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How to Make Wood and Resin Surfboard Wall Art

In this tutorial, I show you how to make wood and resin surfboard wall art that glows in the dark using reclaimed cypress wood.

Even if you don’t need to make resin wall art, the DIY tips and techniques I share can be applied to any resin or woodworking project.
Keep in mind, this wood and resin surfboard wall art also functions as a table.

Here are some jump links to the main sections of this post to help you find the information you need quickly.
Video Tutorial
Tools and Material Needed
Step-by-Step Instructions

Video Tutorial

There are many things which are difficult to explain with words and images, so be sure to checkout the video tutorial below.

Tools and Material

Making Resin and Wood Wall Art

I obtained this piece of Cypress wood from a local cypress sawmill in Louisiana.

This piece of cypress was in the scrap wood pile, so I grabbed it on my way out after I received permission from the owner.
Ultimately, this piece of cypress wood was located at the top of the trunk just before the tree split into 2 main branches.

The wood sort of looked similar to a pair of pants. 
Regardless, I liked it and knew I could make something unique with it.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_reclaimed cypress wood

This piece of cypress sat around my shop for months until I finally decided to run it through my planer to get a better view of the grain. 
The grain of this cypress wood is simply beautiful, so I decided to start my project the following week.

Surfboard Wall Art

As you know if you follow my projects, my family and I love anything that has to do with the ocean. 

In turn, I decided to make a resin and wood surfboard that can be wall art or a small table.
So, it is time to walk you through the steps on how to make resin and wood wall art that glows.

Prepare Resin Mold

I prepared the resin mold for this epoxy resin wood art by using the same piece of 1/8″ melamine I used on my Sand Dollar River Glow Table.

First, I used my air compressor to remove loose debris.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_remove loose debris

Next, I applied furniture wax to the bottom of the table before laying the cypress wood on top.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_furniture wax

Then, I used my brad nailer with 1.5″ brad nails to secure scrap 1x2s to the back and 2 sides of the wood.
Also, I covered the scrap pieces of wood with packing tape covered with furniture wax to prevent sticking.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_brad nail wood to mold

Next, I clamped a scrap piece of 2×4 on top of the table to hold it down.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows - secure to table

Then, I used a scrap 2×4 on the opposite. 
This 2×4 was severely warped, which was fine since it resembled the shape of a surfboard side.

While the boards were secured with clamps, I sealed the wood on the inside and outside of the table with silicone caulk.

First Resin Pour

I wanted the void in the middle of the table to be transparent blue and the side of the table to be opaque blue.

Essentially, the transparent blue resin part of the resin and wood wall art would be shallow water and the opaque blue would represent deeper water.

First, I mixed 1 large batch of epoxy resin and split them equally in 2 different containers.
Next, I put one drop of transparent blue dye in one container and sky blue pearl pigment powder in the other container.

Also, I used transparent resin on this resin wall art project as well.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows - add transparent blue dye to resin
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows - mixing resin and transparent blue dye

Then, I added sky blue pearl pigment powder and neutral sky blue glow powder to the second container.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows _ add sky blue pigment powder to resin
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_sky blue glow powder first resin pour

I mixed the pigment and glow powder for roughly 3 minutes.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows - mix pigment powder and glow powder in epoxy resin

 

Quick Tip for Resin Measuring and Mixing

As a quick tip, always use the inside of the measuring cup when pouring resin as opposed to outside. 

By using the inside, you will be much more accurate.
I use a sequence when mixing resin to make certain it is mixed correctly. 
Furthermore, I explain my method in the video at the top of this page.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows - resin measuring quick tip
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows - epoxy resin mixing quick tip

Blending Resin

First, I poured the transparent blue resin within the void.  
Once the transparent blue resin reached the end of wood and resin surfboard, I poured the opaque blue.

Next, I covered the section on side of the wood and resin art with the opaque blue resin.  
The depth of the resin pour ended up being about 3/8″.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_first pour transparent blue
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_first pour blend resin colors
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_first pour cover with blue pigment

Then, I used my heat gun to remove bubbles and further blend the resin.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_first pour blend resin
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_first pour remove bubbles with heat gun
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_after first pour

Second Resin Pour

First, I mixed a large batch of resin the following day and split the resin into 3 different containers.

