What you get
The finish most people picture when they picture an epoxy floor
Flake is the most popular floor we install, and for good reason: it looks sharp, it is the most forgiving finish there is, and it costs less than metallic. Colored vinyl chips are broadcast by hand into the wet base coat until the surface reaches refusal — the point where it physically will not hold another flake. The floor is then scraped back, vacuumed, and sealed under one or two coats of clear urethane. The result is a subtle texture underfoot, a surface that hides dust and tire marks between cleanings, and a look you can tune to the room.
The practical advantage of flake is what it forgives. A solid-color floor is a mirror: every trowel mark, every patched crack and every low spot in the slab shows through it in raking light. Flake breaks the surface up visually, so an older garage or basement slab that has been repaired reads as a finished floor rather than as a repair job. It also builds grip in, because the chip edges leave a fine texture that is noticeably less slick underfoot when wet than a smooth coating — worth knowing in a garage where you track snow in from December to March. Blends are yours to choose. We bring physical sample boards to the estimate rather than asking you to pick off a screen, because flake never looks the same on a monitor as it does on a floor. You can go subtle with grays and whites, pull your blend toward the blues in our own logo, or run school or team colors through a rec room. Coverage is a choice too: a full broadcast gives you the classic dense look, while a lighter partial broadcast leaves the base color visible and costs less.
- Broadcast to refusal — full coverage, not a light scatter
- Hides slab imperfections and repaired cracks better than any solid color
- Chip edges build in grip, which matters on a wet winter garage floor
- Custom blends chosen from physical samples at the estimate
- Sealed under one or two coats of clear urethane for UV and scuff resistance
Before & after
What prep and a proper system do
Drag the divider. Left is the kind of slab we start with, right is the finish.
Before
After
Questions about flake epoxy flooring?
(217) 417-5950One call and we can usually tell you what your slab needs, roughly what it costs, and when we could get to it.
Prefer to type it out? Send the quote form instead or email dpflooringservicesllc@gmail.com.
Straight talk
Full broadcast, partial broadcast, and why it matters
Full broadcast means we throw flake into the wet base coat until the floor physically will not take another chip — the point installers call refusal. The base color disappears entirely. You get the dense, uniform, granite-like look most people picture, a genuine texture underfoot, and the most forgiving surface we install, because there is no continuous area of solid color anywhere for a defect to show against.
Partial broadcast is a lighter, deliberately uneven scatter that leaves the base color visible between the chips. It uses far less flake so it costs less, and on the right slab it looks intentional and modern. On the wrong slab it is a compromise, because you are back to having solid-color areas that show every trowel mark and patch.
The honest rule: if the concrete has been repaired, go full broadcast. If the slab is a clean modern pour and you want to save some money or you actively prefer the lighter look, partial is a real option. We will tell you which one your floor is at the estimate.
How the install runs
Four steps, no surprises
You will know the schedule, the price and the cure dates before we start grinding.
Pick the blend in person
We bring physical sample boards to the quote. Flake never looks the same on a screen as it does on a floor — chip size, base color and lighting all change it — so choosing off photographs is how people end up disappointed.
Grind and repair the slab
Diamond grinding with vacuum dust control, then crack chasing, pit filling and spall repair. Flake hides repairs well, but it hides them because the repairs were done properly, not instead of doing them.
Base coat and broadcast
The pigmented base goes down and we broadcast chips into it by hand, working wet and moving fast, until the surface reaches refusal. Broadcasting by hand rather than with a hopper is what keeps the coverage even into corners and along walls.
Scrape, vacuum, seal
The next morning the floor is scraped back to knock off the chip edges standing proud, then vacuumed completely clean. One or two coats of clear urethane go over it, with non-slip aggregate broadcast in if the floor gets wet.
What it costs
Pricing for flake epoxy flooring
Epoxy is priced by the square foot, and we will not quote a floor we have not seen — a number pulled over the phone helps nobody. Here is what actually moves it:
- Square footage and how complex the layout is to cut in
- Full broadcast versus a lighter partial broadcast
- Slab prep and repair needed before the decorative work starts
- Number of clear urethane topcoats and whether you add non-slip aggregate
Where we do it
Flake Epoxy Flooring near you
Available everywhere in our 50+ mile service area. These are the towns we work in most often — if yours is not listed, call anyway.
- Epoxy Flooring in Champaign, IL
- Epoxy Flooring in Urbana, IL
- Epoxy Flooring in Savoy, IL
- Epoxy Flooring in Mahomet, IL
- Epoxy Flooring in Rantoul, IL
- Epoxy Flooring in Bloomington, IL
- Epoxy Flooring in Normal, IL
- Epoxy Flooring in Decatur, IL
- Epoxy Flooring in Danville, IL
- Epoxy Flooring in Monticello, IL
- Epoxy Flooring in Tuscola, IL
- Epoxy Flooring in Paxton, IL
- Epoxy Flooring in Clinton, IL
- Epoxy Flooring in Tolono, IL
Questions
Flake Epoxy Flooring FAQs
Does flake feel rough underfoot?
Slightly textured rather than rough — think of a fine orange-peel. After scraping and two coats of urethane it is comfortable in bare feet and easy to mop, while still giving you noticeably more grip than a smooth coating when there is snowmelt or a spill on it. If you want more grip than that, we broadcast a fine aggregate into the topcoat as well.
Can I mix my own colors?
Yes. Blends are mixed from stock chip colors, so you can go subtle with grays and whites, pull it toward the blues in our logo, or run school or team colors through a rec room. We mix samples and bring them out. The only advice we push is to look at a blend on a horizontal surface in the actual room's lighting before committing — vertical sample boards under shop lights lie.
How does flake compare to metallic on price?
Flake sits in the middle: more than a solid color, less than metallic. It is also the better buy for most working floors, because it hides wear and repairs, adds grip, and does not demand the extra slab flatness a metallic pour does. Metallic is the right call when the floor is meant to be looked at. Flake is the right call when the floor is meant to be used.
Ready to quote flake epoxy flooring?
Free, itemized, on-site quotes anywhere in the service area — and no trip charge to come look.