal the grain around the inlay. This helps prevent the colored epoxy from soaking into the surrounding wood fibers and discoloring the area around the design.
Let the lacquer dry before moving on to the epoxy.
2. Fill the Inlay with Colored Epoxy
A disposable plastic syringe makes it easy to place the epoxy precisely where you want it. Cut the plastic tip to match the approximate width of the groove, then slowly fill the recess.
Slightly overfill the groove to allow for shrinkage.
After filling the inlay, check the epoxy for trapped air bubbles. A torch or heat gun can help remove bubbles from the freshly applied epoxy.
3. Level the Epoxy
After about an hour, the epoxy should have a rubbery consistency. At this stage, use a sharp chisel to carefully remove most of the excess.
Then allow the epoxy to fully cure — typically another 12 to 24 hours with the epoxy used for this technique.
Once cured, level the remaining epoxy with a hand scraper and finish by sanding the inlay flush with the surrounding wood.
4. Repair Any Remaining Air Bubbles
Even after removing bubbles during the initial pour, you may discover a few small imperfections after leveling the surface.
They're easy to fix.
Use a toothpick or straightened paperclip to place a small drop of epoxy into each void. Allow the repair to cure, then sand it flush with the surrounding surface.
The result is a smooth, colorful inlay without the time required to cut and fit a traditional wood inlay.
Woodsmith Tip: Test Your Color First. Before filling the project, mix a small sample of the colored epoxy and apply it to a piece of scrap from the project. This gives you a chance to check the color and practice filling the groove before committing to the finished workpiece.
Learn More Ways to Use Epoxy
Epoxy can do much more than create decorative inlays. It can bond different materials, fill gaps and voids, and handle specialized woodworking repairs.
LEARN HOW TO USE EPOXY → How to Use Epoxy for Woodworking