The first container contained transparent blue dye, the second contained sky blue pearl pigment, and the third contained sapphire blue pigment.  
Additionally, I added fluorescent blue glow powder to the second and third containers.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_second pour transparent blue dye
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_second pour containers
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_second pour add fluorescent blue dye

Next, I poured these in a methodical way to facilitate proper blending and color patterns.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_sapphire blue resin mixing
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_sapphire resin pour
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_second pour blue resin mixing

Third Resin Pour

First, I mixed pearl white pigment with a small batch of resin immediately after the second resin pour.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_resin pearl white pigment

Next, I drizzled this resin in front of the sapphire blue resin on side of the wood and resin surfboard.
Essentially, the purpose of this white is to represent wave crests and crashing waves.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_resin pearl white pigment drizzle

Then, I blended the resin together with my heat gun until the pearl white pigment looked cool to me.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_pearl white pigment blending with heat gun
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_pearl white blending 2

Fourth Resin Pour

First, I mixed a medium sized batch of resin with transparent blue dye immediately following the third resin pour.

I needed more transparent blue dye to pour in the void to push the opaque resin back out to sea.  
The darker blue was creeping into the transparent dye too much.

Additionally, I needed about 1/8″ more to complete the resin pour and move to the next step.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows - fourth resin pour
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_fourth resin pour transparent blue dye

Next, I used my heat gun to blend the resin and remove bubbles.
Then, I let the resin cure for 24 hours.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_fourth resin pour blend resin
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_fourth resin pour remove bubbles

Making Resin and Wood Wall Art that Glows – Black Light Test

While the resin was curing, I tested the glow powder with a black light.
The black light quickly charges the glow powder and it is a great way to test the glow powder.

First, I turned off the lights and held the black light on the glow powder for a few seconds.
The longer the black light shines on the glow powder, the brighter the resin glows.

Ultimately, I find shining the black light for 3 to 5 seconds provides an accurate representation of how bright the resin will glow.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_resin glow powder
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_resin glow powder glow test
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_resin glow powder black light test 2
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_resin glow powder test result

Remove Mold

Two days after the fourth resin pour, I removed the resin mold with relative ease.
I used a rubber mallet to tap on the sides until the wood and resin wall art releases.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_remove resin from mold
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_remove resin from mold with rubber mallet
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows - remove resin art end from mold

Next, I lifted the wood and resin surfboard from the melamine easily.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_remove resin and wood wall art from melamine

Rough Sanding of Resin and Wood Wall Art

After I removed the resin and wood wall art from the mold, I used my festool RO125 sander with 40 grit sandpaper to rough sand the entire piece.

Ultimately, the purpose of this step is to get the resin and wood surfboard as flat as possible by removing the high spots and rough areas.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_resin rough sanding 40 grit sandpaper

I realize the festool sanders are more expensive than most sanders.  However, this is when they are worth every penny.  
Additionally, the dust collection on this sanders catch the majority of resin and wood dust particles.
In order to accomplish this epoxy resin wood art without it, I would need an orbital sander, belt sander, and twice the amount of time.

Surfboard Template

First, I used Kraft paper and covered one side of the board.
Next, I flipped the board over and cut out the Kraft paper the exact size of the board.
Or, as close as possible to exact.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows - surfboard table template layout
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows - surfboard template 2
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows - surfboard template 3

Then, I flipped the resin and wood surfboard over again.  
I folded the Kraft paper in half, sketched a half moon, and cut it out with a pair of scissors making sure to stay just outside the lines.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_cut out surfboard template with scissors
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_fold in half
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_surfboard template back
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_surfboard template connect lines

Next, I used painters tape to tape the wood and resin surfboard template to the board.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_tape surfboard template
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_trace surfboard template
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_surfboard template darken pencil lines

Then, I traced it with a pencil and used my jigsaw to cut it out just outside the line.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_surfboard template cut out with jig saw

Finally, I used my rotary sander with 40 grit sandpaper to sand up to the pencil line.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_surfboard template sand up to line

Roundover Edges

After the rough sanding was complete, I used my trim router with a 1/2″ roundover bit to roundover the top and bottom.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_trim router roundover 1
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows - trim router roundover 2

Shape Surfboard

To shape the resin and wood wall art to look like a real surfboard, I used my sander with 40 grit sandpaper along with my block plane.

First, I flipped the surfboard around (top facing down) and I removed the material with my 40 grit sandpaper.  I started at the tip and worked by way back to create the upward angle.

Next, I used my block plane to smooth out any indentions from the sander.  40 grit sandpaper is a very course grit and removes material very quickly.  Consequently, it causes indentations on the board.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows - surfboard shaping with rotary sander
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows - surfboard shaping with block plane

Solder LED Lights and Battery

Even though this surfboard will glow without LED lights, I decided to add them to the bottom in case the resin and wood wall art is placed in an area with low light.

Furthermore, the resin and wood surfboard is meant to be wall art.  Therefore, I used a rechargeable battery with an on/off switch to prevent the need for a power cord or wall outlet behind it.

