Flake Floor Coatings in Los Angeles, CA

Flake floor coatings are what most Los Angeles homeowners end up choosing for the garage. A flake epoxy floor starts with a resin base coat; colored vinyl chips are thrown into the wet resin, and the whole layer is locked under clear topcoat. Because the chips break up the surface, dust, footprints and tire marks are far less visible than on a solid color, and the texture adds traction for shoes and tires. It is a good match for a garage that also serves as a gym, workshop or storage room.

Building a chip floor, layer by layer

As with any coating, we diamond grind first. Next comes a base coat in the color you want showing between the chips. Before the base sets, we hand-broadcast vinyl flake over it. In a full broadcast the chips keep going down until the base will not hold more, covering the surface edge to edge. Once it cures, we scrape the floor and vacuum away loose flake, and finish with one or two clear coats that lock the chips in place and set the final texture. A partial broadcast uses fewer chips, leaving more of the base color visible.

Full or partial broadcast

A full broadcast gives the most even look, the most texture and the strongest ability to hide flaws in older concrete. It also builds more thickness, which helps with hot tires. A partial broadcast reads more like a solid floor with a speckle and is often chosen for laundry rooms or interior spaces where people want a smoother feel. We bring sample boards of both so you can compare them in your own light.

Choosing chip size and color

Vinyl chip comes in several sizes and dozens of blends. Larger chips make a bold, stone-like pattern. Smaller chips give a tighter speckle that looks calmer in a small garage. Gray and tan blends hide everyday dust and the fine grit that blows in during dry, windy spells. Wikipedia notes the Santa Ana winds that bring hot, dry air in autumn and winter, and anyone who parks with the door open knows how much dust those days leave behind. Darker blends show light dust more, lighter blends show tire marks more. A mid-tone blend is the safe middle.

Why the topcoat matters more than the chips

The chips are mainly for looks. It is the clear topcoat that takes the abuse and faces the sun. HomeGuide gives standard epoxy a poor to fair grade for UV resistance, so a clear epoxy topcoat on a sunny garage floor may yellow, and that tint is obvious over light chips. Our flake floors get a polyaspartic topcoat instead, which earns an excellent UV grade from HomeGuide. The number of topcoats also sets how rough the floor feels: two coats leave a smoother, easier-to-mop surface, while one coat keeps more texture and grip.

Flake over older Los Angeles slabs

Flake is forgiving on the kind of concrete common in older Los Angeles garages: small pits, patched cracks, and stains that never came out. Once the floor is ground and the cracks are filled, a full broadcast hides most of those marks. It will not hide a crack that is still moving or a slab with moisture coming through it, which is why we test for moisture and look at each crack before quoting. A flake floor laid on a damp slab can blister just like any other coating.

Where chip floors fit

• Two- and three-car garages that see daily parking
• Garage gyms where rubber mats and dropped weights scuff the floor
• Workshops where dust and small spills are constant
• Laundry rooms and mudrooms on a concrete slab
• Covered patios and some commercial spaces such as locker rooms, break rooms and storage areas

Flake versus solid color in a garage

A solid-color floor looks crisp the day it is finished, but every footprint, bit of dust and tire scuff shows against it. A flake floor trades a little of that crispness for a surface that looks clean between sweeps. That is why so many people with a working garage end up with flake. A light partial broadcast can split the difference if you like the look of a solid floor but want some forgiveness. We also add a coat of flake around the edges of solid-color floors in some garages, where dust collects against the walls.

Caring for a flake floor

Sweep or blow out grit often, since sand under tires is what wears the topcoat over time. Mop with a pH-neutral cleaner and warm water. Wipe up brake fluid, gasoline and harsh chemicals soon after a spill. Put a pad under motorcycle kickstands and jack stands so the point load does not dent the surface. With that, a chip floor keeps its look for many years.