resin before window

Although some brands of resin claim they don’t yellow, it’s a well-known hazard.  Following is my test of what happens when sample tiles of eleven brands are left on a sunny windowsill with their top halves protected.

The photo above is before the yellowing test began. The cured EnviroTex Lite and EnviroTex had already begun to yellow over a period of 19 months in a covered cardboard box in my windowless basement.

The brands used were:

  • Alumilite Amazing Clear Cast
  • Art Resin
  • Cernit Kit Finish Glass
  • Chinese resin from Amazon (brand unknown) – UV
  • Pandora Deep Shine – UV
  • EnviroTex Jewelry Resin
  • EnviroTex Lite Pour-On High Gloss Finish
  • Ice Resin Jeweler’s Grade
  • Little Windows
  • Lisa Pavelka’s Magic Glos – UV
  • Resin Obsession
  • UltraDome UV Epoxy – UV

There are four UV resins.  The rest are two-part, epoxy resins.  The resin caused my handwriting to melt on some of the tiles.

resin bottles tested

I covered the top halves of the tiles with double-faced foam tape.  This really stuck to some of the resins and made quite a mess, so I’ll try aluminum foil next.

I’ll keep a close eye on this test and shoot photos fairly frequently.

test tiles w aluminum foil
Tiles with aluminum foil on top halves.

Sun exposure begins

resin yellowing test after 4 hours
After four hours in the sun.

The above photo was after only four hours in full sun.  I put the tiles in order of visible change with the worst in the top left.

The Chinese resin was thick and sticky when I used it and wouldn’t self-level. Apparently, I got a bad bottle. When I removed the foam tape, it came off of the polymer like a piece of cellophane, but I’ll include it anyway.

resin yellowing test after 8 hours
After eight hours in the sun.
resin yellowing test after 14 hours
After fourteen hours in the sun.

I removed the leftover adhesive which was making a dirty horizontal line in the center of the tiles.  The bright yellow of Cernit Kit and Ice Resin has faded a bit, maybe bleached out by the sun?  Amazing Clear now looks clear again.  I can see a very slight difference in Magic Glos, Deep Shine and UltraDome.

resin yellowing test after 20 hours
After 20 hours in the sun.

The yellow in EnviroTex Lite seems the same.  The yellow is fading in EnviroTex Jewelry, Cernit Kit and especially Ice Resin.  The very slight color change in Magic Glos, Deep Shine and UltraDome remains.  Amazing Clear, Resin Obesession, Little Windows, Art Resin and the Chinese Resin are clear.

resin yellowing 34 hours
After 34 hours in the sun.

I moved Resin Obsession to the top row because it seems to be turning yellow overall, maybe from heat, rather than UV rays.  Cernit Art, Magic Glos and UltraDome all seem to have the same slight yellowness on the bottom half.  The bottom row seems pretty clear.

resin yellowing test after 52 hours
After 52 hours in the sun.

Resin Obsession is getting more yellow overall.  Little Windows might be turning color a bit overall.  The bottom halves of Magic Glos and UltraDome seem slightly more yellow.

resin yellowing test after 68 hours copy
After 68 hours in the sun.

Little Windows has started to yellow overall.  Magic Glos and UltraDome seem a little more yellow on their bottom halves.

resin yellowing test after 90 hours copy
After 90 hours in the sun.

The most noticeable difference is Little Windows which yellowed more.  The rest look about the same.

resin yellowing test after 110 hours copy
After 110 hours in the sun.

Little Windows is now more yellow than Resin Obsession.  Magic Glos has yellowed a bit more.

resin yellowing test after 132 hours
After 132 hours in the sun.

Not much change, except Magic Glos looks darker yellow than EnviroTex now.

resin yellowing test after 158 hours copy
After 158 hours in the sun.

The yellow of EnviroTex Lite and Little Windows seems more intense.

resin yellowing test after 200 hours copy
After 200 hours in the sun.

Little Windows, Magic Glos and UltraDome seem a little more yellow.

resin yellowing test after 250 hours
After 250 hours in the sun.

UltraDome might have yellowed slightly more.

resin yellowing test after 300 hours
After 300 hours in the sun.

I can’t see any difference after another 50 hours in the sun.

resin yellowing test after 350 hours
After 350 hours in the sun.

The yellow in Envirotex seems to be fading.  The rest appear the same.

resin yellowing test after 450 hours
After 450 hours in the sun.

I can’t see any difference.  I wonder if they’ve stabilized.

resin yellowing test after 9 months
After 9 months in the sun.

Not much difference since the last photo.  Amazing Clear Cast might have gained a tiny, little bit of color.  Little Windows seems lighter.

After 17 months in the sun.

It’s been 8 months since I last posted a photo. A few resins have gotten darker. None have improved by the sun bleaching them. Art Resin is still looking really good. It’s now the brand I choose when I use resin.