DIY Jesmonite Terrazzo Tray + Everything You Need to Know About Eco-Resin.

Hello YouTube fam, welcome or welcome back to my channel. If you're new here, my name is Tina and I make videos on lifestyle, home, and DIY projects every single week. Today is a super exciting day because one, we are doing brand new DIYs that I've never done before and this is actually part of a series that I'm doing called Tina Tries DIYs. And huge thank you to Squarespace for sponsoring today's video. I will share more about them later. So for this video, I thought it'd be fun to try some viral TikTok DIYs. I've been wanting to try this DIY out for so long. It was a viral TikTok of someone making little Toronto chips and then creating a tray out of it. And I was honestly so excited when I saw that because I was like, okay, this is something that you can make at home, but how are you making it? What is that material? It looked kind of like a liquid clay that they could color. And I really was searching far and wide and I couldn't really find any information about it. And as I kept scrolling on TikTok, I kept seeing more and more people using this material. And finally I saw that someone used the hashtag jasminite. So I did a bunch of research on jasminite. I finally got my hands on it and I thought that I would share with you guys because there's not that many videos on it on YouTube. I definitely can see this as a material that a lot of you guys are going to be interested in. For this first video of my Tina Tries DIY series, we're going to try to create something that looks a little bit like this. And my air is going off, so let me turn that off. Is it embarrassing that I now live in Southern California, but I still have the heat on even though it's like 60 degrees outside? So in this series, I'll be trying out brand new DIYs that I've never done before. I'm going to take you guys through the step-by-step process, and then I'm going to give my thoughts at the end. And yeah, I'm super excited to try to recreate this DIY. And without further ado, let's jump into the project. Hello from voiceover Tina. To recreate this DIY terrazzo tray, I got a kit from an Etsy shop called Hello Jessit. The kit comes with everything you need to get started with working with jesmonite, so I thought this would be perfect to use as a newbie, and I will have all the info linked down below if you guys want to grab the same kit. I basically followed the instructions to a T for this project, especially since this was my first time trying out this medium, the ratios are super important here. So I'm using my digital scale to measure everything out, and I'm using the paper cups provided, and with the liquid base, I added in 8 grams according to the instructions. And now I'm adding in my colored pigment to create a teal green color. The kit I bought comes with 4 different colors, so it has the primary colors in yellow, red, and blue. And this will allow you to create any color that you want, and it also comes with black to darken as needed. These are super pigmented, so it's suggested that you add in one drop at a time. And if you're trying to create lighter colors, you can dip a toothpick into the pigment and add that in slowly to create the desired color. Color theory comes a lot into play here, so if you want to create a specific color scheme, definitely plan this out ahead of time and create the color palette you want for the piece. Honestly, I was experimenting a lot here, so just have fun with it. Once I was happy with the color, I moved on to the next step, which was to add in the base powder. And with this, you want a 2.5 to 1 ratio of powder to liquid, so I'm adding in 20 grams of powder as instructed. Also, I wanted to note a very important step, which is to zero out your scale before adding in new materials every single time. Now I'm just going to mix this up for about 30 seconds to get rid of any clumps. Okay, so now it is the exciting part, which is to create the terrazzo chips. So you're going to take some aluminum foil or plastic, and you're just going to lay that down on your tabletop. Then you can simply pour out the mixture onto the foil and spread it out with the popsicle stick. This was my first go at it, so I feel like by the time I got to the other colors, I got the hang of it, but I would suggest to avoid spreading it too thin and making it as even as possible. Now we're going to let that sit for 30 minutes to harden, and I'm basically just going to repeat this process to complete the color scheme. While I'm mixing that, I want to talk a little bit more about jesmonite. It's a material that's been around for a while, but I never actually heard of it until I saw it on TikTok. And jesmonite is a gypsum-based material. It's also known as acrylic resin or eco-resin, and it's typically used for creating sculptures or also with casting molds like we're doing in today's video. Currently, from what I've learned from researching the material, it's not readily available in the US, so I would recommend buying a kit just like I did today. But if you're outside the US, I've seen distributors more readily in the UK, Singapore, Japan, and so many other countries. So you can definitely search up jesmonite AC100 online and find a local distributor in your area. As you saw in the mixing process, this is a combination of a reactive mineral base, which is the powder base that we used, and a pure water-based acrylic resin, which is the liquid base we poured the powder into. And when we mix those two together, it forms a