Flake Epoxy Floors in Kansas City, KS

Flake epoxy floors are the system we put down most in Kansas City, Kansas garages. After the slab is ground, we roll a tinted epoxy base. While it is still wet, we toss colored vinyl chips across it by hand. For a full broadcast we keep tossing until no base shows. Once the base sets, we scrape off the chips that did not stick, vacuum, and roll a clear seal over the top. The finished floor has the look of terrazzo or speckled stone and a light texture under your shoes.

What a Kansas City year leaves on the floor

Winter here means freeze and thaw more than deep snow. Wikipedia lists around 11 to 13 inches a year at the Downtown Airport and about 18 at KCI. Ice and slush still come off the tires, and the brine dries into pale rings. Spring storms track in mud. By August the garage is dusty and the car drips AC water by the door. A plain gray floor shows each of those. A blend of three or four colors hides most of it until you get around to the broom.

Sizing and spacing the chips

• Full broadcast: chips cover all of the base. You get the most texture and the most hiding power, and it is what most garages get.
• Light or partial broadcast: chips spread thin over a solid color that shows between them. It looks crisper but shows grit faster.
• Chip size: quarter-inch chips give a busy, even pattern. Larger chips stand out more from the driveway.

We can also do a solid border or walkway with chips in the main bays.

Matching a blend to the house

Many KCK homes are red brick or painted frame, and some owners pull a tone from that. Others match the blend to new garage cabinets or a workbench. Grays and tans with black flecks hide the most. Very light blends brighten an older detached garage with one bulb, but they show tire marks sooner. At the estimate we lay sample boards right on your slab under your own lights, since a blend can look different under LEDs than in a brochure.

The clear seal sets the feel

The topcoat decides how rough or smooth the finished surface is. A single thin pass leaves the chip edges standing, which helps on the apron where wet tires roll in and on the step up into the kitchen. A thicker build fills around the chips and leaves a slicker floor that mops faster. We usually seal with polyaspartic, because it resists brine and holds color in the sun. We can mix fine grit into the seal on steps and entries.

Store kits and full broadcasts

Big-box stores around the metro sell chip kits. One Kansas City listing shows a full flake kit for 2,201 to 2,400 square feet at about $4,779 in material alone. A kit can work on a clean, sound slab. Most of them depend on an acid etch, which leaves old sealer and weak concrete in place. Chips also add weight and thickness to the system. If the bond under them fails, the whole floor lifts in sheets. That is why our crew grinds every inch and fills every crack first.

Other rooms that take chips well

Chip systems also fit concrete laundry rooms, mudrooms, basement gyms, workshops, screened porches and small business back rooms. In a basement we check moisture first. Chips will not keep a floor from blistering if vapor is coming up through the slab. On a porch in full sun the seal has to be UV stable.

Simple upkeep

Run a dust mop or soft broom to pick up sand. Damp mop with a mild, pH-neutral cleaner. Through the winter, push melt out the door and rinse every few weeks so brine does not dry on the surface. Skip acid cleaners and green scrub pads, because they haze the clear seal.