Flake vs Metallic vs Quartz Epoxy: Which Floor Is Right for You?

How do flake, metallic and quartz compare?

All three start the same way: a diamond-ground, moisture-tested, repaired slab and an epoxy base coat. What changes is what goes into the base and what seals it. For the full price breakdown, see our DFW cost guide.

When is flake the right choice?

Flake is the system on most of the garages we coat, and the one we recommend first. Vinyl flake is broadcast into the wet epoxy base until the floor won't take any more, scraped flat once it cures, then sealed with a polyaspartic topcoat.

• It forgives a lot. A solid-color floor shows every patch, trowel line and speck of dust. Flake breaks up the surface, so a slab with history still looks clean.
• It has natural grip. The flake texture gives slip resistance without an additive.
• It handles Texas garages. The polyaspartic topcoat resists hot tire pickup, oil and brake fluid, and it won't yellow.
• The color holds. The flake carries the color, not the resin, so it stays consistent as it wears.

Skip flake if you want a seamless, mirror-flat look (that's metallic) or maximum wet grip (that's quartz). See flake epoxy floors.

When is metallic the right choice?

Metallic epoxy suspends reflective pigment in a clear resin. As it cures, the pigment moves and pools into depth that looks like polished stone or poured metal. No two floors come out alike.

• It's the showpiece. Choose it when the floor is part of how the space presents itself: showrooms, home bars, living areas and collector garages.
• It's seamless. No flake, no grout lines, no texture. Just continuous gloss.

What you should know before you buy:

• Keep it out of direct sun. Under Texas sun the clear resin ambers and clouds, and the effect is gone. That rules out patios and pool decks.
• It's slick when wet. Fine in a showroom, a hazard outdoors.
• It shows wear. Gloss reveals scratches that flake would hide, so a working shop with tool carts isn't the best fit.
• It costs the most. More material, more labor and more skill.

See metallic epoxy floors.

When is quartz the right choice?

Quartz epoxy uses colored quartz aggregate broadcast into an epoxy base and locked in with a topcoat. Where flake is a thin decorative layer, quartz builds real thickness, with the aggregate carrying the load.

• It has the best grip we install. Wet or dry, it's our first pick for pool decks, locker rooms and wash-down areas.
• It's sanitary. It's non-porous and seamless, and it can run up the wall with an integral coved base, which is standard for commercial kitchens.
• It's the toughest. The thick build handles impact, abrasion and forklift traffic that would wear a thin coating through.
• Light colors stay cooler in full sun, which matters around a pool.

The trade-off: the texture you're paying for is less pleasant to kneel on and takes more effort to mop. For most home garages, flake gives the look you want for less money. See quartz epoxy floors.

Which floor fits your space?

Not sure? Tell us how the space gets used at the walkthrough and we'll tell you straight which system it needs. We'd rather talk you out of a floor that won't suit the space than install the wrong one.