Flakes without top clearcoat?

[varunner]

Does anyone have experience with this? I'm planning on using SW Armorseal 1000, and I'm considering putting flakes on. Even though I haven't priced what the top clear coat costs, if it's anywhere near the price of the base coat epoxy, that would raise the price up by approx. 50%, I'm not sure it would be worth it.

I appreciate hearing anyone's experience with this.

 

[bigstuie]

Does anyone have experience with this? I'm planning on using SW Armorseal 1000, and I'm considering putting flakes on. Even though I haven't priced what the top clear coat costs, if it's anywhere near the price of the base coat epoxy, that would raise the price up by approx. 50%, I'm not sure it would be worth it.

I appreciate hearing anyone's experience with this.

It is my understanding that the flakes without clear-coat are more difficult to keep clean; the clear-coat seals the flakes and provides a sealed surface which eliminates the little places for dirt/dust to accumulate over time. I applied 1 coat of clear-coat (Devoe Devthane 379UVA, $104.00/Gallon).

 

[AmericanEpoxyFloors]

The flakes are a very soft acrylic that is easily damaged. If you don't seal them in then it will be easy to mar them or even 'smear' them across your floor.

 

[varunner]

Thanks for the advice. Clear coat it is. I have a 1400 sq.ft garage, so to put down epoxy, flakes, and clear coat, it seems we're taking $1000ish to do the job. That kind of money to have a nice floor seems way too high. I'm probably a tight-wad, but there has got to be a better(cheaper) way.

 

[AmericanEpoxyFloors]

$1000 in materials to put down a good coating on 1,4000 sq. ft. is not out of line (in terms of what it costs, not in terms of your expectations ). Professional installation of 1,400 sq. ft. would cost you north of $4,000 depending on what you have installed.

If you are looking to get the material cost down, then you need to choose what layer you want to focus on: the primer, the body coat, or the top coat. Do so remembering that with these coatings you really do get what you pay for in most cases.

Don't forget to budget in buckets, mixers, brushes, rollers and covers, etc. which will probably run you about $200 for the job when it is all said and done.

 

[varunner]

Like many people on this site, I want the biggest bang for the buck. With that said, when I choose materials or tools, I never buy the best or the cheapest, I attempt to get the best price while meeting my level of quality I need. My requirements are in order of importance:

-Fitting my budget, in this case $800-$1000, not counting supplies and labor
-Something that will last, I'm not going to redo the floor in 5 yrs. from now
-Looks good.

So from reading specs and lots of posts on this site, I'm putting down SW Armorseal 1000. It's an industrial product, has good reviews, and I can afford it. I don't plan on putting down a primer, just 2 coats of the epoxy. I was considering the flakes, but with the clear coat, it drives the cost too far up. And really for what I'm doing, I plan on restoring cars in the garage, the flakes are really just for looks. I won't have cars coming in and out of the garage, so water isn't and issue. Hopefully it won't be too slick.

 

[SUPERCOAT]

We always recommend using our Glaze Coat to encapsulate the flakes. Not only does it protect the flakes and make it easier to clean the floor, but it also puts an even sheen across the entire floor (SUPERCOAT is very glossy and the flakes are not, so this evens it out). We have a two-part, low VOC urethane that I highly recommend.

http://www.supercoat.us

 

[thegarageguy]

The flakes are a very soft acrylic that is easily damaged. If you don't seal them in then it will be easy to mar them or even 'smear' them across your floor.

agree 100%