reaction to harden the mixture, and that's what gives us this magical material, jesmonite. I'm definitely predicting that this material is going to be even more popular, especially since there was such a rise in epoxy resin these past couple of years, I think this is going to be the next best thing. So hopefully there will be more distributors in the US, because I think the demand for it is going to blow up even more. I've been seriously watching so many Instagram accounts overseas make things with jesmonite, and what I love most about it is how closely it resembles ceramic and clay pieces, and I think the possibilities are going to be endless when it comes to jesmonite. Alright, while we're waiting for that to dry, I wanted to talk to you guys about today's video sponsor, Squarespace. I'm seriously so excited to work with them because one of my biggest goals this year is actually to launch a website. I've actually used Squarespace before to build a website for my parents' business, so I know how easy it's going to be when I build my own website, and I'm so excited to get started with them because they have so many beautiful templates, and they make it super easy to use. One of the best things that I found about using Squarespace is that you don't need to know HTML coding, so you're able to build a beautiful website and make it look super aesthetic, and that is super important to me, especially when I want to build a brand that really connects with my users. Aside from their gorgeous templates, they have so many great tools and features that anyone can use, so whether you're a blogger, a small business owner, or an artist looking to build your online portfolio, you can create a website with integrated ecommerce templates, marketing analytics, and email campaigns to reach your customers and supporters. I also really love that Squarespace provides their users with the resources they need to succeed, and I found so much great info on their blog and free guides, so if you guys have been thinking about creating a website for a while, I would definitely recommend that you head on over there to check them out. If you're interested in checking out Squarespace for yourself, click on the link down below for a free trial, and with that link, you will also get 10% off of your first purchase of a website or domain. So many cool things are in the works for this year, so I can't wait to show you guys, but for now, let's go back to the project. Alright, now that the colors have dried, I'm going to peel the resin off, and you'll see that it breaks into these tiny little chips, creating the trotso look. I'm taking the larger chunks, and then I'm going to put them into a container to crush them into smaller pieces, but you can definitely make these as big or as small as you want to, depending on the look you're going for. I'm absolutely loving this color palette so far, I think they look so good together, and you can get really creative and create so many gorgeous color palettes for this project. I will also link some info down below so you guys can have some more ideas. Now it's time to work on the jesmonite for my actual tray, and I just want it to be white, so I'm not going to add in any pigment in this step, but if you want it to be a specific color, make sure that you add it into the liquid base first. And again, I'm following all the measurements, so I'm adding in 70g of the liquid base first, and then I'm mixing in 175g of the powder base, and I gave it a really good stir. I would definitely suggest that you measure out the powder first, so that you can add it straight into the liquid. Doing this will avoid the two components from hardening quicker than you're able to mix them together. And I really tried my best to get rid of all the clumps by smushing it onto the sides. I've also seen a lot of TikToks of shop owners using a drill with a mixer, but this popsicle stick will do the trick for the small amount we're making. After that's all mixed up, this is where you want to add in your Torazo chips, and the more you add, the more Torazo it'll have, so I'm just going to sprinkle it in. You can add in different ratios of each color if you're going for a specific look, or you can add in the same amount for each one, it's all up to you. Now it's time to slowly pour it into the mold, and the kit I chose comes with this cute oval tray, but of course you can use any mold you'd like. As I'm pouring it, I'm making sure that I get it into all the edges, since this is going to be the lip of the tray, and I'm filling it right under the rim so that it doesn't overflow. And now I'm just going to tap the sides for about a minute, and this is going to get rid of any air bubbles and help flatten out the bottom. Now I'm going to let that sit for about 40 minutes until it's hardened, and I actually noticed that it gets pretty warm, which the instructions told me it would, but I really didn't think it was going to get this hot, but I thought it was really awesome. And by the time the 45 minutes is up, it should cool down. Alright guys, it is now the moment of truth, it's time to pop the tray out, and I was actually super nervous for this part, but it came out so smoothly, and it was seriously so satisfying for me just to touch it, because it was so smooth and perfect. And as you can see, there were a few tiny air bubbles that happened, but I'm still really in love with how it's looking, considering this was my first go at it. At this stage, the piece is still very delicate, so I'm going to let it dry