Metallic Epoxy Floors
in Kamloops, BC

Metallic epoxy floors get their visual effect from fine metallic pigment particles — typically aluminium-based or mica-based — suspended in a clear or lightly tinted epoxy base coat. When the coat is applied and while it's still fluid, the installer manipulates the surface using squeegees, foam rollers, and controlled air movement from a leaf blower. The pigment particles shift and settle into swirling patterns as the coat self-levels.

The result is a floor that has genuine three-dimensional visual depth. Light reflects differently from different angles as it bounces off the oriented metallic particles. Walk across the room and the floor looks different. Change the overhead lighting and the colours shift. That's not a coating effect — it's physics.

Because the manipulation happens in real time during application, no two metallic floors are identical — even when the same colours are used. The concrete surface texture, the ambient temperature, the exact manipulations made during application, and the specific installer all contribute to the final result.

Metallic epoxy has more design variables than a standard flake or solid-colour system. Colour palette, pigment intensity, swirl direction and scale, sheen level — all of these affect the final look. We bring physical samples on-site so you can see colour combinations in your actual space under your actual lighting, not on a monitor or in a printed brochure.

A few things we discuss during the design consultation: whether you want a subtle pearl effect or a dramatic high-contrast swirl, whether satin or high-gloss topcoat is right for the space, and what the primary colour anchor should be. Most metallic installs use two to three complementary pigments — a dominant colour, an accent, and sometimes a neutral like silver or pearl to blend them.

We also talk honestly about what the floor will and won't look like. Metallic epoxy photographs exceptionally well, which is partly why expectations can run high. In person, the floor looks great — it just looks like a real floor rather than a magazine image. We show you real project photos taken in real spaces, not studio shots.

Metallic epoxy is more transparent than a full-broadcast flake system — the metallic layer is clear or lightly tinted, which means surface imperfections in the concrete can telegraph through to the finished floor more readily than they would with an opaque flake system.

This means the prep work matters even more on a metallic install. We diamond grind to the same CSP 2–3 profile we use on every job, but we also spend more time on crack filling and leveling minor surface variation. Any spalls, patch marks, or old coating residue that telegraphs through the metallic layer becomes visible as a blemish in the final floor.

Moisture testing is also critical. A metallic floor that blisters or delaminates from moisture vapor is a significant visible failure — there's no way to do a discreet repair on a swirled metallic system the way you might patch a flake floor. We test every slab before we commit to a metallic install.

The topcoat is the final layer over the metallic effect, and its clarity and UV stability directly affect how the floor looks for its entire life. An aromatic epoxy topcoat — the type used in lower-cost systems — will amber and yellow within months of UV exposure. On a flake floor, some yellowing is less noticeable. On a clear topcoat over a metallic system, it changes the colour of the entire floor.

We use aliphatic polyaspartic topcoats exclusively on metallic epoxy systems. Aliphatic resins are UV-stable — their chemistry doesn't break down or yellow in sunlight. The floor looks the same at five years as it did on install day. In Kamloops, with over 300 days of sunshine annually, UV stability isn't optional on any topcoat that's exposed to natural light.

Sheen level is a design decision, not a performance one. High-gloss maximizes the three-dimensional depth and reflectivity of the metallic effect — the floor almost looks wet. Satin softens the effect slightly and shows less reflection, which can look more natural in residential spaces. We bring samples of both so you can see the difference in your actual light before committing.