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Thank you for the response! I am working with epoxy resin which I know is not as dangerous. Do you know how long I need to worry about the fumes? I know it can take 3 days for a full cure. Do I need ventilation for the entire 3 days? I was thinking I would maybe crack a window while mixing, then seal up the room for 8-10 hours, then crack the window again to vent. Would the 8-10 hours be long enough for the fumes? I dont know how to tell that the danger has passed or when the temp is less important.
I am looking into getting a small oven because I also work with polymer clay but there are just so many options! Too many to pick from.I am very lucky to have my little room! I do have to be careful though to keep the cats out. Sometimes they sneak in and I shut them in there. Dont want to do that during a resin cure!Thanks again! -
Hi Kayleigh,
8 to 10 hours should be fine. I generally only smell anything for the first hour or two. Yes, resin can sometimes take 3 days to cure, but that is generally a hard cure. Once it is at the soft cure or demolding stage, the fumes wont be a problem at all.
Hmm. Cat hair and resin. Yes, thats a nice combo.
(Said no one ever.)
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Katherine,
Great! Thank you for the tips! Love your site. 🙂Kayleigh -
This question comes through email by Kayleigh:
Hello there! I have only recently gotten interested in resin and I love your site! Heres my question. I live in the Midwest and it is now too cold to mix and store my resin outside. Id love to be able to keep doing it through the winter but I am concerned about health. I have a craft room but in order to ventilate I would have to open a window, but then I doubt I could keep the room at 70 degrees! Im not sure what to do. Any suggestions?
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Hi Kayleigh,
Glad to hear youre taking resin safety seriously! Here a few of my thoughts:
1. Yes, your room needs to be as close to 70 degrees as possible in order for your resin to cure.
2. How lucky you are to have a dedicated craft room! Is there a door to the room? Make sure it seals well when you close it. Add towels to the bottom if necessary.
3. What kind of resin are you working with? If its an epoxy, I would say fume concerns about that are certainly much less than some of the other resins. Working with it in its own room with a door that can close will help. You can always wear a NIOSH respirator recommended for fumes, but generally I find that epoxy fumes are a problem.
4. You can also purchase a toaster oven or create a hot box (cardboard box with a lamp with an incandescent bulb) for curing your resin faster. Most resins will cure faster in a 150 degree oven. Once your resin has cured, you can open the window and let the room air out.
5. If youre working with polyurethanes or polyesters, Im afraid the situation is a little different. Some polyurethanes arent a big deal (check with the manufacturer for safety precautions), but I would never attempt to cast polyester resin in my house. The smell is horrible! You might have to wait until warmer weather to cast them again.
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Kayleigh,
Epoxy resins will give off some kind of an odor. I dont know that its any worse than say, acetone or rubbing alcohol, but you will most likely notice something. If you work with anything other than epoxy, then yes, you do have to worry about what you cant smell (especially with polyurethanes). When in doubt, I would suggest getting a MSDS for the resin you are working with. There will be safety recommendations in that information.
As for your molds, as long as the temperature doesnt go over 150 degrees F, you should be fine. Silicone molds can go higher, but check with the manufacturer to get an exact temperature.
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I have returned with additional questions! Still using just epoxy.
1. If the ventilation is not good enough, Im gonna know it, right? I wont just drop dead one day?2. Oven curing. Will this melt the molds? I use plastic and silicone. -
The MSDS just says "adequate ventilation." Gah! I dont know what is adequate. I suppose I am probably just overthinking this. I am only working with epoxy so there is not a lot to worry about but Im paranoid like that.
Thanks for your help! -
I guess you answered my question, Im on oxygen can I use resin? Thank You
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@Nancy,
Speak to your physician about this he/she may be able to give you some guidance. If resin is out of the question, something like Diamond Glaze may give you some fun crafting opportunities.
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Has anyone tired a air purifier to remove the smell from your workroom? I am looking to set up a multi craft room (candles, soap and resin)in my garage and would like to keep the cross smells at a minimum.
I can add a small window fan, but I am concerned with Winter that it will get to cold and I’d like to be able to leave the room door open part of the time to the house.
Thank you for your help! -
hi there, I have been doing tumblers since September. I am getting a little anxious because my cousin sent me a you tube video of a lady stating she got a blood clot in her lung due to using epoxy. Now I am a paranoid wreck because i have a toddler. I only do the cups when he is sleeping. The room I am using has 2 windows, ceiling fan & air purifier. However the door is like shutter doors (if that makes any sense). When I do the cups I usually have the window cracked, air purifier on and ceiling fan. I also have the shutter doors closed. I also use gloves and a mask. I was using Easy Cast and started using Amazing Cast, but noticed a strong odor. After watching the video I searched up “safe resin/epoxy” and Art Resin came up so I ordered that. What are your thoughts on this? I don’t want to risk my sons health for doing this cups.
