How to Use Color Chips and Color Flakes for Epoxy Coatings
Color flakes and color chips are the reasons for some of those beautiful garage floors. With a lot of creativity and a little effort and time, you could enjoy a unique design perfect for your garage floor that could last for many years. If you think this is hard to do, think again. All it takes is 3 easy steps. Here is the ABC’s of decorating your garage floor using color flakes and color chips for epoxy coatings.
How To Select Color Flakes or Paint Chips
Look at the overall theme or design of the house. You can complement the look and the color of the house with the right design and color of the garage floor.
Assess which color is perfect. If you are planning to do a full coverage floor, the main consideration is the color of the whole garage. However, if only a portion of the entire garage floor will be decorated on with color flakes or chips, then consider the color of the base floor. Make sure that the base floor color and that of the decorative flakes or chips would match.
Assess which size of the color flakes or chips will fit the overall look of the house. The selection is from 1/32” to 1”. If you are not sure though, ¼” size is the safest choice, as this is the most preferred size by many.
Assess the “traffic” or exposure of the garage floor. For example, if this is a busy area of the house, choose dark colors to minimize the need for frequent washing and cleaning. You may also want to add extra protection (like anti-slip products) especially if there are little children or elderly members of the family.
Assess your budget as well. The following factors should be taken into consideration:
- The size of the garage floor. The expenses are computed per square foot.
- The type of color flakes to be used. There is a wide array to choose from. It could be quarts granules, polymers, metallic flakes, to name a few.
- The size of the color flakes.
- Who will do the work? You can have a do-it-yourself garage project or ask the professionals to do the task. Ask for a quotation from different companies to ensure that you have the best offer that suits your budget.
- The number of color flakes or color chips to buy. You can choose a combination of as many colors as you like. However, make sure that it will blend in with the color of the whole area. Most people prefer the 3-color blend. This projects a professional look. The more color there is, the less formal the looks appear.
- The type of coverage that you want or need. The choices are:
- Light coverage. This will require only around .002 lbs. of color chips per square foot.
- Medium coverage. This will require .01 lbs. per square foot.
- Heavy coverage. Buy around .04 lbs. of color flakes or chips per square foot.
- Full coverage. You will need around .15 lbs. of color chips or flakes per square foot.
- Tip: always buy more than the suggested amount. This can save you more time and effort.
- Other add on/s that you may need or want such as anti-slip products.
How To Apply Color Flakes To Your Garage Floor
- Start with the design. Make it ahead of time. Make sure that the garage floor would be complementary to the total look of the house. Plus, consider also the placements of all the furniture there. Decide on the size and color of the flakes or chips, taking into account your budget.
- Start canvassing. Check the different brands available on the market. Check which product would be ideal for your garage floor. When everything has been considered, buy the materials.
- If more than one color flake is to be used, you can blend them ahead of time. Place them in a bucket so that they are ready for use after the application of the first coat of epoxy. (Note: you may also practice dispersing of the flakes before the actual application. Just toss a handful of flakes into the air in a small section only. The result would be the same when there is epoxy coat already. If you are not satisfied with the outcome, try to adjust the mixture of the color flakes).
- Do the prep work. On the first day, remove all items in the garage. The floor should be bare. Next, remove oil spots. Clean and degrease the floor. Etch using a mild acid. Scrub the floor and vacuum. Then thoroughly rinse the floor. On day two, test the concrete for moisture. Tape a plastic bag to the floor for 24 hours. There should be no moisture the next day. If there is, do not do the epoxy coating. The floor should be free from moisture or else, the water pressure will just break the bond. On day three, fill the cracks.
- Prepare all materials for epoxy coatings and the color flakes and chips because time is a very important element for the success of this endeavor. It’s time to go to the last step.
First, apply the first coat of epoxy. Right after the first coat, apply the color flakes. Get the bucket of blended color flakes that you prepared ahead of time. Grab a hand full of the flakes and then toss them in the air, as though you are feeding a chicken.
Next, remove the color flakes that did not stick to the floor. You can lightly drag a taping knife to the floor and the sticking flakes would be knocked down. Then just sweep the remaining flakes or vacuum them. (Note: Some people would recommend the use of electric leaf blower instead to gather the remaining flakes.)
Lastly, do the topcoat. When a thinner topcoat is utilized, there will be some texture on the floor. This is due to the flakes. However, a thicker topcoat will result to a smoother surface with virtually no texture on it.
And that’s it! you can have a new and beautiful garage floor with epoxy with painted flakes that look awesome.