The Flake Garage Floor Process

There are too many garage companies in North Texas

We've unfortunately seen too many cases where homeowners went with the cheaper company then afterwards direct thier friends back to us because we're the guys they "should have hired." It's true. You can't make a beautiful floor unless you can make a quality floor. Problem is they all look "good" on day one. I can tell you that my floor still looks like the day I installed it five years ago. Several times a month we're called to refinish a floor that was installed incorrectly which causes frustration, embarrassment, expense and time to the homeowner.  This article will explain the finer points of a proper garage flake install.

Quality Garage Floors Floors Are Not Cheap

Just last month a customer saw my bid and his eyes went wide. He showed me a website for a painter who is charging $600 for an epoxy floor. Yes there is some technical overlaps in painting and epoxy but painters that have tried soon realize it's not the same.

The Concrete Slab Prep

Prepping concrete requires the correct tools and skillset to understand and achieve the CSP 2-3 profile needed for a good mechanical bond. In fact, manufacturers of industrial epoxy like the ones used in the Smallcrete system specifically call on it in thier data sheets. Without it you get delamination and hot tire lift off. To accomplish the standard we use heavy industrial diamond grinders with proper bonds to remove the cap and curing agent off the top. We don't use acid etching because it simply does a poor job removing the cap and if not properly neutralized, could cause weakness in your slab and a failure of the epoxy base coat.

Industrial Grade Epoxy

The choice of epoxy is not as important as the installer dedicated to prepping properly. One way certain companies have cut corners is by using cheaper "one size fits all" or even big box brand epoxies. We buy industrial grade epoxies in quantities large enough to earn us a discount. In order to trust our system to last decades; we thoroughly vet the companies we purchase from, read an understand all of the documentation and run several field tests to determine how different epoxies perform under certain environments and on certain slabs. The materials used in your garage are the same materials we continue to use in large industrial and commercial spaces.

Polyaspartic as base coat is sometimes desirable but typically epoxy is the better choice in DWF area because epoxy adheres to concrete better and cures slower in the high temps and humidity we have.

The Flake Has a Purpose

If you've seen older garage floor systems you'll notice 2 distinct things; they turn greenish in color and the amount of flake is a sparse light sprinkle. Over the years our industry came to realize that the flakes are the best protection for the epoxy which is not UV stable. (Yes Polyaspartic is UV stable but that is the subject for another post). So while the epoxy seals and protects the slab, the flake keeps the epoxy from breaking down by the light.  Smallcrete always tosses the vinyl flakes "to refusal" which covers about 97% of the epoxy floor. The next day, we'll recover about 40% of the flake.

Day 2 - The Aliphatic Urethane or Polyaspartic Top Coat

After the epoxy has cured overnight and bound the flake to the garage floor Smallcrete will recover the excess flake, scrape the floor (twice), sand the flake (twice), and vacuum the dust (twice). These steps are essential preparation to help the Aliphatic top coats adhere properly while filling in the gaps and appear less blotchy.  Install techs from companies with one-day systems often short cut this prep in order to finish early at the end of a hot day.

With properly prepped flake, the top coats have an easier time laying flat and protecting the flake. Aliphatic is a chemistry term for carbon atoms in a chain. For us that means UV stability and long lasting performance. Both Polyaspartic and Urethane top coats we use are Aliphatic. Polyaspartics are harder than Urethane (which is also very hard) but tends to cure too quickly for a hot Texas install. Both coatings are very durable as a top coat. Most legitimate installers have come to realize that using Polyaspartic as base coat is sometimes desirable but typically epoxy is the better choice in DWF area because epoxy adheres to concrete better and cures slower in the high temps and humidity we have.

Do you need a Garage Epoxy system installed by experts?

Please call Smallcrete for your free measurement and to see the color options available to you. We are happy to explain our process in further detail and answer questions about installation, price and our 5-year delamination warranty. (Lifetime warranties are another topic for another post.)