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Hi Lisa,
I think it’s great that you are taking resin safety seriously. I appreciate that you want to keep yourself healthy for a very long time!
All resins are chemicals and you should use them with the proper safety precautions. I’ve got several articles detailing the safe use of resin here:
https://www.resinobsession.com/tag/safety/
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When I am doing resin I do it outside because everyone always says you should do it in a well ventilated area. But once I am done I put the molds and resin in my room to cure because if i leave them outside its too cold and they wont cure. Is it safe for me to leave them in my room for them to cure? thank you <3
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How far away do you have to be to be safe? How far can the fumes waft?
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You guys, first of all, ventilation isn’t necessary briar if the smell, but bc even epoxy resin lets off fumes that you can’t always smell, but damage body tissue… not to mention, I just read that the stuff falls to the ground(heavier than oxygen I guess), so I’d you have pets, they’re at higher risk. Most epoxy resins note boast that they have low odor, that doesn’t mean there aren’t fumes… these are chemicals. If there’s a rec to wear a mask, bet that until that resin cures, it’s letting off fumes- & someone said once it has soft cured (24 hours), it’s “safe,” there are still chemical reactions going on to continue the cure for another 48 hours- I would think that the risk is less, but I wouldn’t assume complete “safety.” First of all- I’d you’re smart or concerned enough to take precautions for the first 24 hours, what’s the big deal waiting another couple days, just to be sure that you’re not frying your lungs or burning your insides? I have respiratory issues and am trach dependent- I’ve been on a ventilator several times- IT’S NOT WORTH IT!!!! Protect yourself, & if that’s not enough, PROTECTYOUR PETS!!! They are smaller and more sensitive to this stuff- safe over sorry! You can’t smell carbon monoxide, either, but it STILL KILLS!!!!!!
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Hi! I am new to resin and want to make sure I know what I need to do as far as safety concerns go. I have not begun working with resin yet, but I have everything ordered. I plan on doing my projects in my laundry room. It’s a pretty nice size and I have a window I can open while I am working. I plan on using a fan as well.
Do I want to close the laundry room door while I am working so fumes don’t go through the rest of the house?
Also my concern is when the items are curing. It’s going to be getting cold and my laundry room is one of the cooler (or warmer) rooms depending on the temperature outside.
I figured I’d have a heater on low to keep the room close to 70 to cure my projects, but the window would be closed for that.
So if I go into the room again to do laundry do I need to worry about the fumes?
Also you have to walk through my 10 year olds room to get to the laundry room so I want to make sure he is safe.
I plan on putting a slide bar lock on the door to keep both my kids out of the room.
I will be using Counter Culture DIY casting resin.
Sorry, this is a lot. I really appreciate the guidance! -
Hi Meghan,
We have several safety articles here which will help: https://www.resinobsession.com/tag/safety/
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Hi I am only using UV resin and I’ve looked up if I need to be taking the same precautions as epoxy resin and haven’t had any luck finding much. The one I use says non toxic and I don’t get off any smells when curing but I’d like to know if you have any advice on which precautions I should be taking. I have a toddler that like to go in my craft room while I’m in there from time to time and I’m kinda worried after my sister telling that I should be taking the same precautions as with epoxy.
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I jave a question. The only room i can work in is my bedroom. If I open the window, have a fan pointed at the window, and wear a mask (with N95 filter),would that be safe? Better question, would ot be safe to sleep in that room a few hours later? I will be using UV resin on a small scale for charms and trinkets if that matters.
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Hi Ash,
An N95 mask is not suitable for resin casting. You need a mask that protects you against fumes. I show the one I use in this article: https://www.resinobsession.com/resin-resin-resin/epoxy-resin-safety-precautions/
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Can I sleep in the same room as resin since I make it in my bedroom. It is the only room I have.
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Hi there1 I am not particularly new to resin, I experimented with it a bit in high school but I didn’t use PPE or anything, so I’m giving it a go with proper protection this time! However, I share my craft room with my guinea pigs, and I know they are smell sensitive. If I do my resin say, in my dining area, and leave the back door open and a fan, would the fumes still get back to them, or would they be mostly swept outside?
