Metallic epoxy flooring

While epoxy flooring had its origin in the commercial and industrial sectors, slowly but surely people started to wonder whether the tremendous all-round durability and seamless, easy-to-clean finish could be used in more decorative ways.

In the early days, coloured quartz floors, epoxy flake flooring, glitter floors (like the stuff on party hats) or even plain colours with swirls were the only ways to jazz things up. These days, however, decorative epoxy flooring has flourished through the use of metallic pigments and the stunning effects they can create.

Here are some tips to help get the best possible result on your metallic epoxy floor.

Metallic epoxy flooring tips - for owners, builders and specifiers

As with any floor, planning is important for metallic epoxy flooring, and there are a few things owners, builders and specifiers need to consider to make sure they get the beautiful floor they’re hoping for.

1. What metallic flooring designs work best?

While metallic epoxy flooring has become synonymous with brilliant swirls and illusions of depth, there are some rules that apply when it comes to these types of designs.

The most notable here is that soft and subtle designs like traditional marble patterns work best. Many people get carried away with the possibilities of a custom floor design and dream up intricate masterpieces that unfortunately resemble a spilled mess when applied. If you have your heart set on a custom floor, the safer option is to take an existing design and tweak it.

Also, if your custom metallic floor involves matching up with décor or other colours, please keep in mind that getting an exact match is always a challenge whether you’re flooring, painting or whatever.

2. Getting the metallic floor you want

Perhaps the best advice when it comes to any kind of decorative flooring is to view it in the flesh before you commit. If visiting working examples of the floor or a showroom isn’t possible, ask to see a sampleboard at the very least. A large board (600mm x 600mm) will enable you to approve a design concept as well as “touch and feel” the finish for yourself. This could involve laying it down in the corner to see if it complements the décor or looking at the finish from a distance to see if it matches your expectations. These are simple yet powerful tests that will allow you to evaluate metallic epoxy floors more accurately.

3. Protecting your new metallic epoxy floor

If your new floor is part of a larger renovation project, it’s important to get the timing right. Other trades can very quickly ruin a pristine new floor regardless of how well you try to protect it, so you’re much better off making it the last piece of the project puzzle rather than the first.

Speaking of protecting your new metallic epoxy floor, we’d like to make special mention of the barricades, tape and other sealing-off measures put in place while the floor is being installed. A beautiful finish can quickly be ruined if a breeze dumps a blanket of dust on it or a moth gets stuck in the film, so it pays to keep clear as much as possible. A bit of discipline is required here because taking a sneak peek can be very tempting!

Want to see examples of metallic epoxy flooring?

If you're looking for inspiration with your metallic epoxy flooring project, you can view a selection of our past projects here:

• Metallic epoxy flooring examples - bedrooms and bathrooms
• Metallic epoxy flooring examples - residential kitchens
• Metallic epoxy flooring examples - living rooms
• Metallic epoxy flooring examples - retail outlets
• Metallic epoxy flooring examples - restaurants and bars
• Metallic epoxy flooring examples - commercial areas
• Metallic epoxy flooring example - apartment
• Metallic epoxy flooring example - games room
• Metallic epoxy flooring example - laundry
• Metallic epoxy flooring example - bathroom
• Metallic epoxy flooring example - restaurant
• Metallic epoxy flooring example - kitchen