Epoxy Flake Floors in Youngstown, OH

Epoxy flake floors cover more Youngstown garages than any other system we install. Wikipedia's climate data for the city lists about 67.8 inches of snow and roughly 168 days with precipitation in an average year. That is a lot of wet tires. A flake floor is a pigmented resin coat with colored vinyl chips pressed into it and a clear coat on top. The mix of colors hides salt rings and slush marks, and the chips leave a slight grain you can feel under your boots.

Why chips suit a 1950 slab

The median Youngstown home was built in 1950, according to American Community Survey data summarized by Point2Homes, and 39.3 percent were built in 1939 or earlier. A garage pad that old rarely looks uniform, even after grinding. It has patched cracks, old stains that never fully lift and repairs in a slightly different shade. A solid color coat can let those show as faint shadows. A dense chip layer covers them. That makes flakes a practical pick for an older floor, though the patching underneath still has to be done right.

The build, start to finish

We grind the slab with diamond tooling and vacuum the dust as we go. Old paint and failed kit coatings come off. Cracks and pits are filled and ground flat. Then we roll a tinted base over one section at a time and throw chips into it by hand before it sets. Once it hardens, we scrape the whole floor with a blade, vacuum up the loose chips and apply the clear topcoat.

Salt and the clear coat

Wikipedia's road salt article notes that magnesium chloride is far harder on concrete surfaces than plain rock salt. Whatever the road crews spread, it ends up dripping off your car. A sealed chip floor keeps that brine on the surface. The clear topcoat takes the wear from tires and grit, so it is the layer worth looking after. Squeegee slush out instead of letting it dry in place, and the topcoat lasts longer.

Basements, laundry rooms and muggy summers

Youngstown's average relative humidity is about 72.5 percent, per Wikipedia. In July a cool basement slab can sweat. A chip floor makes a basement laundry room or rec room easier to keep clean. It cannot hold back water vapor rising through the concrete, though. We test moisture before quoting a basement. If the reading is high, we talk through a moisture-tolerant primer, or we tell you the floor should wait until the water issue is fixed.

Picking chips and coverage

We carry sample boards in several blends. Darker blends with flecks of tan, gray and white hide the most. Lighter blends brighten a dim basement. In a garage we usually spread chips until the base is fully buried. In a basement room some owners like a sparse scatter over a solid color. That look is cleaner but shows lint and dirt sooner. Small chips give a fine grain, while large chips look bolder.

Upkeep

Dust-mop or sweep once a week. Through the winter, push meltwater out the door and rinse salt residue every couple of weeks. Clean with a mild, pH-neutral soap. Harsh acids and steel wool will dull the topcoat.