A flake floor is only as good as the work under it. Two floors can look the same on the day they’re finished and be completely different a year later. The difference is prep, and the steps most people never see.
So here’s everything we do, in order. If you’re getting quotes, use this page as a checklist. Ask every company how they handle each step. We’re Jax Exterior Cleaning & Paver Sealing, licensed and insured and working on Jacksonville homes since 2019, and this is how our epoxy floor division puts down every floor.
Before Install Day
1. Free Estimate and Moisture Test
It starts with a visit. We measure the floor, note every crack, stain and chip, and check for old paint, sealer or coatings that would have to come off. We also test the slab for moisture. A lot of Northeast Florida slabs sit on sand over a high water table, and moisture pushing up from underneath is one of the main reasons coatings bubble or peel. If a reading comes back high, we’ll tell you before we quote and talk through the options.
You’ll pick a flake blend from samples in your own garage light, and you’ll get a written quote that spells out the whole job. It helps if you can be there for the estimate so you can see samples and ask questions.
2. Getting Your Garage Ready
The floor needs to be completely empty so we can coat it wall to wall. A few tips to make install day easy:
- Clear out cars, bikes, boxes, shelving and anything sitting on the floor. Please clear the floor before we arrive. If that’s a problem, let us know at the estimate and we’ll talk it through.
- Let us know about anything that can’t move, like a water heater or a built-in cabinet. Items that can’t be moved, like a water heater, are usually coated around, and we’ll plan for them at the estimate.
- Plan to park in the driveway or on the street until the floor is ready for cars.
- Keep pets and kids out of the garage during the install.
Install Day
3. Protect and Set Up
We tape off and cover the bottom of the walls, door frames and anything that stays in the garage. Our mixing station goes outside on plastic, so nothing drips on your driveway.
4. Diamond Grinding With HEPA Dust Control
We grind the whole slab with diamond tooling, then go around the edges and corners with a hand edge grinder. Every grinder runs connected to a HEPA dust vacuum, so the concrete dust gets pulled into the vacuum instead of into your house.
Grinding is the step that decides whether a floor lasts. It opens up the concrete so the base coat bonds into it instead of just sitting on top. Acid etching and “clean and roll” jobs skip it, and those are the floors that peel. We never acid etch.
5. Crack, Spall and Joint Repair
Cracks are opened up, filled and ground flush. Chipped and spalled spots get patched so they don’t show through the finish. Typical crack repair is assessed and priced at your quote, so there are no surprises. Then we vacuum the floor again until it’s clean, bare concrete.
6. Base Coat
We mix the polyaspartic base coat in small batches and roll it out one section at a time, so every bit goes down fresh.
7. Full Flake Broadcast
While the base coat is wet, we toss vinyl flake up into the air so it falls evenly, and we keep going until the floor can’t take any more. No base coat shows anywhere. That full coverage adds thickness, hides small slab imperfections and gives the floor a little texture. Stem walls can be coated in this same step if you’d like them done.
8. Scrape and Vacuum the Excess
After the base coat sets up, we scrape the entire floor with a steel blade to knock off loose and standing flake, then vacuum it all up. Skip this and you get sharp chip edges sticking up through the topcoat.
9. Clear Polyaspartic Topcoat
The last coat is a clear, UV-stable polyaspartic. We spread it with a squeegee and back-roll it for an even finish. It’s the hard, glossy layer that stands up to hot tires, oil and Florida sun, and it won’t yellow like plain epoxy. The standard finish is a gloss topcoat, and an anti-slip additive can be mixed in for extra traction. Curious why we use it? Read polyaspartic vs. epoxy.
After Your Floor Is Done
10. Cure and Final Walk-Through
We walk the finished floor with you before we leave. You can walk on it within a few hours in most cases and park on it after about 24 to 48 hours. The coating keeps hardening for several days, so wait to roll heavy tool chests or set jack stands until then. Heat and humidity change cure times, so we’ll give you exact times for your floor on install day.
Care is simple: sweep or dust mop, mop with warm water and a mild cleaner, and wipe up oil and chemicals when you see them. Use a mat or a piece of plywood under kickstands and jack stands.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the whole process take?
Most two-car garages are done in about one day. You can walk on the floor within a few hours in most cases and drive on it after about 24 to 48 hours.
Is grinding messy?
Not the way we do it. Our grinders run connected to a HEPA dust vacuum, so the dust gets captured as we work instead of spreading through the garage and into your home.
Why do you test for moisture?
Moisture coming up through a slab is one of the main reasons coatings bubble or peel. Testing first means we know what we’re working with before we quote, not after something fails.
What does full broadcast mean?
It means we cover the entire wet base coat with flake until it won’t hold any more, so no base coat shows anywhere. It’s thicker, hides imperfections and has a little texture underfoot.
Do I need to be home on install day?
In most cases you don’t need to stay home all day. We just need the garage open, emptied and ready when we arrive, and we’ll do a final walk-through with you when we finish.
Get a Free Estimate
Call 904-444-9190 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 5 PM) or fill out our free estimate form, and Zach will get in touch. See what’s included on our garage floor coating page, check garage floor coating cost, or ask about patio, lanai & pool deck coatings. We serve Jacksonville and nearby service areas.
Licensed and insured, in business since 2019, with nearly 200 Google reviews.