Flake or not to Flake

[aventino68]

Looking at a zillion photos of both. I'm old, so growing up in a workshop flake wasn't an option. The bigger commercial shops still don't seem to have it and when I look at the photos it's only the smaller garages. Does flake look strange on bigger areas? Has anyone put it down and wished they hadn't or conversely put down the clear on top of the plain epoxy and then wish they had used flake as well?

 

[burleyfarm]

I wish I’d have put more flake down on my last epoxy floor. I like the look and texture of heavy flakes with a heavy clear over it. This is my personal choice, you have to decide what pleases you. Next floor will be flaked to rejection.


Dave

 

[Ilikeike]

I like the aircraft hanger look, shinny,no flakes. That's what I did.
But I also mop it a lot,just like I did in the USAF,lol.

 

[Moosefire]

Once I do mine I'm going color, no flake. Personally I think it looks much much nicer but to each their own

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[FJ4FUN]

Flake Pro's:
* Masks imperfections in underlying floor
* Cosmetically attractive, wide range of color options
* Adds texture that helps to hide dust/dirt (though very little slip resistance )
* Heavy to full rejection offers significant U.V. protection
* Full rejection adds impact resistance

Flake Con's:
* Costly both in flake materials, added shipping weight and waste.
* Full rejection requires additional "flood coat" which adds time and $
* Can/will make finding dropped small parts hard to find
* Even distribution for anything less than full rejection can be challenging for newbies
* Adds complexity in case of future repair or recoat

If your slab is in good shape and you spend a lot of time working in your garage you may consider a solid color floor with a traction additive such as our SpheriTex to add slip resistance and dust hiding. If you have expansion/control joints consider filling those post coating with a contrasting joint filler for a clean grout line effect.

If you floor is a bit beat up with lots of dings 'n dents and you want to avoid dealing with the added repairs go with a medium-heavy flake distribution.

If you want the superior durability of a high build epoxy system but have a lot of U.V. exposure go with a full rejection chip floor.

I M H O....

 

[APEowner]

I put flake down in my NY shop and I loved the way it looked and how it hid minor imperfections but I don't think I'll us it when I do the floor in my shop here in NM. It's too hard to find small parts that are dropped and judging by how often I was frustrated by that I apparently drop a lot of small parts.

 

[nadogail]

IMHO, Flake looks pretty so my wife ordered it. I found that the floor was too pretty to work on.

 

[aventino68]

I have to say the "hard to find small parts on it" I never though of. I'm doing more working than storage and I will be forever looking for stuff I drop. But agree the Flake looks nice.

 

[bigjon]

I like both, but went with flake to hide my coating application sins. If I did it again I would go full flake to rejection.

 

[esvee]

Part of the reason behind painting my floor is to make it easier to find parts, not harder, so I never put flake down.

 

[SolarColumbia]

Part of the reason behind painting my floor is to make it easier to find parts, not harder, so I never put flake down.

That and the added cost.

 

[Armorpoxy]

Hi, as stated above a flake floor is great to hide imperfections and usage over time. Drawback is hard to find small parts, hence why professional shops don't use flakes often.

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

Use flakes if you want to look trendy but actually make your floor less functional and more expensive at the same time.

 

[b-boy]

I did a full flake broadcast. It was a bit pricey.

I'm very happy with it. I like the look and the texture it creates. I think it makes the floor far less slippery.

As far as durability, I won't know for a while.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Flakes, placed well, look great. Before you flake, practice outside on a tarp or sheet. The end-result will greatly improve with a little trial-run.

 

[Rickster]

The kid added flakes to his floor. I wasn’t too sure when he suggested it, but when he was done it really looked good! I’m on team flake now!

 

[James-W]

I do not have an epoxy floor, but I have seen numerous pictures of epoxy floors. I like the flakes but if I were to do my garage in epoxy I don't think I would want a full flake. I would certainly want some flakes though.

 

[rjacobs]

I think the flake makes the floor.

Otherwise you just have a grey(or whatever color) coating you put down.

Everybody that sees my floor loves it, but I think if we just put down straight grey polyurea, I wouldnt get as many positive comments.

 

[texengland]

I'm not a fan of flakes or even grip additives. I much prefer the clean smooth look, but I am also pretty OCD about trying to keep the floor and working area clean. I had a floor once that was heavy with additive for grip and trying to mop it was a royal PITA.

 

[jacksonries73]

The more I think about it, the more I lean towards not using the flakes:
1. Increased traction is minimal at best.
2. Possible damage to projects being built on the floor (I do this a lot).
3. Camouflage effect when small items are dropped (older eyes need all the help they can get).
4. Increased light absorption. (the more light the better)