I saw this Do-It-Yourself Resin Kit from Leasure Arts pop up on Facebook groups a few times recently, and I thought it looked really cool for beginners. I thought that it may be a good way to get people introduced to the art form without a huge financial commitment.
So when I actually saw these Do-It-Yourself Resin Kits in the clearance isle of my local Walmart, I went ahead and grabbed it so that I could do a review of it and see if it was really worth all the hype that I had seen associated with it. (People were really jealous of other people when their Walmart didn’t carry it; it was a little odd.)
My Thoughts and Critiques on this Do-It-Yourself Resin Kit
Seems to be missing something…
In addition to the kit, I also grabbed a couple cheese boards and a tray and coaster set that were on clearance, just because I love a good deal. And it’s a good thing I did because I did not read the back of the box where it lists what comes with the kit. So I was unaware that it doesn’t actually come with the object that you are going to decorate with resin. I know it’s my bad that I didn’t read the contents, but seriously, the box was so large, I was surprised the cheese board wasn’t in there.
Safety is not addressed much.
One thing that I will say about resin is that it should be respected, and you should wear the proper PPE. The kit does come with gloves, but they are hardly more than food grade gloves. It doesn’t talk anything about a respirator, which is the best PPE for using harsh chemicals. The Do-It-Yourself Resin Kit does not talk about not getting resin on your skin, what to do if that happens, and just other general safety issues that I would expect to be covered in something that is meant for beginners.
The colorant is weird.
You know, I don’t actually know what the colorants contained in the Do-It-Yourself Resin Kit are as they are simply listed as “opaque colorants.” And even with all of my experience with art supplies, I still don’t know what they are. They’re not paint; they’re not micah powders. I’m not sure.
Additionally, the instructions don’t really give you much information on how to use these colorants. Do you put the whole thing in? Just a bit? They were quite liquidy, and I became concerned as I was doing the first color that putting the whole thing in would affect the integrity of the resin and its ability to cure. For the second color, I put the whole thing in because I thought, “Well, what would someone who doesn’t know anything about resin do?”
After I poured the resins on, even the color where I put all of the colorant in was still significantly lighter than the pictured project. And then as it dried, it dissipated almost completely (check out the video)!
Bad Instructions
The instructions in the Do-It-Yourself Resin Kit are okay, kind of. The instructions tout that they teach you how to do four projects. But they’re kind of nebulous as to whether or not there are actually enough materials in the kit for four projects.
Also, they give you the instruction to use painter’s tape on the back and leave it on for 24 hours. Watch the video and find out what happens when you do that. It’s not pretty.
The instructions for mixing the resin were not as detailed as I have seen for any other brand of resin I personally have used. Generally there’s a pretty strict time for stirring, but these instructions were just not clear, and I feel like someone who knows nothing about resin could easily undermix given the instructions and have poor results.
Poor quality wood products for resin work.
The wood products, cheeseboards, tray, and coasters, that I got from this company are all very rough, meaning that there should actually be two coats of resin, a seal coat and a flood coat. The resin of one layer actually just soaks down into the board and doesn’t look very nice.
Go Forth and Find Some Other Kind of Resin!
I really like the intention behind this Do-It-Yourself Resin Kit, but it was a really big fail for me. If you’re interested in resin crafts, take some time and do some research on it and get some good resin!
As always, check out my updates on Facebook and Instagram and feel free to peruse Homebody Hall for more ideas on how to make your house a home, on a budget! Happy creating!
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