How to Make a Wooden Suncatcher

DIY wooden suncatcher with coloured epoxy resin, for great garden decor.
I was at my Sisters house one day when I spotted a piece of wood under her carport.  It was in pretty bad shape but it looked so interesting I want to see if I could make something out of it. My first thought was a wooden sign but we all do that with a nice piece of wood. I wanted something different.  I decided on a wooden suncatcher, I had this idea in my head to drill holes in the wood and fill them with coloured epoxy resin.

DIY wooden suncatcher with coloured epoxy resin, for great garden decor.

Here is another idea for garden decor using a similar method, suncatcher with an African Sunset theme. 

Resin suncatcher

How to make a wooden suncatcher

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Find a suitable piece of wood

For this project, you can use any wood, but something similar to this one would look great.  The surface on this piece of wood was very weathered and needed some TLC first.  Because I have been doing DIY using recycled products for a few years now and know it could be only surface damage. In the past, I have found once you sand the surface the wood is still great beneath.

DIY wooden suncatcher with coloured epoxy resin, for great garden decor. 

Sanding the wood

My first step was to try and clean up the wood.  All the large pieces of loose wood were pulled off by hand first to prevent them from catching and ripping the sanding discs on the sander. To clean out the deep groove, I used a hammer and chisel to remove all the damaged wood.  

How to make a wooden suncatcher

You can now use an orbital sander with 80 grit sanding discs to remove the bulk of the rough surface.  You can keep sanding going up in sandpaper grit until you get to 120 grit.  I stopped at 120 grit because this wooden suncatcher is going to be garden decor it seemed a waste of time.  You can now stain the wood any colour you like, I used a cedar wood stain. 

How to make a Wooden Suncatcher

Create your design

This was my first time trying this, so I wanted to try and keep the design simple. I knew I had a full set of hole saws and spade bits which is all I would need to cut a circle design.  To find a design you like it is a good idea to go onto google and search designs using circles, alternatively you can create your own design.  There were so many designs to choose from, the ones I picked were crop circles. But in hindsight, the small circles were a bad idea, you will see why in the next few steps. Print the design onto paper ready to be transferred onto the wood.

Transferring the design to the wood

There could be a better way to do this step, but because I make my projects up as I go along it was what I came up with at the time. The printed design is placed onto the wood with a sheet of carbon paper between the design and the wood. You can then use a pen to trace over the design, this will leave an imprint of the design on the wood.

How to make a Wooden Suncatcher

Cutting the holes into the wood

I started with the small design first and this is when I realised this design was a bad choice. I started with a drill and drill bit to make the small holes, but the wood was so thick it was time-consuming. 

And the second issue was that the holes in this design were too close together.  They blended into each other which spoilt the look. Try going for designs with larger holes, which also look better with the resin. 

How to make a Wooden Suncatcher

Using spade bits and hole saws

To cut the holes in the large design, I found the spade bits and hole saws worked the best. I used a battery-powered drill but found it did not last long enough to do the job.  I had to wait for the batteries to charge up again. Using an electric-powered drill would be my recommendation so you do not have to wait for the batteries to keep recharging. 

My original design turned out to be a flop, so I made up the design as I went along. Once I had the first half of the design was cut, I used it as a template for the second half.  I used plain paper and put it over the holes, and used a pencil to scribble over the holes with a pencil so I would have the correct spacing.

To transfer the design to the other side of the wood instead of using carbon paper which is time-consuming I tried something else.  I position the paper in the correct position and found a hole saw the correct size as the hole. I put the hole cutter teeth side down on the paper and hit it with a hammer, this left an impression in the wood. This is the guide you use to choose the correct size spade bit or hole saw.

How to make a Wooden Suncatcher

This project already looked great just like this in my opinion, but I stuck to my original idea and added the coloured epoxy Resin.

How to make a wooden suncatcher

If you do want to stop here, you will need to add 2 to 3 coats of exterior or marine varnish to protect the suncatcher from the elements. 

How to make a Wooden Suncatcher

Taping the holes

I have used epoxy resin in the past to make some doorknobs and as a surface for my wine barrel table, but never anything like this. So, I was unsure how I was going to keep the epoxy resin in the holes. I jumped onto Google and read the first article I found, which turn out to be a big mistake for me. 

The article recommends using silver duct tape to seal the holes. To get the tape to stick better it recommended you heat up the tape and rub it down hard to seal any gaps.  I followed those instructions and within minutes the resin was running out of duct tape all over the table. I do believe part of the issue was the groove you can see in the wood. 

How to make a wooden suncatcher

There are resin proof tapes, but I could not get one in town and our nearest town is 100km away. I went through my husband toolbox and found this aluminium foil tape which worked perfectly. This error also highlighted that I had taped the wrong side of the wood.  You want the resin to be flush with the front. If the resin sits at the back, you will not be able to see it.

