Decorative resin decision
Epoxy Flake Or Coloured Quartz Flooring?
Choose epoxy flake when you want a speckled, softer-looking floor for a garage, home gym, school or showroom; choose coloured quartz when the floor gets wet or heavy footfall and needs a tougher, grippier texture. Both are broadcast into a pigmented resin base and sealed, so the real differences are the particle, the texture it leaves and the rooms it suits.
Flake and quartz questions we are asked
What each finish actually is
Flake flooring uses thin coloured chips of vinyl-type material scattered into a wet resin coat. Each chip lies flat, so the effect is a terrazzo-like speckle that can be subtle or busy depending on the blend and how densely it is thrown.
Coloured quartz uses small grains of dyed quartz sand broadcast into the base. Grains sit up in the coat rather than lying flat, which gives a granular surface with built-in texture. It reads more like stone than confetti, and blends range from a single colour to mixed tones.
The comparison in one table
- Look
- Flake: flat speckle. Quartz: fine granular, stone-like
- Texture
- Flake: smooth once sealed. Quartz: noticeable grip
- Slip resistance
- Quartz is used where grip matters; flake can be given a finer anti-slip top coat
- Cleaning
- Flake mops easily; heavier quartz texture holds more dirt
- Typical rooms
- Flake: garages, schools, nurseries, showrooms. Quartz: gyms, studios, wet and busy floors
How the two are installed
The sequence is shared up to the broadcast. The slab is moisture tested and mechanically prepared, static cracks are stitched and a penetrating primer goes down. A pigmented base coat follows, and the flake or quartz is broadcast into it until refusal, meaning until the wet resin will take no more.
After cure, the surplus is swept off and the floor is lightly ground back to knock down high points. A 2K polyurethane seal then locks the finish in place. How many sealer coats, and how smooth the final surface feels, is adjusted to the grip the room needs.
Both finishes move during installation, which is why a 1 m² test panel is prepared on the actual slab. What you approve on the panel becomes the reference for the whole floor.
Where flake is the better fit
Flake suits rooms where appearance matters and water is not constant. In a domestic garage it disguises dust and tyre marks and can be broadcast for slip resistance where wanted. In schools and nurseries the published specification pairs low-VOC water-based epoxy with a soft-tone flake broadcast and an R10 rating. Showrooms use flake to pick up a brand palette.
The main risk is overdoing it. A strong flake pattern in a small room can look busy, which the site addresses with a tighter blend and a larger sample before committing.
Where quartz is the better fit
Quartz earns its place where feet, water and weight meet. The site's gym and studio build is impact-tolerant polyurethane at 2 to 4 mm with dense-broadcast quartz, chosen to take dropped weights, disinfectant wash-downs and heavy footfall.
Because the grains stand proud, quartz gives grip without an extra texturing step. That same texture takes more effort to clean, so on dry floors where grip is not a concern it can be more surface than the room needs.
How to decide
- Wet, sloping or heavily trafficked: start with quartz
- Dry, visual, easy mopping: start with flake
- Unsure: ask for both on a test panel under your own lighting
- Either way, the slab preparation matters more than the chip
See both on your own floor
Tell us what the room is used for, whether it gets wet and what look you have in mind. We will recommend flake, quartz or a mix and lay a test panel so you can decide under your own lighting.