Easy Epoxy Calc

How much epoxy for 30 sq ft of countertop?

Short answer

You need about 2.71 gallons of tabletop epoxy for one 1/8 inch flood coat on about 30 square feet of countertop — a 14 ft run at 25.5 in deep (29.8 square feet) plus a 1.5 in front edge and a 4 in backsplash, 36.2 square feet in all — with 18.4 fl oz of edge drips and 5% for the bucket included.

How to work it out

  1. counter 14 ft × 25.5 in = 29.8 sq ft + edge 14 ft × 1.5 in = 1.75 sq ft + splash 14 ft × 4 in = 4.67 sq ft = 36.2 sq ft
  2. Flood: 29.8 sq ft × 1/8 in × 1 = 2.32 gal; edge film 1.75 sq ft × 1/32 in × 1 = 4.36 fl oz; backsplash film 4.67 sq ft × 1/32 in = 11.6 fl oz
  3. Edge drips: 14 ft at 1.25 fl oz per foot of edge per 1/8 in coat × 1 = 17.5 fl oz
  4. 2.58 gal + 5% waste = 2.71 gal
  5. Total 2.71 gal → 3 × 1 gal kits
  6. Mix ratio 1 : 1 by volume, SG A 1.15 / B 0.95 (typical, not published by the maker — type your data sheet’s SGs for exact weights) → Part A 1.35 gal (13 lb) + Part B 1.35 gal (10.7 lb)

Thirty square feet is a typical small kitchen: one wall of cabinets with the sink and range, or a short L. The edge and backsplash are easy to forget. They add about 6.4 sq ft, but as thin films they take much less resin than the top — the drips off the 14 ft front edge cost more than both films together.

Adjust for your project

ft
Add up all the straight runs. Don’t count a corner twice.
in
Wall to front edge. Standard is 25–26 in.
ft
Front edges plus open ends — the edges the resin runs over and drips from. Edges against a wall don’t count.
in
How tall the front edge is — usually the thickness of the top.
in
0 if you’re not coating one. It gets a thin brushed or rolled coat, not a flood coat.
ft
Bare wood (butcher block, plywood, MDF) needs a thin first coat so air in the grain doesn’t bubble up. Over laminate or an old sealed top, pick No and use whatever primer your kit calls for.
Only if your countertop kit uses a colored coat rolled on under the clear flood coat. Its instructions give the thickness or fl oz per sq ft.
1 is normal. Some veined or metallic looks use 2.
gal
Total of both bottles together. Most “1 gallon kits” are ½ gal resin + ½ gal hardener — enter 1. If the listing says 1 gal of EACH, enter 2.
More options: waste · ratio · SG A …
%
What stays in the bucket and on the spreader. Edge drips are counted separately.
Only changes the Part A / Part B split — it’s printed on the kit. Tabletop and art resins are usually 1:1; deep pour often 2:1.
From the TDS, in g/ml. Leave blank for 1.15 (typical, not published by the maker).
From the TDS, in g/ml. Leave blank for 0.95 on 1:1 kits or 0.97 on other ratios (typical, not published by the maker).
gal
Resin + hardener mixed in one bucket. Big batches heat up and thicken sooner, so pros mix the next one while the last is being poured.
$
Optional — your kit price, for a cost estimate
Tabletop epoxy to buy2.71 gal10.8 qt · 10.3 L
Kits to buy
3 kits
Flood coat(s), incl. edge and backsplash film
2.57 gal (10.3 qt · 9.71 L)
Edge drips (runs off and is lost)
18.4 fl oz (0.57 qt · 0.54 L)
Total area coated
36.2 sq ft
Countertop surface
29.8 sq ft
Base + flood coats per sq ft of top (before drips and waste)
10 fl oz per sq ft
Batches to mix
3 batches
Per batch (volume, then weight)
A 1.81 qt (4.33 lb) + B 1.81 qt (3.58 lb)
When mixing — Part A (resin)
1.35 gal (5.42 qt · 5.13 L)
When mixing — Part B (hardener)
1.35 gal (5.42 qt · 5.13 L)
Part A by weight
13 lb (208 oz · 5.9 kg)
Part B by weight
10.7 lb (172 oz · 4.87 kg)
Left over from the last kit
0.29 gal (1.16 qt · 1.1 L)
  • What to buy: 3 × 1 gal tabletop epoxy kits. Each kit has both bottles (resin + hardener) — you don’t buy them separately. Looking at a different kit size? Change Kit size above.

For this job · affiliate link
Countertop epoxy kitYou need 2.71 gal, so 3 × 1 gal kits — or price one bigger kit, which is often cheaper per gallon. Countertop kits are coating resins meant for a base coat plus flood coats, with pigments that match between batches.
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30 sq ft of countertop by base coat (one 1/8 in flood coat, 1 gal kits)

30 sq ft of countertop by base coat (one 1/8 in flood coat, 1 gal kits)
Base coatBase coatTabletop epoxy to buyKits to buy
No base coat0 gal2.71 gal3 kits
1/32 in base coat0.74 gal3.45 gal4 kits
1/16 in base coat1.48 gal4.19 gal5 kits

What to know about 30 sq ft of countertop

The 25.5 in depth is the top, not the cabinet: base cabinets are usually 24 in deep and the counter overhangs the doors by an inch or so. Measure the old top along the front edge and from the wall to the front, and use those numbers.

In 1-gallon kits this job needs three, with about 0.29 gallons — a little over a quart — left over. That is enough for a spill or a heavy hand on the edge, but not for a seal coat. On a bare maple butcher block, the closed-grain seal coat over the top, edge and backsplash is about 0.3 gallons on its own, which takes the job to 3.01 gallons and a fourth kit. A larger kit is often cheaper per gallon at this size; compare them on the epoxy cost calculator.

Mixed epoxy can’t be saved, so don’t mix all of it at once. Pour the back half of the run, then mix the next batch for the front half while the first is still wet, so the two blend without a seam.

The front edge is where first-timers come up short. The coating doesn’t stay on a vertical edge by itself; you push it over with a spreader or gloved hand and it keeps dripping for a while. The calculator counts that drip on its own — about 18 fl oz on this 14 ft edge — so the 5% allowance is only for what stays in the bucket. Don’t trim either.

For a larger L- or U-shaped kitchen, see How much epoxy for a 50 sq ft kitchen countertop; for a small first project, see How much epoxy for a 5 ft bathroom vanity top.

Different size? Use the full Countertop Epoxy Calculator.

What you’ll need

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Frequently asked questions

How much epoxy for 30 sq ft of countertop with a 1/16 in base coat?

About 4.19 gallons in all: 1.48 gallons for the base coat, 2.57 gallons for the 1/8 in flood coat and films, and 18.4 fl oz of edge drips, with 5% waste.

How much epoxy for two flood coats on 30 sq ft of countertop?

About 5.32 gallons for two 1/8 in flood coats over the 36.2 square feet of top, edge and backsplash — 6 kits of 1 gallon.

How much epoxy for 30 sq ft of countertop without the backsplash?

About 2.61 gallons for one 1/8 in flood coat on the top and front edge (31.5 square feet), drips and 5% waste included.

How much epoxy for 30 sq ft of butcher block countertop with a seal coat?

About 3.01 gallons: 0.3 gallons for a closed-grain seal coat, then the 1/8 in flood coat — 4 kits of 1 gallon.

Other common sizes

Sources