To update this section, I have learnt a better way to tape the holes.  Before you add the tape, add a layer of saran wrap over the holes.  This will give you a nice smooth finish and it will also stop the resin from reacting with the tape’s adhesive. 

How to make a wooden suncatcher

Mix up the resin

Not all epoxy resins are the same so mix yours according to the manufacturer’s instructions. If you are going to be using epoxy resin for other projects, I would highly recommend buying the larger bottles, which work out so much cheaper. Resin can be very temperamental if you do not mix it correctly, I use a small scale to weigh it out accurately.  You will also need to make sure that you stir the resin very well, approximately 2 – 3 minutes scraping the bottom and sides regularly.

How to make a wooden suncatcher

I mixed my resin in one batch which was 500ml (Which was far too much 300ml is enough) and then split it up into smaller containers and added 5 drops of colour pigment. I used cheap and cheerful colour pigments which worked great. In hindsight, I should have used glow in the dark pigment I think that would have looked great.

How to make a wooden suncatcher

Adding the resin to the suncatcher

For this particular project, the less resin you use the better the effect. You are aiming to pour a layer 1cm deep. Because I had the excess resin, and I did not want to waste it I filled some of the holes. Which was a big mistake, the deeper the resin the less light will shine through. (The middle holes and the bottom holes)

Once you have poured the resin you will notice some bubbles forming on the surface of the resin.  To remove the bubbles, you will need to use a blow torch and just swipe the flame over the resin. I don’t have a blow torch, so I used a creme Brule torch from the kitchen. 

The resin will now need to sit for 24 hours to set. The image below is a close-up view of the back showing the level of resin that worked great. After 24 hours it is time to remove the tape.

How to make a wooden suncatcher

Seal the suncatcher.

I did have a few areas where the resin had oozed out of the holes due to the rough wood grain. To fix this you will need to sand it off with and re-stain the wood. I also found once I removed the tape the surface of the resin was sticky.  It looked like the tape adhesive had stayed behind. I used a cloth and some elbow grease to remove the residue from the adhesive on the tape. 

Using the saran wrap I mentioned above will solve this issue. To seal the wood against the weather, you can add 2 coats of exterior or marine varnish to the front and back of the wood.

DIY wooden suncatcher with coloured epoxy resin, for great garden decor.

Make a stand

To make a stand for your suncatcher I would recommend any solid metal post or rebar attached with a ‘U’ Bracket. 

DIY wooden suncatcher with coloured epoxy resin, for great garden decor.

My back garden gets very little sun because of my neighbour’s large trees, but my photos will give you a general idea of how it will look. You will notice the holes in the middle and the bottom doesn’t let the light shine through very well.  This is because I poured the excess resin I had leftover on those holes. I still think this turned out great and the lessons I have learned will help me with my next one.

Update

It has been 4 years since I made this project, and it needed a new coat of stain and varnish.  I have added some new pictures to better show off this project. You can also see in the above image; my neighbour has cut down his huge tree. Yay.

Wooden suncatcher

More DIY project ideas for you

Would you believe that this is regular pine wood with a green stain?  But by adding Shou sugi ban (wood Burning) to the mix the surface is amazing.

Shou sugi ban house number

Don’t throw away all those small scraps of wood turn them into wall art.

Reuse scrap wood to make wall art/wall hanging

Pin me

Wooden suncatcher sculpture for your garden

How to make your own garden decorations.

If you are looking for any of the items used in this project, please consider using our links. By clicking on the links we will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.  Which helps us come up with new and exciting ideas to share with you. Please feel free to share or leave a comment we would love to hear your thoughts.

Garden Decor

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58 Comments

  • Reply
    Heather
    November 4, 2017 at 3:52 pm

    LOVE LOVE LOVE this project!! It turned out SO AMAZING!! Could you please tell me what brand/type of pigments you used to color your Resin with? I want to try doing this myself, but worry that I’ll use the wrong coloring agent and the resin will become opaque.

    Thanks so much and keep up the great creative work!!
    Heather

  • Reply
    Lisa
    November 4, 2017 at 9:06 pm

    What is the name of the colorant that you use to color the epoxy? It looks to me like acrylic paint but I can’t make out the label from the picture so if you could tell me that would really help I’ve got some pieces of wood that I’ve been looking for a project to do with them and your suncatchers are perfect to use this wood to make suncatchers out of them plus they’re just so pretty.

