Epoxy kintsugi vs urushi
Updated: 23 October 2026
The box says Japanese kintsugi, the powder looks gold, and the glue is supposed to harden before the evening. Epoxy kintsugi vs urushi is the split between that parcel and the lacquer craft. If the repair in your hand cures in minutes in open air, it is a modern resin kit. Urushi needs a humid cabinet and weeks, and none of the twelve kits on the [Kintsugi set comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/kintsugi-set) is that material. This page is about materials and time. It does not rank the twelve, and it does not tell you how to mix a syringe. The mix, if you stay with epoxy, is on the [how to use a kintsugi repair kit](/hub/diy-supplies/kintsugi-set/sub/kintsugi-set-how-to-use) page.
The box says Japanese kintsugi, the powder looks gold, and the glue is supposed to harden before the evening. Epoxy kintsugi vs urushi is the split between that parcel and the lacquer craft.
The box says Japanese kintsugi, the powder looks gold, and the glue is supposed to harden before the evening. Epoxy kintsugi vs urushi is the split between that parcel and the lacquer craft. If the repair in your hand cures in minutes in open air, it is a modern resin kit. Urushi needs a humid cabinet and weeks, and none of the twelve kits on the Kintsugi set comparison is that material. This page is about materials and time. It does not rank the twelve, and it does not tell you how to mix a syringe. The mix, if you stay with epoxy, is on the how to use a kintsugi repair kit page.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Kit type | Powders | Stated open time | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  deuvuo deuvuo 21-piece gold kit | Gold-powder kit | 6 x 10 g | About 1 min | 8.8 | about £19.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  CHIYU CHIYU bio gold and silver kit | Cashew-shell bio resin | Gold and silver | 5–10 min | 8.6 | about £49.95 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Plearty Plearty linseed resin kit | Linseed resin | 20 g gold mica | n/a | 8.4 | about £16.93 | View offer |
On this page
Two repairs share a gold line and not much else
Both repairs can leave a bright line along a crack. That is where the likeness ends. Japan House London describes traditional kintsugi as urushi, the sap of the lacquer tree, mixed with flour or rice paste, then finished with metal powder. A missing chip gets an urushi putty before the gold goes on. Gintsugi is the silver line in that tradition, metal powder on lacquer, not pearlescent mica in a £10 pot.
The twelve kits here are the other repair. soodyoow, iienjoy, DecorRom, deuvuo, Paistely, Holamdo, both Limino boxes, Vividye, and Fuchoi are two-part epoxy plus pigment, from about £8.99 to about £19.99, with cures in minutes or a 24-hour full cure. A Saturday afternoon can finish a decorative crack. A gold-coloured line is not lacquer. The kintsugi kit buying guide is where you decide whether that repair matches the object.
Time is the tell
Holamdo states a 2-minute window and a set in 5 to 8 minutes. CHIYU’s Amazon bullet says 5 to 10 minutes. iienjoy states 30 to 40 minutes before the initial set and 24 hours, longer below 25°C. DecorRom’s bullet says about 30 minutes, and UK reviews say 20 to 30 seconds once the gold is mixed in. An overnight wait is still a resin cure. It is not a lacquer schedule.
Japan House describes a muro, a humid cabinet, for one to three weeks so the lacquer hardens by taking up oxygen and moisture. The Salvage Company, a UK studio, puts a simple traditional repair at about 5 to 6 weeks. That is their workshop view, not a test of these kits. Kintsugi Oxford’s traditional kit starts around £137, with urushi tubes and about 0.20 g of 23 kt gold or sterling silver. Chimahaga’s amazon.co.uk urushi kit is about £179 with about 0.2 g of gold. A food-safe line on a lacquer page does not travel onto an epoxy syringe.
Bio resin and linseed resin are still not urushi
CHIYU names a cashew-shell bio resin, at about £49.95, with 4.3 from 84 reviews. That cure is measured in minutes on the Amazon bullet. It is not sap from the lacquer tree, and it does not go into a muro. Plearty names a linseed resin and 20 g of metallic gold mica, at about £16.93, with an 18-page booklet and 4.2 from 90 reviews. A UK review says the mica has to go into the first mix. Limino says bio based in the title and epoxy resin in the material field, with no plant source named.
Treat the powder as mica or pigment unless a purity is stated. deuvuo lists 6 × 10 g of gold powder, and one bullet says real gold, with no purity on the listing. A UK CHIYU review said the silver looked pearlescent. Traditional kits that state 23 kt gold or sterling silver are selling a fraction of a gram at another price. The best kintsugi kit UK page points at deuvuo or the cheaper Limino for a decorative mend inside this set.
