Bentwood Birdhouse

Step 9 Epoxy Coating

The West System is very nice. It usually includes the self measuring pumps attached to the hardener and the epoxy. If you haven't used epoxy systems before you should read up on safety rules that come with the stuff. It is really easy to use and it takes about six pumps of each one to make a large enough batch to coat the whole structure. You use a sponge brush to mix the two components and to apply it to the structure. Not only does it glue the whole thing together into a composite structure it also forms a weather barrier to keep it going for many summers to come. Make sure you treat the end cuts of all the plywood. The stuff hardens overnight and this is the slow stuff so you have at least 20 minutes to put it on. Make sure you get the stuff into the cracks to glue and seal them. Only one coat of epoxy is necessary to seal and glue the structure. Wear latex gloves for this step.