Urethane Cement

What makes urethane cement so reliable? This coating carries very similar physical properties of concrete in relation to abrasion resistance, hardness, tensile strength, compressive strength, and has increased flexural strength. When the concrete substrate is properly prepared and the system is properly installed, a urethane cement system has a long term adhesion bond with the substrate, which prevents system failure from a wide variety of conditions.

In short, the similarity in properties between urethane cement and concrete solves energy displacement. How does it solve energy displacement? When there is impact to the surface of a urethane cement coating, since the properties are similar to concrete, the shock is absorbed equally in the coating and the concrete so the coating system stays bonded to the substrate. When you have an epoxy system, that system is actually harder and more brittle than concrete, if it receives the same impact as the first example, the energy from the impact is displaced differently through the epoxy and the substrate. Because of the different rates of energy displacement, the epoxy system can crack or delaminate from the substrate. These same property similarities and energy displacement also explain why urethane cement can withstand very high temperature and thermal shock resistance without system failure.

Urethane cement is ideal for demanding environments found in both food and chemical processing facilities. These systems have very high chemical resistance and tolerance to moisture, as well as, a seamless surface so that the floor surface is less susceptible to harboring contaminants. Installing a urethane cement system improves safety, productivity and cleanability of your facility. It is acceptable for use in USDA and FDA inspected facilities. There is also an optional antimicrobial additive.

Urethane cement’s tolerance to moisture and moisture vapor transmission makes it the only viable flooring choice for many facilities. In the food processing industry, conditions in the facilities are typically extremely wet environments. Urethane cement systems are considered a submersible product so they can withstand the constant moisture exposure. In addition, the system has excellent non-slip qualities to improve overall safety in a facility, and especially in wet environments.

Colorado has a lot of moisture vapor transmission issues due to the fluctuation of environmental temperatures, an arid climate, and high water tables. Moisture vapor transmission is the drive of moisture from the ground up through the concrete. Urethane cement is unaffected by the moisture vapor transmission because it’s a reservoir system that displaces moisture. This system can be used as a stand-alone high performance product that provides moisture remediation for problem slabs, or it can be used as a moisture vapor control system with a decorative system over the top.

Most epoxy flooring systems, if applied directly to a substrate with high moisture vapor transmission, when the vapor turns to water and gets trapped at the epoxy adhesion point to the substrate, the moisture eventually causes system failure and delamination. With epoxy, you frequently have to install an additional moisture vapor mitigation system to prevent this. Moisture vapor transmission is much more common than most people think.