Epoxy Resin and Art

We’ve all seen those beautiful epoxy resin river tables; they seem to be all the rage nowadays. But did you ever wonder where else to use epoxy and where it came from?

Today, epoxy resins are used in fields such as construction, aerospace, automotive, marine, commercial, medical and pharmaceutical, and even food industries. Epoxy resins are suitable for these applications because of several desirable material qualities: heat resistance, chemical resistance, strength, seamlessness, durability, and ease of use.

The first developments of epoxy resin took place in the early 1890s by a Russian chemist named Nikolai Prilezhaev. Less than 50 years later in Switzerland, Dr. Pierre Castan succeeded in synthesizing the first epoxy polymer by curing it with phthalic acid anhydride. Around the same time, Dr. Sylvan Greenlee in the United States was also developing epoxy resins by reacting epichlorohydrin and Bisphenol A. The purpose behind their early experiments was to find a binding agent for coatings that would be resistant to caustic base. However, it soon became clear that epoxy had even more beneficial properties. Each scientist teamed up with separate chemical companies to start producing epoxy resins in mass quantities. This led to the epoxy products in use today.

At Blair Duron, our passion is elevating commercial and industrial floors to the highest level. We do this by applying a combination of science, craftsmanship, and art.