How to Make a Reusable Silicone Mold for Wood and Epoxy
🪵 How to Make a Reusable Silicone Mold for Wood & Epoxy Cribbage Boards
If you’re making epoxy cribbage boards, river boards, or custom resin artwork, building your own reusable silicone mold will save you money and give you consistent results.
In this guide, I’ll show you exactly how I built a high-quality mold using 3/4” melamine, hot glue, sheathing tape, and two different silicone brands I tested.
This mold is sized perfectly for wood & epoxy cribbage boards — and it’s reusable.
📐 Mold Dimensions Used
Inside Cavity:
5.5” x 16” x 1.5”
Outer Form:
6.5” x 17” x 1.75”
Wall Thickness:
1/2”
Bottom Thickness:
1/4”
Sealed with hot glue around the entire bottom edge.
Calculated Silicone Needed:
Approximately 36 ounces
🧮 How to Calculate Silicone Volume
Step 1: Calculate outside form volume
17 x 6.5 x 1.75
Step 2: Calculate inner cavity volume
16 x 5.5 x 1.5
Step 3: Subtract inner volume from outer volume
The difference equals the silicone required.
Always mix slightly extra to avoid coming up short.
🛠 Materials Used
3/4” Melamine Board (4ft x 2ft)
Available at Menards and Home Depot and Lowe’s big box stores
1 1/4” Wood Screws
https://amzn.to/3OAGkEZ
Red Sheathing Tape
Heavy Duty Hot Glue Gun
https://amzn.to/4l1EuJp
Hot Glue Sticks
Large Mixing Cups
Mixing Sticks
90 Degree Corner Clamps
🧪 Silicone Comparison – What I Learned
I tested two silicone brands:
NicPro Silicone
Shore Resin Silicone
Here’s what I noticed:
NicPro:
• Slightly older batch
• A little clumpy when mixing
Shore Resin:
• Mixed smoother
• More consistent texture
• Lower cost per ounce
For future molds, I’ll likely continue using Shore Resin because it mixed cleaner and saved money.
🔥 Why This Mold Design Works
✔ Reusable
✔ Easy release
✔ Budget friendly
✔ Great for epoxy & wood
✔ Perfect for cribbage boards
✔ Clean square edges
✔ Scalable to larger sizes
Using melamine gives you smooth walls and easy cleanup.
Hot glue around the bottom seals everything and prevents leaks.
Red sheathing tape on the wood helps with release and clean edges.
🪵 Perfect For These Projects
• Epoxy cribbage boards
• River boards
• Resin charcuterie boards
• Small tray molds
• Custom resin artwork
• Wood & epoxy hybrids
🎥 Watch the Full Build
If you’d like to see the entire mold build step-by-step, including the silicone comparison and pour, check out the full video on my YouTube channel.
💡 Pro Tips
• Always seal every seam with hot glue
• Pre-tape your wood
• Clamp your form square
• Double check measurements before mixing silicone
• Reuse your melamine sides when possible
I actually reused the sides from my first form and glued everything back together for the second one — saving material and time
🔥 Closing Section
Building your own mold gives you control over quality, size, and cost. If you’re serious about making epoxy cribbage boards or wood & resin artwork, this is one of the best upgrades you can make to your process.
More builds coming soon.