Polyurea Coating

Polyurea Coating

Polyurea is a two-component system that when mixed together creates one of the most durable coating applications available in the market place.

As a fast curing, thick film coating, polyurea is a logical solution when seamless, durable membranes are needed for waterproofing and protective purposes. Additional characteristics such as slip-resistant additives and surface textures can also be incorporated. It can be coloured and is even available in a potable water approved formulation. With such a wide range of performance characteristics, the range of suitable applications is also broad. Tank linings, secondary containment and bridge coatings, car park surfaces, water storage pits are some of the most popular uses, but the application possibilities are endless.

Perhaps its greatest advantage is that it sets up extremely quickly, allowing the applicator to build up a finished thickness in a single pass. This allows the owner to put their asset back in service faster than traditional coatings, saving days or even weeks of revenue lost due to down-time.

Why Use Polyurea?

This coating has superior durability and performance compared to epoxy and urethane coatings, but with added flexibility for natural movement within the body of the material.

Polyurea has a fast cure time and is relatively insensitive to moisture, ambient temperatures and weather changes, which makes it ideal for coatings on large surface area projects.

The reactivity time for Polyurea is around 5 seconds, which allows it to be applied to virtually any thickness in one application. It is touch dry and trafficable in less than 5 minutes and fully cured within 1 hour.

Polyurea can be sprayed on site and in remote locations for the premium protection for your vital equipment and infrastructure.

Should you want to enquire about using this product on your project and are unsure of its suitability for your needs, please don’t hesitate to contact us as we happy to discuss its potential with you.

Polyurea is exploding in popularity, primarily due to the wide variety of positive attributes it exhibits.

Polyurea will adhere to virtually any substrate (concrete, metal, wood, etc.) in a wide variety of conditions and environments. Its greatest advantage over traditional systems is the speed in which it can be installed, with coverage of up to 1000m2/day and a cure time of 1 hour we can save you days or even weeks of downtime.

Additionally, Polyurea can be formulated in any colour that you require and can be rigid or flexible depending on your application needs.

Major Benefits of Polyurea

• A rapid cure competitively priced proven waterproofing system
• Long term waterproofing protection of the structure
• Proven performance
• Low permeability
• Seamless application of the coating system to a range of areas
• Low temperature application
• Hard wearing application

Polyurea coating for protection in the most demanding environments

Polyurea coating has been on the Singapore market since the 1980s, but due to its durability, flexibility, and versatility new applications for this coating are being found all the time. It is currently used across industries for waterproofing, corrosion protection, containment of water as well as chemical and toxic substances, flooring, and mechanical equipment, just to name a few. Polyurea coating is also flexible regarding substrates; it is applicable on concrete, metals, wood, plaster, plastics, and many more substrates.

A polyurea coating is the result of a reaction between an isocyanate and a resin blend, which forms a plastic- or rubber-like compound. This elastomer can be used in similar ways to other technologies like polyurethane and epoxy, but the protection it provides combines the best aspects of both these coatings. Polyurea is used for everything from mining equipment and pipeline coating to playground fixtures, waterproof tank linings, asbestos encapsulation, and more.

Polyurea spray coating application methods and equipment

Polyurea coating predominantly comes in a form applicable by spray; polyurea hotspray. However, it can be modified to be applied by roller; this is called polyaspartic polyurea and is the aliphatic form of polyurea. It is commonly used as a floor coating for interiors and exteriors.

Industrial Polyurea Hotspray

“Hotspray” is another name for the polyurea spraying process, because polyurea coating is most effective when heated to 60-70°C. The reaction that creates a polyurea coating is immediate, and it starts to cure in seconds. So, in order to achieve the heat and speed requirements, the two components are pumped into a special spray gun through heated hoses. The components mix within the gun chamber where the reaction starts, the mixture then is sprayed immediately onto the substrate. This ensures the best performance from the coating, and the strongest physical properties. Polyurea hotspray coating is a precision business, and should be applied by trained, professional applicators.

As well as being suitable for application across many substrates, polyurea hot spray coating is suitable for application across a wide range of temperature and humidity environments; therefore, it suitable for example on pipelines as exterior coating. It is applicable in sub-zero temperatures, or on damp substrates without affecting its effectiveness. It can also be applied at any thickness, in a single coat application.

5 benefits of polyurea coating for your project

Polyurea is a coating of choice in commercial, industrial, marine, and residential applications because it has many advantages compared to its alternatives. These include:

1. Waterproof and corrosion protection: Polyurea coatings have moisture insensitivity/resistance. They have low permeability and are also resilient to water, providing corrosion protection. Therefore, they are also used as tank linings.
2. Minimum downtime: A curing time from 30 seconds to 2 minutes means there is an almost immediate return-to-service time, and downtime is many times less than with another paint.
3. Strength and flexibility: Polyurea has a high polymeric elongation meaning that it stretches as well as resists punctures and tears.
4. 100% solids: With a 1:1 volume ratio, the need for extra coats is eliminated, and the lack of solvents means it also VOC free and environmentally friendly.
5. High resistance: A polyurea coating provides chemical, abrasion, and UV resistance, as well as being able to withstand extreme temperature changes.

Note that epoxies and urethanes also possess the same properties, but not in a single coating. Polyurea coating is the only solution that has all the aforementioned benefits and can be applied fast avoiding downtime.

Polyurea coatings in comparison to other coatings

Why would you choose for polyurea coating instead of a more traditional coating like epoxy? While other coatings have their own benefits, polyurea outperforms them in certain areas.

• Polyurea vs. Polyurethane:
  Though these coatings are related (both isocyanate-based), they have many differences. When being applied polyurethane based coatings are sensitive to temperature and moisture, where polyurea is not. Polyurea is elastic and can stretch, but polyurethane cannot. It also has a higher tensile strength.
• Polyurea vs. Cementitious:
  Unsurprisingly, cementitious coatings provide little give, and have far longer setting times than polyurea. All cementitious coatings have long setting and curing times.
• Polyurea vs. Epoxy:
  Epoxies are sensitive to temperature, humidity and moisture during application, with longer cure times than polyurea. Epoxy coatings are not flexible with the expansion of a substrate, and UV radiation will cause it to discolour, unlike polyurea.

In short, choose a polyurea coating when you require a very fast turn around in application, as well as when the application environment is moisture-laden, humid, below freezing, or hot. Polyurea is also preferable when you need a coating that can flex with the expansion of a substrate, or want a super hard-wearing level of abrasion resistance.