The most photographed floor we install, and the least reproducible. Here is what drives the price and what nobody tells you before you sign.
What It Costs and Why
Metallic runs $12-$18 per square foot against $8-$12 for flake. Three things drive the premium. The substrate needs skim-coating to a flat, uniform surface, which is an extra day. The metallic layer itself is hand-worked and cannot be rushed. And the material is more expensive per square foot than pigmented epoxy plus chip. On a 500 sq ft basement that is roughly $6,000-$9,000.
How the Effect Is Made
A solid pigmented base coat goes down so no concrete shows through. Then a clear epoxy loaded with metallic pigment is poured and spread. While it is open we move it, squeegee passes for direction, a leaf blower for cells and craters, denatured alcohol for fine veining. The resin keeps self-levelling for another twenty minutes after we stop, and that continued movement is where the depth comes from.
No Two Floors Are the Same
This is the part to be genuinely comfortable with before committing. The pattern comes from how resin moves while curing, which cannot be repeated exactly, not by the same installer, in the same room, on the same day. We always do a sample board on your actual slab so you approve the colour blend and general character, but the finished floor will be its own thing.
Where It Belongs
Rooms where people look at the floor: finished basements, entries, showrooms, salons, collector garages. Under directional lighting it is spectacular. In a working shop or a commercial kitchen it is the wrong product. A flake or quartz build will outperform it for less money, and we will say so.
The Honest Downsides
Because the effect lives in a clear layer, scratches show more than they would in flake. High gloss is slippery when wet, so anywhere shoes come in we add a fine anti-slip additive that knocks the gloss back slightly. Light and cool blends show every footprint. And a metallic floor cannot be spot-repaired invisibly the way a flake floor can. A damaged section has to be re-worked as a section.
Choosing a Blend for the Room
Basements have small windows and artificial light, and warm blends, copper, bronze, warm pewter, read far better there than the cool greys and teals that photograph beautifully in a showroom. Charcoal with pearl is the safest choice and hides dust best. If a room is going to be lit by pot lights, look at samples under pot lights, not by a window.
Want a real number for your floor?
Free site visit with a moisture reading, and a written fixed price. Across the BC Interior.