First, I soldered 2 small LED light strips together. 
Soldering is a great skill to learn as it can be used in many different applications.  Checkout this post for more detail on how to solder LED light strips.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_solder LED Light strips

Next, I used my heat gun to heat the shrink wrap in order to protect the solder.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_solder heat shrink

Then, I soldered a male plug to one end of one LED light strip.  This male connector will connect to the battery to power the lights.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_solder male plug

Finally, I connected the LED light strips to the rechargeable battery to make sure they work.  And, they did.  :)

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_test led lights
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_test led lights success

Hidden Battery Compartment

The battery is about 1″ thick, which would create a space between the wall and the resin and wood wall art.

So, I decided to use my router with a straight bit and create a small compartment in the back of the surfboard.  Also, I made the compartment to fit the battery charger both horizontally and vertically.

First, I drew the outline.  Next, I used my dremel tool to create a pathway to start my router.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_battery compartment dremel

I removed 1/8 of material at a time until the I reached 3/4″, which allowed the battery to slightly protrude to access the switch. 
This allows access to the on/off switch without needing to take the wall art from the wall.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_battery compartment router

Then, I used my chisel to clean up the edges.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_battery compartment horizontal
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_battery compartment chisel

Sanding Resin and Wood Wall Art

Now, to the fun part of the resin and wood wall art project.  I’m kidding, it is my least favorite part of any project.  However, it is very important.

First, I used 80 grit sandpaper to sand the top and bottom with my festool sander.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_80 grit sandpaper
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_sanding resin and wood wall art

Next, I worked my way through the grit sequence

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_100 grit sandpaper
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_120 grit
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_220 grit

Then, I wiped the surface with a damp rag to raise the grain and sanded with 320 grit sandpaper.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_raise the grain
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_320 grit

Oil and Urethane Satin Finish

After sanding, I proceeded to applying a finish to the resin and wood wall art.
Although this finish works, it is not on my list of best finishes for epoxy wood projects.
I used an oil based urethane Satin finish by General finishes on the top and bottom of the resin and wood wall art.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_oil and urethane satin finish

First, I applied the first coat with a lint free rag.
Quick Tip:  Smooth out the finish by making a soft circle with the rag and lightly wiping the length of the table.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_round lint rag
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_finishing quick tip

Next, I hand sanded with 320 grit sandpaper and applied a second coat.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_sand between coats

Then, I repeated the process above for the third and final coat.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_final finish coat

Hairpin Legs

As I previously stated, this resin and wood wall art can also be an end table or couch table. 
So, I used a set of hairpin legs I had in my shop from a previous project.
To install the hairpin legs, I centered the back and front pair both vertically and horizontally.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_center hairpin legs

Next, I marked the holes and drilled pilot holes.
Then, I secured the table with screws.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_drill pilot holes for hairpin legs

Install LED Light Strip

After I secured the hairpin legs, I installed the LED light strip.

First, I placed the rechargeable battery in the compartment and secured it with hot glue.

Next, I laid out the LED light strips and peeled off the paper covering the adhesive side. 
Then, I pressed them down and secured the LED light strip with hot glue for extra security.

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_led light strips
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_led lights off
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_led lights on
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_led lights close up

Conclusion

In conclusion, I hope you learned how to make resin and wood wall art that glows and it brought you some form of value.
Let me know in the comments if you prefer the resin and wood wall art or table.

Related Posts

how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_final table
how to make wood and resin wall art that glows_final wall art

Gary Huxley

Monday 2nd of November 2020

Hi Im a woodwork teacher and looking at introducing new jobs and live near the beach, most of the students surf. So this is what I have been looking for, great video.

Jeremy

Wednesday 18th of November 2020

Hi Gary, thanks so much for the compliment! These beach inspired tutorials may be of interest to you:

Seashell Table Ocean Table Wood and Resin Wall Art Ocean Art DIY Plans Ocean Table DIY Plans

Fonda

Thursday 20th of September 2018

It's great as wall art. I like the table but not so sure about the legs

Bob Johnson

Thursday 20th of September 2018

As a wall art it's a bit large but would work excellent for an accent feature if you paint the wall an ocean scene. This would make a good accent wall for a room. The glow in the dark feature would make for a night light.???? But it would work for a coffee table in a small room in a beach house. I guess it's up to the owner as to what to do with it. Nice job either way.

Adrian Bruce

Thursday 20th of September 2018

I really like the surf board table but I think as wall art will look just as great. Also, thank you for each item you used was shown in plain view. Showing your step by step process will help me with a few missing pieces to do the same process. Amazing good! Look fantastic!!!

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