If you want to increase the value of your home, enhance the durability of your floor, and beautify your space, you can achieve a dramatic transformation with an epoxy color flake coating.
Epoxy flakes work great in garages, commercial kitchens, and any surface that needs to be hard-wearing. We’ve completed hundreds of epoxy flake floors throughout the state of Florida and we’re happy to provide this guide to help you make a decision on what works best for you.
In this guide, we will tell you all about the difference between a solid epoxy floor and a flake epoxy floor as well as the benefits of epoxy color flakes.
Let’s jump right in.
Table of Contents
What Are Epoxy Flakes?
At some point in your life, you have no doubt walked across an epoxy floor featuring numerous little colorful flakes. Formally called “decorative vinyl color flakes,” each irregular chip is about 4-5 millimeters thick, and is made from vinyl and acrylic resins combined into a polymer paint aggregate. The resulting look is similar to granite. There are other ways to make flakes. The market has wood flakes, metal flakes, and very commonly used quartz flakes. These different types of flakes all serve a unique purpose and work best for special circumustances. They all have similar benefits though which we’ll go over below.
Epoxy Flake Benefits
Here are a few reasons to install epoxy color flakes.
1. Customize your floor.
Epoxy flakes come in hundreds of colors. Usually, you will use a blend of three colors to achieve the ideal balance of contrasts.
You can pick an existing color combination, or you can come up with your own for a look that is completely personalized. You can also decide how large or small you want the flakes to be. They range from around 1/32” all the way up to 1”.
2. Cover-up flaws.
Looking for a way to conceal patchwork or cracks in your concrete? If you apply epoxy alone, you will not be able to cover up these flaws. But after adding flakes, these defects will be hidden from sight.
Are there peaks and troughs in your floor surface? You can smooth these over with an application of epoxy chips. Larger flakes are more effective than smaller ones for creating a flat, even appearance.
3. Increase durability.
If you apply the maximum coverage of flakes to your floors, they will be about 5 millimeters thick. While they are strong, they also have enough elasticity to make them impact-resistant. They will help to cushion your concrete, enhancing its durability.
4. Improve safety.
If you finish your floor with a solid coat of epoxy, it can be slippery, especially if you track water into your garage. Adding flakes can increase traction, making slips and falls less likely.
5. Dampen noise.
If you are tired of every sound echoing in your garage, you will appreciate how vinyl flakes help to dampen sound.
6. Easy to maintain.
Sweeping or mopping your epoxy flake flooring is fast and easy, so you won’t spend a lot of time or effort keeping your garage floor clean.
Additionally, you do not need to worry about the sun ambering your floor since vinyl chips are stable when exposed to ultraviolet rays. While the surface should hold up great to wear and tear, eventually, you might find that it has lost some of its sheen. Restoring it is as simple as putting on a fresh top coat.
Choosing Epoxy Color Flakes for Your Floor: Practical and Aesthetic Considerations
With hundreds of epoxy flake colors to choose from, how do you pick the right ones for your floor?
Consider what appeals to you aesthetically, and what will integrate well with the materials and design of your home. Also, think about resale value. A bold, unusual color may be appealing to you, but it might not help you sell the home later down the line.
As for practical considerations, some colors do better than others at hiding grease, mud, sawdust, and dirt. You can view a full color chart here.
How We Apply Epoxy Flakes to Your Floor
Now you know how to choose epoxy chips, but how does the installation process work?
- Epoxy flakes are applied after the base coat.
- The flakes have to be broadcasted over the entire floor until failure (meaning they are not sticking to the epoxy).
- The flakes are scraped, and then more are added to fill in any gaps.
- A clear topcoat is applied.
This process can add up to a day to the epoxy floor coating process, or even longer, depending on how large the floor is. Calling in a professional saves time and effort, and also ensures a smooth, even, durable application.
Let Paradigm Concrete Finishes Handle the Hard Epoxy Flake Flooring Work
Get your epoxy flake flooring installed properly the first time by turning to the experts. Paradigm Concrete Finishes’ experienced flooring team can help you choose the ideal color and size of epoxy floor flakes, decide what coverage you need, and apply your flakes evenly for a beautiful, durable floor you will love.
