Are you a home crafter or DIYer looking to expand your artistic horizons?
Have you ever thought about using epoxy tape as your primary material?
It may not be the first thing to come to mind, however, the artistic uses of epoxy tape are nearly endless.
Home artists from all over the world are starting to use epoxy tape as a primary tool in their arsenal when crafting new designs. In this article, we will walk you through all of the uses and creative options available to artists with epoxy tape.
Read on, and you'll learn about basic home projects, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of using this crafting tool.
What Is Epoxy Tape?
Epoxy tape is an extremely strong and non-stretch material that is manufactured into a roll of tape. This is incredibly useful for a wide array of home crafting uses. Epoxy resin applications allow for an extremely sturdy finish that will hold pieces together with exceptional strength.
In addition, the surface of the tape is extremely smooth which helps to make it nonstick whenever the epoxy resin is applied over the top of it.
The underside adhesive helps to stick tightly to surfaces to temporarily hold the tape in place until the epoxy can be applied.
As discussed, there are a wide variety of potential uses for epoxy tape. The tape can be used on smaller projects at home with basic grafting materials or can be used for much larger projects where the tape is applied in strips to make a nonstick but sturdy surface or external barrier.
How Do You Use Epoxy Tape in Your Crafts?
The epoxy tape can be used as a primary construct or as a helpful tool. If it is left on permanently, it attaches directly to surfaces firmly, while the other side fills in with epoxy. If removed, it leaves a glossy finish on the epoxy side once it has started to cure.
This allows for beautiful see-through epoxies to bond to opaque objects. It is common to see epoxies used with wood or other natural materials to form a stark, eye-opening contrast.
Creative Uses of Epoxy Tape
Here are a number of the most common types of epoxy resin projects that home crafters use epoxy tape for. We will highlight the key features of epoxy tape as we go along.
Wood Staining
One of the more popular types of epoxy crafting uses is wood staining. Many home artists will take the epoxy tape and applied in a fashion so that they can slowly add in a colorful epoxy material over top without it exiting the wood surface.
This creates a beautiful multicolored and translucent glow to the wood which contrasts with its natural appearance.
It is great for creating slabs of wood that could be used as floorboards, tabletops, or stair steps. The epoxy pours give a clear water-like appearance to the wood without losing any of the wood's structural properties.
Recording Desktop
One artist used epoxy tape to create an epoxy table with light shining through. They created small holes in the wood and then used the epoxy tape to pour in colorful epoxy that would still allow light through from a light source placed underneath the table.
It creates a futuristic and warm home studio appearance. It would be perfect for creatives at home or those running a local podcast or radio station.
Geodesic Tape Dome
For a larger project, consider trying out a geodesic tape dome hemisphere that can be used for a variety of purposes. A geodesic dome that is translucent with epoxy tape may be perfect for creating a greenhouse effect for growing houseplants.
The tough epoxy tape creation will not allow gases to escape but can still allow energy in the form of sunlight to enter. This creates a warm, humid environment that could be ideal for growing botanicals depending on your region.
The structure of the geodesic dome can be made by straight pieces of epoxy tape combined with bamboo poles and a plastic tarp placed over top as necessary.
Waterproof Hammock
There have been many hammocks made out of duct tape or other durable materials. We don't see any reason why an epoxy tape could not also be used to create a relaxing suspension chair.
The great thing about using sturdy epoxy tape is that the final product will be extremely durable. This means that you'll be able to pick up and move to a new location without too much concern for damage from the elements.
The hammock comprises many individual strings of tape cured with epoxy for stiffness. When the strings come together in unison, they can support most people, up to very heavy weights. There are special designs that help to support larger weights, however, so make sure to do your due diligence when exploring designs.
Picture Frames
Picture frames are one of the easier projects for beginners who are new to using epoxy tape. This is an easy project that can even be made to stand up on its own.
You'll simply need to create a rectangular area using the tape with right angles placed in between to ensure that the overall appearance is aesthetically correct. If you continue laying down pieces of tape one on top of the next, you'll eventually achieve a frame of the desired thickness. You can also place different epoxies between each layer to create a unique, underwater effect.
The opportunities are endless with this project. With multiple layers laid down and possibly epoxy placed in between the layers, you can create a luminescent border to any beautiful photo. Just make sure to lay them against an even edge as you place the tape down.