for a minimum of one hour before moving on to the next step. And as you can see, the Torazo chips are definitely peeking through the tray, so we're going to reveal them by sanding it down, and this will also smooth out some of those tiny air bubbles. I'm starting by wetting the tray first, and I'm using a waterproof sandpaper, and I'm working in circular motions, starting with the lowest grit sandpaper at about 220 grit. From there, I worked it all the way to 5000 grit sandpaper, which I think is the highest and finest grit sandpaper I've ever worked with. During this step, it really did take a lot of elbow grease to sand everything down, and as I was nearing the finish line, I just had so much more respect for makers who work with jesmonite. This is definitely a long process, and the videos that I watch of it on TikTok and Instagram make it look so easy and fast through the magic of editing and hyperlapses. Seriously, major props go to them. I'm excited to see even more jesmonite artists on the rise as this medium gains popularity, and I hope you guys can see how much effort really goes into each piece. Now that everything is smoothed out, I'm just going to get rid of any dust with a damp towel, and I'm going to prep it for the final step. So you can leave the piece as is, or you can seal it, and I'm just going to seal mine with an acrylic sealer with a small paintbrush. And if you prefer, you could also seal it with some coconut oil and a soft cloth. After the sealant has dried down, I'm going to add on some tiny self-adhesive feet, and my new trotso tray is ready to use. You guys, I'm seriously so in love with how this tray came out. I'm really happy that I finally got to try jesmonite for myself and show you guys the whole process in creating this. There's so many other ways that you can use jesmonite, including painting and marbling techniques, so I'm definitely going to experiment with it more, and I'm excited to show you guys what I come up with. This honestly has to be one of my favorite DIYs I've ever done, and I hope you guys love it just as much as I do. So it's time to recap this project and tell you guys my final thoughts on it, and I wrote it down in this little notebook so I don't forget anything. So first is skill level. I think that this is perfect for intermediate DIYers. There's lots of measuring steps as well as things like planning out your color palette. You also need the right tools and materials to create this project, so I definitely would say this is for intermediate DIYers. I found that the most difficult part of the project was just to avoid air bubbles as well as sanding. I think the sanding part definitely took the longest. I even filed a part of my nail off with the sandpaper because I was sanding so hard. But that definitely has to be the hardest part just because you really want all your Toronto chips to peek through, and you're also trying to make it as smooth as possible, so having all those different grits of sandpaper is really going to help you out. When it comes to time commitment, this project will take you two to three hours plus just because you're waiting for so long for things to dry and cure, and you also have to wait overnight if you plan on sealing it, but that step is optional. When it comes to cost and pricing to create Jesmonite products, it is on the higher side of things just because you need the raw materials as well as tools like the molds and pigments and sandpaper. There are so many different materials that you need to make this project happen, so it is a little bit more on the pricey side. So I'm really glad that I bought a kit just because it had everything in it and I didn't have to go out and buy these things separately. So as a beginner, I would definitely recommend trying out a kit first. And lastly, for my overall thoughts of this project, I think that the end result just looks so beautiful. It is high quality. It seriously looks like something that you could buy in stores, and that's why I'm kind of super obsessed with it because I can't believe that I actually made this. I'm super obsessed with how this tray just looks and all the colors that I chose for the color palette. Looking at online videos, you can't really tell the durability. I thought this was going to feel more like a polymer clay type of product, but this definitely feels like stoneware or ceramics. And if you knock on it, like you guys can hear that, that is super durable. This thing after it cures is just so well made, and I'm really, really happy to have it in my life. So that's a wrap on this Tina Tries DIYs episode. Let me know in the comments what your thoughts are on jasmineite, if you guys plan to buy some. If you'd like to see me do more projects, definitely give this video a thumbs up so that I know. I have so many other ideas. There's so many things that you could do with it, and I'm so excited to get started. Huge thank you to Squarespace for sponsoring today's video. I am so excited to get my website running. I already have so many ideas for it. I've been playing around with so many different layouts. If you're interested in trying out Squarespace for yourself, definitely click on the link down below. You will get a free month trial as well as 10% off your first domain or website. Follow me on Instagram if you haven't already. I post on there every single day, and don't forget to subscribe for new videos every week. That is it for me today. Thank you guys all so much for watching. Stay inspired, and I'll see you in the next one. Bye!