Epoxy floor texture, sheen & flake questions???

[jnoss97]

Finishing up a 1300 sq ft attached garage that will be used for boat, dirt bikes, mountain bikes, entertaining purposes. I don't do any crazy mechanic stuff but plan to do epoxy floor and want a very nice finished end result. My questions are;

-I'm not a huge fan of the flakes/chips, I know they hide imperfections but it's a brand new slab that looks good so not sure there's anything to hid, do the flakes add grip or texture? Is there something that can get added to the epoxy or clear coat that gives slight texture to avoid it being a slip and slide if any small amounts of water are present? We plan to have a pool and we have a rear roll up door that would be towards pool so I know I need something that won't leave the kids running in and slipping on their butts but also want it to be able to sweep effortless and smooth.

-As sweet as the high gloss looks, I have seen plenty where after months of use the walking paths always seem to be highlighted in a negative way so I was thinking a matte finish to help it 'weather' over the years, any thoughts or advice on that side?


Feel free to give me any thoughts based on my wants and needs, much appreciated!

 

[benwah]

You can add aluminum oxide to your topcoat to add slip resistance. Lab floors are cool and look nice, just keep in mind the joints usually will show eventually after you fill them. As long as you're cool with that, go for it. Or fill them with a flexible sealer afterwards.

You can also add a matting agent to your top coat. This is typically a powder (of flour consistency) or a liquid that you'd add while mixing. Your manufacturer should be able to guide you there on their recommendations.

Keep in mind you slab should be ground or etched prior to epoxy application, so inconsistencies and pop outs can occur.

 

[Kpaige]

My personal experience is be careful with the flakes, make sure the flakes are knocked down and a clear completely covers them. My contractor had to come put several coats on after I sliced my leg open. Also definitely get a grip texture added learned that also the hard way.

I will never do it again fyi. Looked awesome but if you weld cut metal etc the splatter and debris will melt in and for me at least it’s a shop/garage not a show.

 

[FJ4FUN]

For a matte finish that is easy to clean and non-abrasive we offer SperiTex traction additive which is made up of micro glass spheres. The finish is a smooth dimpled like fine grain leather.

 

[jnoss97]

For a matte finish that is easy to clean and non-abrasive we offer SperiTex traction additive which is made up of micro glass spheres. The finish is a smooth dimpled like fine grain leather.

That appears to be what I'm looking for. Are there any longevity issues with the speritex?

Do people use that speritex even if they use flakes or do the flakes give it a non slip feel?

Another question, my expansion joints are 1/8" saw cuts that don't bother me, is there any reason to fill them other then just preference? My fear of filling is if they pop through years down the road or affect the coating in a negative way, if this is common I'd rather just see 1/8" lines and not worry.

Thank you all for the info!

 

[FJ4FUN]

That appears to be what I'm looking for. Are there any longevity issues with the speritex?

Do people use that speritex even if they use flakes or do the flakes give it a non slip feel?

Another question, my expansion joints are 1/8" saw cuts that don't bother me, is there any reason to fill them other then just preference? My fear of filling is if they pop through years down the road or affect the coating in a negative way, if this is common I'd rather just see 1/8" lines and not worry.

No longevity issues.

Yes, we still encourage using SpheriTex in any application where slipping is a concern. The stippled texture produced by flake floors does not add significant traction.

As far as the "to fill, or, not to fill" 1/8" saw cuts go, I typically recommend filling them prior to coating, the saw cuts can siphon off a lot of expensive epoxy materials if you don't. You want the epoxies on the surface building coating thickness, not in the cuts.... One exception to this would be when going with a no-flake solid color floor. In this case you may consider coating the floor and then taping off and filling the saw cuts with a contrasting colored flexible joint filler. The resulting "grout line' effect adds some visual punch to solid colored floors.