Epoxy does what it does and does it well

Having reached a new high in my development of the "right" materials for me, I now find myself trying to answer bigger questions like content and purpose. I've removed the polyester resin from my work and am still playing with epoxy as the best weather resistant material that I can cast into photo-graphic reliefs using the photo fresco techniques that I have developed. I am sure there are harder epoxies on the market, but since I am trying to pour a very thin layer, mixed with pigment when needed, it tends to be rubbery and flexible. This flexibility can be increase with heat, aka the sun, and can make an epoxy coat weaken or become malleable, as well as, hot to the touch.

To give body to the back side of the epoxy I poured some cement and think that it will anchor enough to strengthen to topside of the epoxy coat. I suppose any filler could be used, like a piece of wood, or foam, stuff that is similar to how a surfboard is made. I still have some space in my frame and can fill it out to a flush, or slightly recessed surface which can make a two sided faux brick panel. The issue now is which side should be the weather side, assuming I use these panels to build a tile wall or an exterior shelter of some sort. Originally I wanted the epoxy for the sealed side and still feel like that is the best option, however the cement or plaster side can deflect heat better.

This may come down to a choice between decorative area inside or outside. I feel the cement or plaster finished side will be more the motif or pattern area and the inside will be the decorative tile. Or if I used the epoxy finished panel as a table then the epoxy coated surface would have to be the table top area and the gypsum plaster or cement backed area would be the bottom. No table dancing please as these have not been tested for extreme party use.

My failure last week with a table that delaminated was a partial success in that the top layer of gypsum plaster did bond to the epoxy and stayed with the top surface that separated from the base. I think the delaminated pieces came apart as a result of two different pours of plaster or cement with a long, several day period of time, in between. Hopefully I have solved some of the issues with a better bond between the frame and the epoxy so that no water can get under the top coast of epoxy, but only time will tell if that is true. Also I am hopeful that the bond between the epoxy and the cement plaster is stronger. As a vertical wall this piece would have a better chance at survival because the water can run off, whereas, as a horizontal table there is a inset well of sorts and grooves that water can puddle up in and find a way to penetrate the materials.