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Hi Ashley,
I’ve got a video on this page that shows how I ventilate my resin room: https://www.resinobsession.com/resin-frequently-asked-questions/can-epoxy-resin-make-you-sick/
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Hi! I’m new to resin making and I’ve already read a lot of blogs and articles about resin safety precautions to take. I haven’t really started making resins projects yet. I have a question though, what will happen to the resin fumes after it mixed in the air will it affect my neighbors? I mean, let us say that I am doing resin outside the house my concern is, I’m scared that in doing resin I’m putting my neighbors at risk because of the fumes it releases. Hope someone can answer my question . Thank you🍃
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I was wondering if anyone might know if I can use my epoxy resin and Uv resin in a room of my basement near the room my gas furnace is in? We are just moving into a house and my studio is going to be in the basement and the furnace room which is closed off is on the other side of the wall of my studio and someone who lived there before made a few quarter sized holes right behind the furnace in my room where I will be working. I won’t be pouring resin right next to the wall where the furnace is on the other side of it but I wanted to make sure that this would not be a problem being in the room next to it. I’ve been working with resin for a while now but haven’t had a gas furnace for a very long time.
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Hi
I am in a facebook group called ” epoxy is not your friend”. According to them, indoors is always a no.they advice to get a proper ventilation system put into my shed and even went as far as to say i should stop as i have rashes where i didnt use ppe and had resin on my skin for an hour.i wear a tyvek suit, full respirator and nitrile gloves now.the room i have now is closed off,nobody got access, the window is always wide open and i got a fan blowing away from me.i spent alot of money and i am devastated that i might have risked my families health.
What is your view?
Thank you
Tina -
I did resin casting in my unventilated craft room throughout last winter. (I always wore a chemical fume mask any moment spent in the room, and sealed the bottom of the door leading to the rest of the house.) I didn’t work with resin AT ALL over the summer (although my supplies are stored in that room), and now (November) the room STILL has a weird fume-y smell to it.
My question is – does the smell from resin seep into walls / become permanent if not properly eradicated? How can I make this months-old smell go away?
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I have just recently started experimenting with epoxy resin. Right now I am just doing small items like letter molds, coasters, and keychains. I have a designated craft space in one of our spare bedrooms. Currently my setup consists of a table beside the window, a tower fan at table height, and the bottom of the bedroom door sealed with a draft blocker. While mixing and pouring the resin I am wearing a mask (the recommended VOC kind), gloves, and glasses (otherwise I can’t see anything). I also have the window open at the top and the fan blowing. Is this enough ventilation? How long do I need to leave the window open and the fan blowing before I can close/turn them off? How long do I need to keep wearing my mask if I am doing other things in that same room, but at a different work station? In the winter (I currently live in Kansas) I can’t keep the room at the proper temperature and keep the window open. I saw someone who created a “curing box” out of a plastic tub, heating pad, aluminum tray, and plastic letter trays. If I create one of those, will it allow me to close the window in the winter time so I can still work on other projects in the same room without freezing to death? How long do my molds need to stay in the “cure box”? If I get a toaster oven, how do I use it to cure my resin? We are renting currently and I can’t create anything permanent. I am just looking for a way to safely continue doing something I love. Please help.
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hello! i just started working w/resin and i am only able to work in my bedroom. is it safe to let the resin cure in my room? i am only making rings which are fairly small. i have the windows open most of the time but it’s been really cold here so i can’t always keep them open while letting it cure. would it be safer to put them in my garage or a closet? thank you!!
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Hello. I just started using resin on tumbler cups amongs other crafts and I use my spare room in my basement which is also my bedroom. How can I use that space and keep the fumes out of the main part of the basement away from myself and my 3 yr old who sleep down here as well. I shut all doors leading to the room, crack the windows in that room and bathroom and place a towel down at the door. But some how I still smell the fumes and I’m a bit concerned.. what can I do
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I was using resin/epoxy in a shed, work room. for about 3 weeks, I did not use any respirator or anything, there was a window opened for air circulation
I have a frirnds cat in there with Mr. He hides and doesn’t come out until hone. He was in the room exile the pieces were curing. He use to let me pet him on the head but in the lady few days he growls hisses and is now striking out at me. I really think I poisoned him not knowingly though. I’m afraid to try and catch him to get him to a vet
Is there a way to detox him? -
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Hello,
I only have my dining room to work in, but it has no door between the dining room and living room plus it has another opening to the living room as well. My spouse will be in the living room where the window is, as there is no window in the dining room I would have to have the window in the living room open to ventilate. Would that be unsafe for my spouse ? would my spouse have to wear a mask as well of the 3M sort just sitting in the living room ?
Thank you in advance
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