Vinyl flakes, also known as decorative flakes or color chips, significantly improve the function and appearance of garage coatings. Concrete coating professionals have used flakes to transform drab garages into masterpieces for many years. Other decorative flourishes used for epoxy, polyurea, and polyaspartic coatings include metallic pigments and quartz aggregates.
Home and business owners can achieve a premium showroom look in their garages. Due to technological innovations, colored flakes no longer remain solely accessible to commercial establishments, such as hotels, restaurants, and industrial properties. Homeowners can experience the many benefits of flaked garage coatings at an affordable price.
If you seek a high-quality garage coating in Sioux Falls, contact local concrete coating professionals for more information about cost-effective decorative flakes. No home improvement project remains complete without innovative floor coating systems. Home and business owners can now completely revitalize undervalued garages at a low price.
Keep reading to learn more about adding flakes to your epoxy garage floor coating. Always seek the help of professionals when undertaking concrete coating projects. Experts have the training and experience necessary to apply decorative flakes correctly, efficiently, and affordably.
Understanding Flake Epoxy Garage Coatings
Epoxy, polyurea, and polyaspartic garage coatings continue to gain popularity throughout the United States. Since 2000, the sale of concrete coatings has nearly doubled, underscoring the affordability and effectiveness of garage coatings. Adding decorative flakes further improves the abrasion resistance of garage coatings and results in longer-lasting concrete surfaces.
Uncoated concrete remains susceptible to harsh UV radiation, moisture damage, black mold growth, and problematic freeze-thaw cycles. Moisture enters porous concrete surfaces, freezes, and reduces the tactile strength of the aggregates that compose concrete. Polyurea basecoats, decorative flakes, and polyaspartic top coatings prevent moisture from interacting with exposed concrete floors.
Additional benefits of flaked garage coatings include:
- Improved curb appeal
- Mold growth inhibition
- Stain resistance
- Chemical resistance
- Fire and shock resistance
Polyaspartic concrete coatings have surpassed epoxy as the preferred garage coating for residential, commercial, and industrial properties. Builders often use polyaspartic coatings to protect construction equipment, reinforce steel bridges, and prevent moisture damage to massive ocean-dwelling vessels.
You can add colored flakes to any epoxy, polyurea, or polyaspartic coating. Consult your concrete coating experts to ask about the best value for premium vinyl flakes. Find a style of decorative flakes that match your unique style preferences and breathe new life into your garage.
How To Apply Flakes on Epoxy Garage Coating
Home improvement projects prove overwhelming without the proper equipment, training, and knowledge. Concrete coating professionals have the training and experience to successfully apply flakes to concrete coatings. Professionally installed polyaspartic flaked floors fully cure in only 24 hours.
Avoid purchasing DIY garage coatings sold at hardware stores if you seek long-lasting results. Many storebought epoxies last only six months and contain negligible stain, abrasion, chemical, and moisture resistance. Conversely, professionally installed epoxy flake floors can last over 60 years with proper cleaning and maintenance.
Understanding how professionals add flakes to garage coatings can help you plan your next garage renovation. Successfully adding decorative flakes to concrete coatings requires patience, attention to detail, and a thorough understanding of coatings’ cure time and pot life. The methods used when adding vinyl flakes to garage coatings include:
Hand Broadcasting
Applying decorative flakes by hand remains the most cost-effective technique. No costly machines prove necessary when simply sprinkling beautiful colored flakes on epoxy coatings. Experts broadcast decorative flakes by hand in small sections, ensuring every area of your garage coating receives attention.
Professionals must apply vinyl flakes between the basecoat and topcoat layers of epoxy coatings. The two layers of concrete coatings bind vinyl flakes into place and further enhance the durability of epoxies. Before the basecoat fully dries, experts broadcast decorative flakes evenly across garage coatings.
You may need specially-designed spiked shoes to traverse wet epoxy floors safely. Contact your concrete coating professionals for hand broadcasting flake projects. Improper technique, lack of equipment, and poor timing can cause flakes to adhere ineffectively to concrete coatings.
Hopper Application
Hopper blower guns remain an incredibly effective way to apply flakes to garage coatings. Fill the hopper with colored flakes of your choosing and apply them to epoxy during the curing process. Advanced hopper blower guns can shoot decorative flakes over 20 feet, saving you from accidentally stepping in wet epoxy.
Choose from light, medium, heavy, and full broadcasts when applying flakes to garage coatings. A complete broadcast covers garage floors and increases epoxy floors’ width by over half an inch. The more protection for your concrete surfaces, the better.
DIY Flake Shaker
Clean, rinse, and cut several holes in the bottom of a milk jug to create a highly-effective flake distributor. Depending on the size of the vinyl flakes used, you may need to increase or decrease the size of the holes. For example, if you use 1/4″ vinyl flakes, drill 1/4″ holes into the bottom of your milk jug.
Remember, you may not get a second opportunity to apply flakes to garage coatings. Once epoxies dry, you can’t add anything between the basecoat and top coat layers. Take advantage of professional concrete coating services for all your flake floor projects.
Trust All Around Surfaces for All Your Flaked Epoxy Garage Coating Needs
All Around Surfaces proudly serves the communities in and around Sioux Falls, ND. Call All Around Surfaces at (605) 777-0999 or contact us online today for professional garage coating services.
