Highland Park Epoxy Countertops
Before Cody ever coated a floor, he spent ten years pouring live-edge resin tabletops, and a countertop is the same craft at kitchen height. In Highland Park the request is usually a framed bar top for a basement bar, a kitchen island, or a bar counter that has to belong to the room around it. Each one is a commission. We pour samples first, settle the pigment, the depth and the frame with you, and only then pour the real thing.
Ten Years of Tabletops Behind Every Counter
Resin tables taught Cody things a floor never would. A deep pour has to go down in stages so it does not overheat while it cures. Pigment has to be moved by hand while the resin is still workable, with brushes, heat and air, and there is a short window before it sets where it lands. Wood has to be sealed first or it breathes air bubbles up into the clear. Every edge has to be planned before the first pour, because a clean edge cannot be added to cured resin afterward.
The photos on this page are tables he poured: a long amethyst top with crystal-like inclusions, a square beach scene with a white surf line, and a chess table lit from inside with blue LEDs. None of them is a kitchen counter. They are here because they show the hand that will pour yours, and the range a resin top can carry, from a quiet stone pattern to a full scene with water in it.
Countertops add their own rules on top of all that. A counter runs wider than most tables, it sits on cabinets instead of legs, and it lives next to a sink and a stove. We plan for each of those before any resin gets mixed.
Bar Tops, Islands and Basement Bars
Highland Park is high-end residential, and premium finishes such as custom metallic, custom solid color and framed countertops come up here far more often than plain utility work. Framed countertops are a regular request: a resin top set inside a wood or metal frame on a basement bar, a kitchen island where the family actually eats, a bar counter in a finished workshop or beside a showcase garage.
Each one asks for something different. A basement bar top sees spilled drinks, elbows and glasses set down wet, so its surface and its edge matter more than its depth. A kitchen island takes hot pots, knives and constant wipe-downs, which makes heat and scratch honesty the main conversation there, and we cover that below. A bar counter in a workshop has to put up with tools being dropped on it without much ceremony.
Sometimes the counter goes in alongside a floor. If you are already talking with us about a basement or a garage, the same visit can cover both, and the colors can be planned together so the room reads as one piece of work instead of two jobs that happened to land in the same space.
How a Commission Works, Sample by Sample
It starts with a walk, usually twenty to thirty minutes, where Cody measures the space, looks at the cabinets or base the top will rest on, and asks how the counter will be used. Then the conversation turns to the look. Do you want a deep, clear top you can see down into, or an opaque stone pattern? One color, or a river of two or three? Wood, metal or no frame at all?
From there we pour samples. Small sample pieces show the pigment, the depth and how the color shifts with the light, and you hold them up in the actual room before anything full-size is poured. Edge treatment gets decided at the same time: a square edge, a softly eased one, or a live wood edge that keeps the shape of the tree. If a frame is part of the design, we settle the wood or metal and its finish now, since the frame holds the pour.
Once you approve the samples, the price comes back fixed and itemized in writing, and it does not move unless the design does.
Heat, Knives and the Honest Answer
Resin makes a beautiful counter and it has limits, and you should hear them from us before you commit. A pan straight off the burner will mark it, so use a trivet every time, the same as you would on a good wood counter. Knives will scratch it, so the chopping happens on a cutting board and never on the top itself. Wine, coffee and citrus wipe off cleanly when you get to them quickly.
The good news is that a resin top can be renewed. Fine scratches and dull spots from years of use can be sanded out and a fresh topcoat poured over them, bringing the surface back without replacing the counter. On an island that gets used hard every day, that is a real advantage.
Cure time is the other thing to plan around. A deep pour cures more slowly than a thin floor coat, and a counter should not carry dishes, appliances or weight until it has fully cured. We tell you when your specific pour can take weight, so you know which day the kitchen is yours again.
Tell us about the piece you have in mind.
A bar top, an island or a counter for the workshop. Send a photo of the space and a few words about the look you want, and Cody will set a time to come measure.
Who Pours It, and What Backs It
Cody pours every commission himself. Sherwoods is based in Dallas, and most people hear back with a firm price within 48 hours of their call. The price is itemized in writing, and a written workmanship warranty stands behind the work.
You can see more of the resin and floor work in our gallery, and our epoxy countertops service page covers countertop work beyond Highland Park.
Day to day, a resin top asks for very little. Wipe it with a soft cloth and warm water with a drop of dish soap, then dry it so water spots do not sit. Skip abrasive pads, scouring powder and harsh solvents, which haze the surface. Put coasters under drinks on a bar top that sees a lot of glasses. If the top ever loses its gloss in a heavily used spot, call us before reaching for a polish off a hardware store shelf. Usually a light sand and a fresh topcoat is the right fix, and Cody can tell you which after one look at it.
Countertop Questions We Hear Most
Can I set a hot pan on an epoxy countertop?
No, and we would rather tell you now than after the install. A pan straight off the stove can mark a resin surface, so use a trivet every time. Coffee mugs and warm plates are fine. Treat it the way you would treat a good wood counter and it stays looking right.
Will knives scratch it?
Yes, a blade will cut into resin, so keep the chopping on a cutting board. The light scratches that come with everyday living can be sanded out later and covered with a fresh topcoat, which restores the surface without tearing out the counter.
How long before we can use the counter?
Longer than a floor, because a deep pour cures more slowly than a thin coat. The exact time depends on the depth and the resin, so we tell you when it is ready. Until that date, keep dishes, small appliances and heavy items off the top.
Do you pour samples before the real counter?
Every time. Small sample pieces show the pigment, the depth and the way the color moves with light, and you look at them in your own room. Nothing full-size gets poured until you have approved a sample, the edge treatment and the frame.
Can the top sit in a wood or metal frame?
Yes, and in Highland Park that is one of the requests we hear most. A framed top suits a basement bar or a kitchen island well. We settle the frame material and its finish during the sample stage, because the frame holds the pour and shapes the edge.
Can you do a counter and a floor on the same visit?
Yes. If you are already planning a basement bar floor or a garage, the walk can cover the counter too, and we plan the colors together so the floor and the top look like they belong in the same room.
Floors to Pair With a Resin Top
Have a bar or an island that needs a top? Talk to us, and bring a photo of the space if you have one.
Highland Park and the Dallas County Run
Commissions come to us from all over Highland Park. Highland Park is a regular stop for our crew, and it sits inside our wider Dallas County territory.