Metallic Epoxy in Kelso, WA, Starting With a Hard Look at the Slab

Is a metallic floor a good idea on a slab poured in 1965? Sometimes. That is the most honest answer we can give anyone in Kelso, and it is why the estimate matters more for this system than for any other we sell. Metallic pigment floats in clear epoxy and moves wherever the surface tilts. A dip, a crack or a bump becomes a feature whether you want it or not.

The best Kelso candidates are usually up the hill. Ranches in North Kelso and Lexington have single and two-car garages from the 60s and 70s, and many owners turn them into a man cave, a studio or a clean space for a car they care about. Those slabs are often flat enough to start with. Garages down in the flats near the Cowlitz River take more work.

Why a Swirled Floor Needs a Flatter Base Than Chips Do

Flake hides flaws. Metallic shows them. We pour 100% solids epoxy carrying metallic pigment, then hand-work it so it swirls, pools and ripples into a pattern no other floor will ever have. The build is 40 to 60 mils, thick enough to look like poured glass. Any settling crack under it shows as a line, so cracks get filled, ground flat and primed before color goes down.

On top goes a polyaspartic coat that keeps the finish from yellowing and makes it easy to mop. The floor is glass-smooth, so in a garage we can add a fine grit to the topcoat for grip if you plan to walk in with wet boots. Expect two to three days of install and three to five days of cure. It carries the same 15-year warranty as our other epoxy floors.

Our Metallic Epoxy Floors System

Materials: Metallic pigment, 100% solids clear epoxy, polyaspartic topcoat
Thickness: 40-60 mils
Install time: 2-3 days
Cure time: 3-5 days
Warranty: 15 years

Glass-smooth finish. UV-stable topcoat. High-traffic rated.

Older Kelso Concrete, Damp Air and Slow Cures

Kelso sits in a river valley, and that shows up in the cure. Valley fog plus months of winter rain keep humidity up, and mornings are colder than in Vancouver, so a metallic job here can lean toward the full five days. In South Kelso and other low ground near the river the water table is high, which means a moisture test before we commit to a clear system. Tired slabs in Downtown Kelso usually need patching and a self-leveling skim. It is roughly 40 minutes from our shop to exit 39, and we usually stay through each pour to manage the pattern.

Kelso Neighborhoods We Cover

North Kelso, Lexington, Downtown Kelso, South Kelso, Rose Valley

What a Metallic Floor Runs on a Kelso Ranch Garage

Metallic is $9 to $16 a square foot. A typical two-car hillside garage at 400 to 500 square feet comes out between $3,600 and $8,000. A smaller single-car space converted into a studio costs less in total but rarely drops below the per-foot floor. Leveling a tired slab in the flats moves the price toward the upper end. You get a fixed figure after we measure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the cracks in my 1960s Lexington garage show through a metallic finish?

If we skip prep, yes. Every crack gets opened, filled with a rigid filler and ground flush before the metallic coat. A crack that is still moving can come back as a hairline, and we will tell you which ones look active. That is the main thing we check for on the walkthrough.

Is metallic epoxy too slick for a garage in a town this rainy?

Bare metallic is smooth, and wet tires make any smooth floor slick. For a garage that sees rain on the car most of the winter, we add a fine aggregate to the polyaspartic topcoat. It barely changes the look and gives your shoes something to grip. Basements and studios usually skip it.

Does the Cowlitz River fog slow down the install?

It can. Humid, cold air slows the epoxy cure, so in a Kelso winter we ask you to keep the space closed and warm, ideally over 55 degrees. We plan on the longer end of the three to five day cure. May through September gives the smoothest cure.

Can I pick the colors and the pattern?

You pick the colors, usually two or three, and the general style, like a marble look, a lava swirl or soft clouds. The exact pattern comes out of how the pigment moves on your floor that day. At the estimate we bring photos of metallic floors our own crew has poured so you know what to expect.

Would a pole barn in Rose Valley be a good fit for metallic?

Usually not. Owner-poured shop floors out there tend to be wavy, and leveling 1,000-plus square feet before a metallic pour adds a lot of cost. Flake is the better shop floor for most people. If the barn is really a showroom for a collection, we can talk through it.

Nearby Cities Where We Also Install Metallic Epoxy Floors