It can be a great way to display your children's artwork. The bright colors that can be found in epoxy styles can give off a colorful, youthful appearance that frames your child's artwork beautifully.
Sled
You can use multiple strips of epoxy tape with epoxy layers in between to create a weatherproof slide. The slick coating underneath the edge of the epoxy should work to slide over the top of the snow and let you achieve high speeds down the hill.
Epoxy tape can also reinforce or speed up your homemade cardboard sled. This is easy enough to do if you have a large piece of cardboard or box lying around.
Instead of seeing it destroyed as it's taken off to recycling, strip off one side and bend it upward to create a surface that captures the snow. Then you can reinforce this curve using epoxy tape that will hold the cardboard in place with great strength.
Beach Bag
Have you ever wanted a quick and easy waterproof tote to bring to the beach or pool? If you have epoxy tape, this is a quick job that takes no more than an afternoon.
You can create a waterproof beach bag very quickly by laying epoxy tape around a standard store-bought grocery bag. This will give the bag a reinforced shape and also waterproof it from the elements in case you get stuck on the beach on a rainy day.
This is a much cheaper option than trying to purchase a waterproofed beach bag made in the factory.
If you're looking for an easy way to keep all of your pens, markers, pencils, and scissors in one place, don't overlook epoxy tape. The epoxy tape can wrap around any basic food can and then epoxy poured over creates a mixed, wild but also fun and classy appearance.
This helps to give a bright, colorful appearance that is in line with the different colors of markers or pencils you or your child wants to keep organized.
Epoxy Furniture
Epoxy can fill in gaps in wood or other material to create a beautiful and interesting multi-material finished product. You may have seen wooden coffee tables with the hole in the rotted wood covered in with premium-grade epoxy.
Many artists will do this to impart a turquoise or aqua teal hue that looks otherworldly up against stained wood. These tables are just as sturdy and functional as regular wood tables, but they have a refined and sophisticated appearance that seems to impart a feeling of man versus nature.
The same principles apply to chairs. If there is a chair that is missing a leg or has a crack in the seat, consider using epoxy tape for the repair.
Instead of throwing the antique chair out, you can bring it back to life but reinforcing the sides with epoxy tape and then injecting epoxy into the created space. It is hard to beat the unique glow of a revitalized antique chair given new life through epoxy.
Chess Boards
Chess boards are a classic DIY project for a wide array of media. Epoxy tape is no different and can create a masterful result with just an afternoon's work.
Chess boards are a fantastic intermediate option for the budding home artist. The 64 squares of the chessboard divide up into wooden and epoxy tape pieces.
You can use the epoxy tape in between the wooden pieces to create a sealed surface for pouring the epoxy resin of your choice in.
This way, every other piece will contain an otherworldly appearance of translucent epoxy. The rest of the board can fill in with marble or your favorite stained wood.
Acorn Marble Necklaces
If you prefer doing small handheld crafts, consider making a marble necklace with dots of epoxy that look like acorns. This is a popular trend online and is simple enough to achieve with basic epoxy tape.
You'll create a surface for the epoxy marbles to cure in, and then place a brown budded material over top to complete the acorn.
Boating Oar
If you are a frequenter on the water, every now and then you may come across a broken oar. Sometimes you are pushing into the water and find your paddle smacking against a hard piece of rock that causes a crack. Eventually, this crack will continue to grow and spread down the length of the oar until a piece cracks off.
If you're lucky enough to find this piece you can simply glue it back together using epoxy tape and colored epoxy. This gives an extremely strong result in a really neat appearance to the or depending on the color of epoxy that you use.
Epoxy Clock
You can quickly create the backdrop surface of a clock using epoxy placed into a tape structure. Once you let the epoxy cure in a circular or square fashion, you can drill a small hole to allow for the clock's hands to sneak through to the other side. You may be able to use natural markings on the epoxy as signposts for the clock itself.
Here's a great video on how to make a fun keychain charms using our Epoxy Tape!
The Wide World of Epoxy Tape
No matter what your goal is, epoxy tape is a fantastic tool for creating a wide variety of objects. It serves as the perfect assistant to help you shape liquid into a permanent form. While it is most naturally associated with wood preparations, it can be used independently by itself to create a variety of small handheld structures.
At Hippie Crafter, we provide a wide array of approachable supplies for artists of all skill levels. We keep a stock of epoxy tape for any or all of the projects above. If you're interested in our epoxy tapes or have questions about potential projects, please contact us today.