When the amazon.co.uk box is the right tool
Buy the epoxy, cashew-shell, or linseed box when the object is for display, the break is a crack you can hold in one sitting, and you accept a gold-coloured line rather than lacquer and bullion. deuvuo’s 60 g of stated powder at about £19.99 is a lot of pigment for one ornament. A traditional kit’s 0.2 g of gold is a lot of money for a different process. The amazon.co.uk box is the wrong tool when the ceramic is valuable or archaeological: that is a conservator. It is the wrong tool when you want the lacquer tradition itself: that is a lacquer specialist, a humid cure, and a kit or a studio that actually sells urushi. It is also the wrong tool for a daily mug. Hot drinks stay outside the careful limits on the food-safe page, whether the title says food safe or the studio down the road prefers lacquer.
The skin risks differ, and both want gloves. Wet urushi can cause an allergic rash; these twelve boxes are not wet urushi, so that particular rash is not what you have bought. Uncured epoxy is a sensitiser in its own right. DermNet describes the resin and the amine hardeners as irritants, and cured epoxy is usually the quieter surface, though uncured reagents can remain. GB CLP is how a hazardous mixture supplied in the UK is expected to be labelled. Ventilate, wear gloves, and get medical help if resin is in an eye or a rash spreads. Peter F. compared listing text, Japan House London, and the amazon.co.uk prices on 21 October 2026. This page did not cure lacquer. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Common questions
Is the kit in this comparison traditional kintsugi?
The twelve kits are modern repairs that leave a gold or silver coloured line. Nine are generic AB epoxy, CHIYU is a cashew-shell bio resin, and Plearty is a linseed resin. None is urushi lacquer, and none includes the fraction of a gram of stated precious metal you see on traditional kits outside this set. Japanese on the box describes the look the seller is aiming at. The clock on the listing, in minutes, is the check.
What is urushi, in one plain sentence?
Urushi is the cured sap of the lacquer tree, used in layers, often with rice or flour paste and later with metal powder, and Japan House London describes it hardening in a humid cabinet over one to three weeks. That is the material behind traditional kintsugi and behind gintsugi, the silver line in the same craft. A two-part syringe that skins in the open air is a different substance with a similar finished colour.
How long does a real lacquer repair take compared with these boxes?
Japan House describes a muro cure of one to three weeks for the lacquer to harden by taking up oxygen and moisture. A UK studio, The Salvage Company, puts a simple traditional repair at about 5 to 6 weeks. The boxes in this set state minutes to an initial set, or about 24 hours for a full resin cure, and some UK reviews are faster than the bullet. An overnight epoxy cure is still not a muro.
Is cashew-shell or linseed resin the same as urushi?
Cashew-shell resin, which CHIYU names, and linseed resin, which Plearty names, are modern binders with their own instructions. They cure on the timetable printed on those listings, not over weeks in a humid cabinet. Limino’s bio based title does not even name a plant, and the material field says epoxy. A plant word on a label is a formulation claim. It is not lacquer from the lacquer tree.
Is the powder hallmarked gold?
Treat the powder in this set as mica or pigment unless a purity is stated. deuvuo’s large fill is 6 × 10 g described as gold powder, without a purity figure. Traditional kits outside the set state quantities such as 0.20 g of 23 kt gold or sterling silver, at prices from about £137. A UK review of CHIYU’s silver called it pearlescent. Colour in the seam is what these boxes sell. Hallmarked metal is a different line on a different invoice.
Which rash belongs to which material?
Wet urushi and the urushiol in lacquer sap can cause an allergic rash. You have not bought that material in these twelve kits. Uncured epoxy and its hardeners can sensitise skin, which is the risk on the syringes you did buy. Gloves and ventilation apply either way. Wash with soap and water, and get medical help if resin is in an eye or a rash spreads. A cured decorative line on a shelf is a different situation from wet resin on your hands.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Updated 22.10.2026.
- Japan House London: Kintsugi repair technique (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- legislation.gov.uk: assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Food Standards Agency: food contact materials authorisation (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- HSE: chemical classification and labelling (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- CHIYU: bio repair kit (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- V&A shop: kintsugi gold repair kit (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- amazon.co.uk: kintsugi repair kit search (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- DermNet: epoxy resin contact allergy (retrieved 22.10.2026)