Barn to be Styled:
Metallic Epoxy in a Rustic Barn

A barn with a concrete floor
Photos courtesy of Quality Epoxy

Recently, I received a call from a potential customer who had just bought a home and a barn was part of the deal. The barn was quite old and unique, to say the least. The customers wanted me to install metallic epoxy in a rustic barn floor to match the color of the barn’s wood. They were very adamant about what they did and didn’t want.

When I arrived to assess the project, the color combo for the job was very clear. Obviously, the grays were out. Same went for exotic colors … which meant the only choice left was earth tones. No surprise there.

Copper and onyx metallic colors were added to complement the barn's exterior.
The right combination of the earth tones of Burlywood, Copper and Onyx were mixed to match the barn’s exterior.

I decided to use Burlywood, Copper and Onyx. Whenever you go with multiple colors you really need to know which one will be the dominant color and which ones would be accents. To best match the grain of the wood, Burlywood and Copper would comprise most of the mix with just a splash of Onyx to capture both the black and burned wood look.

After measuring the barn to get the total square footage, I determined the total number of 1.5-gallon epoxy kits (Part A and Part B) I needed for the job and then I counted backwards for the breakdown. For example if this job took 10 kits then my breakdown would be five Burlywood, four Copper and one Onyx.

This metallic epoxy floor has a charred wood look that matches the barnwood on the exterior.
Going easy on the black pigment let the floor mirror the charred look of the barn’s wood.

There is no magic formula I can pass on to you. For each kit, I use one jar of powder. As an artist, you have to eyeball the project and adjust as you go, adding a little more color here or there. You have to remember that Onyx is a very dominant color so you want to use it sparingly. Make sure you don’t over-add black because it would overtake the entire floor and that wouldn’t be good.

This was a really fun job for the wife and me. I’m extremely happy to say this job was spot on and everyone loved how the metallic epoxy floor turned out.

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