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      November 5, 2017 at 5:46 am

      They are a resin pigment, I will email you my order so you can see the description. I ordered it of http://www.wish.com. Hope this helps

    • Reply
      Lisa
      July 10, 2022 at 3:48 am

      Thank you for sharing this idea

  • Reply
    Toni
    November 12, 2017 at 6:28 am

    I’m getting ready to make my suncatcher also.., Would you mind emailing me the type of pigment as well please.., Thank you!

  • Reply
    Toni Cottone
    November 12, 2017 at 6:29 am

    I’m getting ready to make my suncatcher also.., Would you mind emailing me the type of pigment as well please.., Thank you!

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      November 13, 2017 at 4:34 am

      Did you get the information on the resin pigment?

  • Reply
    Bright
    September 17, 2018 at 3:01 am

    This looks so cool. What a conversation piece!!!

  • Reply
    Condo Blues
    September 11, 2019 at 1:04 pm

    I love it! I tried something similar cutting the ends of glass bottles to eventually fill the holes but it failed. You have the perfect solution. I LOVE the reclaimed wood!

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      September 12, 2019 at 4:00 am

      Thank you so much, I was going to try glass first but I could not cut it very well so gave up.

  • Reply
    Michelle
    September 16, 2019 at 1:19 am

    A unique and fun project! I love the whimsy of it.

  • Reply
    Linda on Poinsettia Drive
    September 16, 2019 at 2:01 am

    How awesome. Thank you for sharing on the Classy Flamingos.

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      September 16, 2019 at 11:51 pm

      Thank you so much, very kind of you to say.

  • Reply
    Our Hopeful Home
    September 16, 2019 at 10:22 pm

    What a lovely, unique creation! You are quite talented! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm. xo Kathleen

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      September 16, 2019 at 11:52 pm

      Thank you, I loved how it turned out apart from the small circles down the bottom.

  • Reply
    Cap Creations
    September 27, 2019 at 7:55 pm

    Your suncatcher is so neat! What a great piece of garden art. Thanks for sharing!

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      September 29, 2019 at 9:23 am

      Thank you, pity the tree blocks most of my garden sun.

  • Reply
    Luanne Bingham
    October 13, 2019 at 1:35 pm

    You are amazing! This is quite a creative masterpiece! I love what you did by bringing the wood and look of glass together with an amazing design which I could look at in my garden every single day. You rock!! Love love love it!!

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      October 14, 2019 at 10:34 pm

      Thank you so much Luanne, It was one of my more creative projects.

  • Reply
    Bobbie
    June 14, 2020 at 4:45 pm

    What a beautiful creative idea. I was thinking this very idea and wondered how resin would look. You just convinced me to do this! Thank you so much for sharing your experience it’s so helpful to know what works and what doesn’t! Nice job Anita.

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      June 16, 2020 at 5:00 pm

      Thank you so much, and I hope you will share your project once it is completed.

  • Reply
    Kimberly
    June 16, 2020 at 8:15 pm

    SO impressed! Have the perfect pieces of wood to do this on. Could you please email me your order details g fi or the resin and especially the pigment. *Also,* how has it held up over these years? 🙂

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      June 17, 2020 at 4:13 pm

      Hi Kimberley, You can use any resin suitable for tabletops and bar counters. The pigments I bought from china. I did not post brands because I live in Australia so the brands will be different. It has been a few years and the resin is still looking good, but the wood could do with a freshening up. Some of the wood stain colours has slightly lighted so not as vibrant.

  • Reply
    JO
    August 11, 2020 at 8:09 pm

    Hi Anita! At last – another Southern Hemisphere girl!! I live in South Africa & many of our family are in Melbourne – similar latitude to Cape Town.
    I LOVE this project & have 2 lovely pieces of wood that I could use for something similar – I just have to pursuade hubby to detach them from our front wall!! They need to be given some TLC after years of weather treatment so…
    Hold toes that I can convince the “old man”!

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      August 12, 2020 at 12:45 pm

      Thank you so much JO. I am an EX South African born in Witbank and lived in white river for years. I hope your husband helps you out. If not, do as I do and do it yourself and ask for forgiveness rather than permission. Always works lol

  • Reply
    Chuck
    August 20, 2020 at 11:42 am

    Did the resin change color or yellow in the UV sunlight over the years.. Or did it maintain its color

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      August 21, 2020 at 8:54 am

      The colour stayed the same. It was the wood that lost some of its colour. But saying that all the holes were filled with coloured resin so it would be hard to say how it would work on just clear resin.

  • Reply
    Michelle Leslie
    December 10, 2020 at 4:24 am

    You must be one of the most creative people I have EVER met Anita and your work is always so beautifully executed too. This is incredible. We have so many trees in our garden, but there this one spot the gets sun for most of the day, and something like this would be perfect in that spot.

