Polyaspartic Coatings

A new polymer for one-day floor toppings and countertop sealers

By Bill Palmer, Concrete Network Columnist

What are polyaspartics?

What are polyaspartics used for?

Polyaspartic systems for floors

Installing polyaspartic floors

Polyaspatics compared to epoxies and polyurethanes

Polyaspartic sealers for countertops

Polyaspartic Testimonial - Grocery Store Floor


Site Advantage Chemical Coatings
Advantage Chemical Coatings

Every so often you hear about some new wonder material that sounds too good to be true—and that's usually because it isn't true. Recently there has been a lot of talk about a miraculous new concrete floor coating and sealer called polyaspartic polyurea. This material, according to its proponents, can be applied at nearly any temperature, bonds easily to nearly any concrete surface, cures to full strength within half an hour, is flexible enough to bridge small cracks, can withstand high temperatures when cured, and has superior stain and UV resistance.

Site Patty The Stamp Store Oklahoma City, OK
The Stamp Store in Oklahoma City, OK.

So, you're asking, is all that really true? After talking to lots of people, both believers and skeptics, I believe that the simple answer is, yes, it is true--BUT. The big "but" is that you must properly prepare the floor and the moisture vapor emission rate can't be too high and you need to have the proper solids content in the polyaspartic coating to allow it to wet out the concrete surface in order to develop proper bond. When those conditions are met, polyaspartic floors are extremely successful and an experienced contractor can indeed complete a floor in a single day.

But—another but—when moisture vapor emission rates are too high and when using 100% polyaspartic coatings, some floors have failed. In this piece, I'll give you both sides of the story and we'll keep you updated as this product evolves and we gain more experience.

Start by understanding that polyaspartic polyurea really is an incredible material. Invented by Bayer in Germany—the aspirin company, which is now one of the world's largest chemical companies—it has been available since the early 1990s. But only within the last two years has it been incorporated into commercial products for the concrete industry. The reported applications range from a new way to topcoat concrete floors to sealers for concrete countertops to impermeable coatings for concrete bridge beams.

In the decorative concrete arena, the most intriguing potential applications are as a replacement for epoxy/polyurethane coatings for floors and as a countertop sealer.

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