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Why Does My Project Still Feel Tacky After 24 Hours?

It’s frustrating to spend hours designing and creating a resin masterpiece, then wait for it to dry only to find your artwork still tacky.

Tacky resin is when your project has started to cure, but the surface looks and feels like the sticky side of a piece of tape.

Under-cured epoxy resin typically happens when the chemical interaction between the resin and hardener didn’t work properly.

In this blog, we’ll break down:

 

3 Reasons Why Your Project is Still Tacky

As a general rule of thumb, your epoxy resin should feel well-cured after 24 hours. However, a complete cure and maximum hardness can take anywhere between 7-10 days, depending on the resin type.

If you’ve waited out the entire drying time and your project is still tacky, this is likely due to one of three key reasons:

1. Incorrect Measuring
The most common reason for a tacky, under-cured project is inaccurately measuring your resin. It’s essential to closely follow the New Classic Resin instructions, measuring your epoxy by volume. The recommended ratios for each of our epoxy resins are:

2. Low Temperature
If the room you’re working in is too cold, your epoxy resin may struggle to cure correctly. Working in a range of 23°C and 29°C (73.4°F and 84.2°F) will produce the best results; however, curing your project in a temperature of roughly 25°C (77°F) is ideal.

3. Poor Mixing
Under-mixing the epoxy resin can negatively impact your final project. It’s essential to mix the resin and hardener for 3-4 minutes, carefully scraping the sides of the container to ensure the epoxy is thoroughly combined. Having the right tools for this step can make all the difference for proper epoxy resin curing.

How To Undo Tacky Resin

There are a few ways to fix tacky, under-cured resin. Here are three of the easiest solutions to get your project thoroughly dried and looking fabulous:

  • Warm Things Up: Before exploring our other troubleshooting suggestions, try moving your artwork to a warmer area and let it dry there for another 24 hours.

  • Try to Spot Fix: If you still notice a few sticky areas, an easy solution is to spot-fix your project. Try adding a new layer of resin on the tacky areas and let it dry.

  • Recoat Your Project: If your project is still having difficulty curing, we suggest sanding off the tacky surface with fine sandpaper (80-120 grit) and coating your artwork with an additional layer of resin.

Ways to Avoid Tacky Resin In The Future


While there are a few straightforward ways to fix under-cured epoxy projects, the stress of dealing with tacky resin is completely avoidable. To ensure your creation process is as smooth as possible, we’ve compiled a short checklist for best epoxy resin practices:

  • Make sure the temperature in your workspace is within a range of 23°C and 29°C (73.4°F and 84.2°F).
  • Closely follow the mixing ratio for the resin and hardener, ensuring you measure by volume.
  • Thoroughly mix the resin and hardener for 3-4 minutes, scraping the bottoms and sides as you go.
  • Don’t add any more than 6% of colourant by volume to your epoxy resin mixture.
  • Try curing your project in a warmer room with a temperature of around 25°C (77°F) for best results.
  • Avoid scraping the bottom and sides of your container as you pour the epoxy.

If you closely follow our tips and troubleshooting methods, your resin creation should cure wonderfully. However, if you’re still experiencing issues or you need some further guidance, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us - we’re more than happy to help.

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