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      December 11, 2020 at 4:23 pm

      AWWW, Michelle, your comment has truly touched me. I do try and think of different projects to keep my hobby interesting, so comments like yours make me think I am succeeding. Thank you, Thank you, my special friend, on the other side of the world.

  • Reply
    Ehoo
    January 25, 2021 at 6:46 pm

    Thank you for allowing us to learn from your mistakes. Brilliant project idea. I was just given my own drill. And hubby has a set of almost unused hole saws, hmmm…. G’day from Queensland ☺

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      January 27, 2021 at 11:48 am

      You are very welcome. My projects don’t always work out the first time, but I get there in the end. Congratulations on taking the first steps to make your own.

  • Reply
    Rosemary Palmer
    June 14, 2021 at 10:46 pm

    I am constantly amazed at your creative abilities and thoughts. Most would have trashed it, but you turned it into a treasure.

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      June 15, 2021 at 3:09 pm

      Thank you so much Rosemary, my imagination is a curse sometimes because I can never switch off. I have so many ideas and not enough time to make them.

  • Reply
    Linda Johnston
    June 14, 2021 at 11:21 pm

    Love how your suncatcher turned out! I’m sharing this with my daughter who just graduated as an art major. working with resin was part of one of the many cousres she took. So was using tools to work with wood. I know she’ll like it and may even be inspired!

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      June 15, 2021 at 3:10 pm

      Thank you Linda, I bet it will be a breeze for her to do. I love working with power tools.

  • Reply
    Maria
    June 15, 2021 at 3:46 am

    What a wonderful project. Such a great addition to outside.

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      June 15, 2021 at 3:11 pm

      Thank you Maria, it is a great addition and I will be making another one with just the large holes.

  • Reply
    Michelle James Designs
    June 15, 2021 at 11:33 am

    This is sooo cool and so unique! I love it. I just started using UV resin and it is a lot of fun!

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      June 15, 2021 at 3:11 pm

      Thanks Michelle, Resin is such a great media to play around with and you can use it in so many projects.

  • Reply
    Meegan
    June 16, 2021 at 10:12 pm

    Absolutely incredible! With all of your details, colors and components, this suncatcher is beyond beautiful and unique! Wow!

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      June 21, 2021 at 10:31 pm

      Thank you so much Meegan, it was one of my experiments that sort of worked. lol

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      June 24, 2021 at 4:49 pm

      Thank you so much Meegan for the awesome comment.

  • Reply
    Lorie Johnson
    July 14, 2022 at 11:58 am

    Love it……How did you attach your stand?

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      July 14, 2022 at 12:38 pm

      Thank you, I attached thick rebar to the back using U Brackets.

  • Reply
    Kaz
    July 20, 2022 at 12:38 pm

    How stunning, thanku for a thorough tutorial and really appreciate u explains the do’s and don’t, much appreciated.
    For a first go it really is beautiful.
    Cheers
    Kaz from Oz

  • Reply
    Tami Wass
    August 20, 2022 at 6:27 am

    I was just perusing through Pinterest and ran across some very similar pieces for commission. I thought, I can do this, but how?😂 Then I saw your tutorial. This is awesome! I love the design. It turned it beautiful! Your instructions are very detailed and cute now know that I can do it!😂 I would love to receive your material list. Thank you. I look forward to seeing more of what you are doing.

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      August 23, 2022 at 8:11 am

      Thank you so much Tami, I am glad my tutorial could help.

  • Reply
    Andrea D
    December 6, 2022 at 1:05 pm

    How do you make it stand by itself in the garden?

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      December 6, 2022 at 5:05 pm

      It is attached to a rebar post that is stuck into the ground.

  • Reply
    Lynette
    January 12, 2023 at 8:15 pm

    Love this piece. You have a great sun catcher.
    I would love to make this. Could you please email details so could make please

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      January 16, 2023 at 6:29 pm

      Hi Lynette the tutorial is on the page you were looking at just scroll up.

  • Reply
    Penny
    July 30, 2023 at 12:07 am

    Just the kind of tutorial I need. Reading the mistakes and how to rectify the imperfections were very helpful. Hope you post more of your creations. Resin is so much fun to create with, but could do without the frustrations. Thanks. You are very encouraging.
    From Ontario, Canada.

  • Reply
    Vicky Keisler
    December 13, 2023 at 1:56 am

    This is so mesmerizing to look at! Thank you for sharing the tutorial. Can you give a little detail on how you used the Saran Wrap, did you just lay over the holes then tape with aluminum tape?

    • Reply
      Anita Holland
      December 13, 2023 at 4:04 pm

      Thank you, I cut a piece of saran wrap big enough top cover the hole and stretched it over the tape so I had a smooth surface. Then put the tape over the hole with the saran wrap positioned over the hole. Then I added a few layers of tape. This will just give you a nice smooth surface.

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