Turn square feet, coats, and kit coverage into gallons and kits for the coating under and over the flake.
Epoxy Flake Calculator
Enter the floor area and how heavily you plan to broadcast. You get the pounds of vinyl flake to buy, the likely range, and the number of boxes or bags.
Enter your floor
Example inputs
Default dimensions, allowances and prices are example inputs. Replace them with your measurements and product label. Leave unknown product limits blank.
Flake to buy
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Enter the floor area to see how much flake to buy.
- Flake before waste
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- High end of range
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- Flake cost
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- Range with waste
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- Boxes or bags
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- Planning rate
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- One box covers
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Breakdown
How the amount was worked out
- Enter the floor area to see the rate, waste, and boxes.
Next Step
Plan the base coat and topcoat with the flake
Use the estimate to narrow the resin class first. Then confirm product limits, cure behavior, and measurement assumptions before you make a buying decision.
How many pounds of flake do I need for an epoxy floor?
For a full broadcast of 1/4 in flake, plan about 12.5 lb per 100 sq ft. A 400 sq ft two-car garage needs roughly 55 lb with 10% waste, or 2 boxes of 40 lb. Smaller 1/8 in flake takes about 15 lb per 100 sq ft. A partial broadcast needs far less, around 0.3 – 1.6 lb per 100 sq ft.
| Garage | Area | Full, 1/4 in flake | Full, 1/8 in flake | Medium partial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-car (12 × 24 ft) | 288 sq ft | 40 lb (1 × 40 lb) | 48 lb (2 × 40 lb) | 2.5 lb |
| 2-car (20 × 20 ft) | 400 sq ft | 55 lb (2 × 40 lb) | 66 lb (2 × 40 lb) | 3.5 lb |
| 2-car (24 × 24 ft) | 576 sq ft | 79 lb (2 × 40 lb) | 95 lb (3 × 40 lb) | 5.1 lb |
| 3-car (24 × 36 ft) | 864 sq ft | 119 lb (3 × 40 lb) | 143 lb (4 × 40 lb) | 7.6 lb |
Planning rates with a 10% waste allowance. Your flake supplier's rate for the exact blend and size takes priority.
Flake broadcast rates by density and flake size
A full broadcast covers the base coat completely, so the amount depends on chip size: smaller chips pack tighter and weigh more per square foot. A partial broadcast leaves the base color showing, and the amount depends on how much of it you want to see.
| Broadcast | Flake size | Per 100 sq ft | What the floor looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 1/4 in | 10 – 15 lb | No base color showing. The most common garage look. |
| Full | 1/8 in | 12 – 18 lb | Finer, denser pattern. Common in commercial spaces. |
| Full | 1/16 in | 20 – 30 lb | Very fine, almost granite-like texture. |
| Heavy partial | Any | 1.2 – 1.6 lb | Dense flecks, base color still visible. |
| Medium partial | Any | 0.6 – 1 lb | Base color and flake share the surface. |
| Light partial | Any | 0.3 – 0.5 lb | Scattered flecks on a solid-color floor. |
Full-broadcast rates follow Miracote's installation guideline (0.12 lb/sq ft for 1/4 in chips, 0.15 lb/sq ft for 1/8 in) and a Torginol quantity guide (12.5, 15 and 25 lb per 100 sq ft). Partial rates follow ArmorPoxy's 1, 2 and 3–4 lb per 250 sq ft.
Full broadcast or partial broadcast?
- Full broadcast covers the base coat completely and gives the most texture underfoot. It also uses ten to thirty times more flake than a partial broadcast and needs a clear topcoat over the chips.
- Partial broadcast keeps the base color as the main look. It uses so little flake that one box can cover several garages.
- In a full broadcast you throw flake until the wet base coat cannot hold any more. Miracote notes that very little of the scraped-up excess can be reused because the chips break, so buy for the full amount.
- You still need the base coat and topcoat. Work out their gallons separately in the epoxy floor coverage calculator.
Sources and method
The calculator multiplies the floor area by a broadcast rate in pounds per square foot, adds your waste allowance, and rounds up to whole boxes. The planning rate is in the middle of the published range. The comparison also shows the high end, which is what a heavy hand uses. Rates come from one manufacturer's installation guide and two sellers' guides, so check them against your own supplier.
- Miracote: MiraFlor Flake Full Broadcast installation guideline (manufacturer, rev. 04.10.20)
- Fidelio: Torginol vinyl flake quantity guide per 100 sq ft (distributor listing)
- ArmorPoxy: light, medium, heavy and full flake coverage (kit seller)
Mils and mm for primers, flake base coats, self-leveling and mortar systems.
How to set the inputs
- Measure the floor you will coat and leave out areas under cabinets or steps.
- Pick full broadcast if no base color should show; otherwise pick the partial density you want.
- For full broadcast, choose the flake size. Smaller chips need more pounds for the same area.
- Enter the box or bag size your supplier sells. Miracote ships its chips in 55 lb boxes, and partial broadcast blends are often sold in smaller bags.
Mistakes that waste flake
- Buying partial-broadcast quantities for a floor you want fully covered.
- Planning to reuse scraped-up excess flake in a full broadcast.
- Letting the base coat start to set before the flake goes on, so the chips do not stick.
- Forgetting the clear topcoat that a full broadcast needs over the chips.
Before you order flake
- Confirm the flake blend and size with your supplier before ordering several boxes.
- Keep all boxes from the same batch, or mix them together, so the color stays even.
- Plan to broadcast one section at a time while the base coat is still wet.
- Have a floor scraper and vacuum ready to remove loose chips before the topcoat.
FAQ
Epoxy flake questions
How much flake do I need for a 2-car garage?
For a 400 sq ft garage, about 55 lb of 1/4 in flake for a full broadcast, or 79 lb for a 576 sq ft (24 × 24 ft) garage. A medium partial broadcast needs only about 3.5 lb for 400 sq ft. For the base coat, the two-car garage epoxy calculator works out the gallons.
Does flake size change how much I need?
Yes, for a full broadcast. Smaller chips cover the base coat with less gap between them, so they weigh more per square foot: about 12.5 lb per 100 sq ft for 1/4 in, 15 lb for 1/8 in, and 25 lb for 1/16 in.
Can I reuse the extra flake after a full broadcast?
Plan not to. After the base coat cures, the loose chips are scraped and vacuumed off. Many of them break in the process, and Miracote's installation guideline says recovery is very low.
Do flakes make the floor thicker?
They add texture, but nobody measures them as film thickness. The film comes from the base coat and the clear topcoat that locks the chips in, so each of those needs its own coverage estimate.
Related Pages
Related calculators and guides
How much epoxy a garage or basement floor needs: turn square feet, coats, and your kit's coverage rate into gallons and kits to buy, with waste and material cost.
Epoxy garage floor cost: $4–$10 per sq ft installed, about $1,600–$4,000 for a 400 sq ft 2-car garage. Compare DIY kits, flake, metallic, and polyaspartic.
Estimate epoxy quantity and material cost for a two-car garage floor using square footage, coat count, coverage rate, and waste.
How to epoxy a garage floor step by step: moisture test, grinding, mixing, coating, and cure times by temperature, with a timeline and a materials list.
Epoxy floors run from about 3 dry mils per coat for water-based kits to 1/4 inch for mortar. Thickness by system in mils and mm, wet vs dry film, and what each floor needs.
How thick is epoxy? Typical thickness for garage floors (10-20 mils), tabletops (1/8 inch), and deep pours, plus square feet per gallon at every thickness.
Reviewed · Calculation notes and corrections