Brian put in a ton of extra time, effort, and his own expense to try to meet our expectations. Although I leave a 5 star review, I will also leave some critiques for both the company and others to consider when starting their epoxy project.
Project Scope: 400 sq ft garage, metallic epoxy, original cost $3500, final cost $4100 (+$600 for polyaspartic top coat).
Color: Don't choose black or dark colors, which show scratches and imperfections. Choose a marble-look, or try flakes. And pictures lie, don't trust your monitor, and ask for a sample.
Beware the wind on exterior applications: The wind blew dirt, debris, and leaves into the wet epoxy/top coat during our project, requiring multiple attempts to address and mitigate environmental factors. The best solution was to cut cardboard from boxes to help cover the gap between the garage door and wet epoxy/top coat while it dried.
Glossy vs. Matte/Satin Finishes: I would have preferred a matte finish to help mitigate the brightness of the sun when shining on the garage floor, which caused a bit of a blinding light (much like looking at water during sunset/sunrise). This is mostly a problem for west/east facing garages. I do wish I would have discussed this more before starting the project, and hope Brian will offer matte/satin finishes in the future. Although matte/satin finishes will make epoxy colors look more dull/washed out, I think it would help address glare as well as to hide imperfections.
Polyaspartic top coats are really stinky. You'll want to air out your garage and house.
# Visit 1:
We originally chose a gray/silver and black color. After the first coat, I recall commenting that it looked a bit too black. I recall being re-assured that it would look lighter with another coat when the colors were mixed (e.g. silver would show more). I also noticed many imperfections in the first coat (bumps, rough spots, etc) and had expected a more smooth and even finish. Brian had mentioned that he had been noticing more imperfections lately in other projects and he thought it could be from poorer quality roller brushes from his supplier.
# Visit 2:
The next day Brian added a thicker coat to help smooth the bumps and ripples and to lighten the color. I also had concerns about slippage on epoxy, and asked Brian to add Shark Grip to the last coat, which I supplied.
# Visit 3:
Unfortunately, after the 2nd coat, there were still many imperfections along with unevenness in the Shark Grip application. At this point, we figured the wind was blowing debris into the garage during the drying process, which added to the imperfections. Brian tried to sand down some imperfections, and added yet a 3rd coat to help smooth out the finish.
At this point, I came up with the idea to disassemble packaging boxes to help cover the gap between the garage door and wet epoxy to prevent debris from blowing in.
# Visit 4:
I pulled up the reference picture, and compared it to the end result, and I had to ask Brian about the color we chose. Apparently, the color we picked was "Pearl Black", and it was really more black in real life than the picture. He agreed to redo the project.
Later, I noticed just how reflectively blinding the epoxy floor was in the afternoon sun, and kind of regretted starting the project. I asked Brian what could be done, and if we would put a satin or matte finish on the epoxy to prevent the glare. He later followed up and told me that the manufacturer suggested a polyaspartic top coat, but that would be an extra $600. I agree, if it helps to make it more matte and if it helps with the glare, to which he said it would.
# Visit 5:
Brian came back to redo the project, but at this point, I noticed some of the epoxy still seemed wet. Given conflicting schedules, he had to come back after his vacation.
# Visit 6:
Brian grinds down the "Pearl Black" epoxy finish, and applies a 3 part silver with 3 part black epoxy. He also brings some plastic tarps to cover the gap between the open garage and floor on the outside as the epoxy dries. Unfortunately, that afternoon, as the wind picked up, blowing the plastic into the wet epoxy, ruining the redo.
# Visit 7:
Brian sees that it can't be patched because of the marble-like look. Since we were interested in an even lighter color, Brian mixed a 2 part white, 2 part silver, 2 part black metallic epoxy and redid the floor.
We liked this color.
# Visit 8:
Brian applies the polyaspartic top coat.
# Visit 9:
There are still a few missed spots and imperfections, and given it still looked pretty shiny, Brian comes back for a 2nd layer of top coat and orange peel finish.
A few missed spots remain, and he says he'll come back. Overall, I like the look, but I think I still would have preferred a matte finish. This project took much longer and was more difficult than I think both of us had hoped, and I hope this review is helpful to newcomers to epoxy as well as to Brian for future projects. read more