Flake Epoxy Coatings in Orlando, FL

Flake epoxy coatings in Orlando are the most common choice for garages, laundry rooms and lanais, and the reasons are practical. A flake epoxy floor is a wet resin layer with colored vinyl chips thrown over it by hand, then locked under clear. Those chips scatter the eye, so sand, leaf litter, tire marks and small scratches are much harder to see than on a solid color. They also give the floor a slight texture that helps underfoot, which matters in a city where people walk in from afternoon storms with wet shoes.

How a chip floor is built

The layers matter more than the color. We start with a diamond-ground slab, fill cracks and joints, then pick a primer based on the moisture number from the estimate visit. The base coat goes on next, and while it is wet we broadcast vinyl flake by hand. For a full broadcast, we throw chips until the base is completely covered, let it harden, then knock off and vacuum the extras. A partial broadcast leaves some base color showing between the chips. The floor is then sealed with a clear layer or two, normally polyaspartic, which locks the flake in and sets the final texture.

Covering the base fully, or not

A total chip cover is the most durable and the most forgiving, because the floor is effectively solid flake under the clear. It is the usual choice for garages with cars, bikes and tools. A partial broadcast shows more of the base color and has a lighter, more speckled look. It uses fewer chips and can work in a laundry room or a hobby room, though it shows dirt a little more. Both styles come along on our sample boards, and we hold them up in the actual room.

Get a Free Estimate

Color blends for Florida light

Orlando gets intense sun, and the color you pick from a small sample card can look very different in a bright, open garage at four in the afternoon. Lighter blends with grays, tans and whites keep a garage feeling cooler and brighter and hide sand well. Darker blends hide oil drips but show dust and pollen. We usually suggest a medium blend for most garages. Whatever you pick, the clear on top should be UV stable. On HomeGuide's UV scale, polyaspartic scores excellent and epoxy only poor to fair, and an ambered clear will mute even the best chip blend.

Texture you can adjust

The size of the chip and the thickness of the clear decide how rough the floor feels. A heavier clear coat smooths the surface and is easier to mop. A thinner clear leaves more texture and more grip. For lanais, pool-side areas and garages where a boat or golf cart drips water, we lean toward more texture, and we can add fine grit to the clear as well.

Where flake works best

Flake is a good match for most two- and three-car garages, home gyms, workshops, mudrooms, laundry rooms and covered lanais. It is less suited to a polished, seamless interior look, which is where metallic or solid-color systems fit better. For commercial kitchens and other wet floors that need a specific texture or sanitary cove base, we design the system around that use instead.

Is a flake floor worth the extra cost?

Flake adds material and labor over a solid color. HomeAdvisor lists flakes at about $0.04 per square foot for the chips themselves, but the extra broadcast, scraping and clear coats add time. For most Orlando garages, the payoff is a floor that looks clean between washes and stays grippy, which is why we recommend it more often than any other finish.

Golf carts, boats and busy households

Central Florida garages often hold more than cars. Golf carts in planned communities, boats and trailers near the lakes, and bikes and strollers in family homes all put wear on a floor. A full chip broadcast spreads that wear across a textured surface and hides the small marks that build up over time. If a corner does get chipped, a flake floor is also easier to touch up than a solid color, because the pattern blends the repair.

How a flake floor ages

The chips themselves do not wear the way paint does, because they sit under the clear. What ages is the clear coat. A UV-stable clear holds its gloss and color far longer than a standard epoxy clear, which is another reason we use polyaspartic on most flake floors. When the shine fades after years of use, a sound flake floor can often be refreshed with a new clear coat rather than a full redo.

Lanais, laundry rooms and mudrooms

Flake is not only for garages. On a covered lanai it gives grip and hides the sand and leaf litter that blow through the screen. In a laundry room or mudroom it handles water and detergent spills and makes the room easier to mop. We set the texture for each room so that it feels right under bare feet or work boots, and we keep the same blend if you want the garage and laundry room to match.