Polyaspartic & polyurea coatings
Fast turnarounds and cold-weather installs where the space cannot be out of use for long.
What it is
What polyaspartic & polyurea actually is.
A fast-curing topcoat chemistry, usually laid over an epoxy or polyaspartic base with a flake or quartz broadcast between them. Two things distinguish it: it cures fast enough to hand a space back the same day, and it is UV stable, so it does not amber the way a standard epoxy does under daylight.
Where we are the right call
- Spaces that have to be back in use the same day or the next
- Cold-weather installs where an epoxy would not cure reliably
- Floors exposed to daylight, where epoxy would amber over time
- Commercial areas with a single short shutdown window
Where we will tell you something else
- Heavy industrial floors needing the build of an epoxy mortar
- Food and beverage production, which needs urethane cement
- Slabs where the real constraint is moisture rather than schedule
- Anyone told it installs at −40°F — that figure is wrong and we will not repeat it
Specification
What it is rated for.
| Build thickness | 20–30 mils as a full system |
|---|---|
| Surface preparation | Diamond grinding to CSP 2–3 |
| Temperature range | Rated to approximately 30°F with the slab 5°F above dew point. Claims of −40°F are not supported by manufacturer data |
| Cure | Recoat in 1–2 hrs · foot traffic 10–14 hrs · vehicles 24–48 hrs |
| UV stability | Does not yellow in daylight, unlike a standard epoxy topcoat |
| Chemical resistance | Good against brine, oil and most automotive fluids; epoxy remains better against some solvents |
| Warranty | Written workmanship warranty, terms by system |
How a commercial job runs
Four stages, and you know when you get the space back.
Stage 01
Site assessment
We walk the building, test the slab for moisture and dew point, review chemical exposure and agree the shutdown window. You get a written scope, not a number on a card.
On site, no obligationStage 02
Preparation
Diamond grinding or shot blasting to profile, crack and joint repair, and HEPA extraction so the rest of the building stays open.
Dust contained · CSP 2–3Stage 03
Installation
Base coat, broadcast and topcoat, phased by bay or zone. Overnight and weekend work where production cannot stop.
Phased by zoneStage 04
Return to service
Foot traffic the following morning, vehicles and racking the day after. Cold slabs cure slower and we tell you the real number.
10–14 hrs foot · 24–48 hrs loadCommon questions
What people ask about this system.
Is polyaspartic better than epoxy?
Different, not better. Polyaspartic cures faster, handles cold better and does not yellow in daylight. Epoxy builds thicker and is more chemically resistant against some solvents. Most floors we lay use both: an epoxy base for build, a polyaspartic topcoat for speed and UV stability.
How cold can you install it?
About 30°F, with the slab at least 5°F above the dew point. You will see −40°F quoted around this industry; every manufacturer data sheet we work from puts the floor near 30°F, and we would rather tell you the real number than win the job on the wrong one.
Can you really finish in one day?
For a typical garage or a single commercial zone, yes — the recoat window is one to two hours, so base, broadcast and topcoat all go down in a day. Grinding and repair still take the time they take, so a slab needing real prep work is honestly two.
How much of my building has to stop?
As little as we can engineer. Almost all of our commercial work is phased — one bay, one zone or one room at a time — so the whole facility is never down at once. We agree the sequence and the hand-back times at the walk-through and put them in the proposal, which means you can plan around a number rather than a promise.
How quickly can we use the floor again?
Foot traffic roughly 10 to 14 hours after the last coat, vehicles, racking and equipment after 24 to 48 hours, both at 70°F. A cold slab is slower and we will tell you the real figure for your building rather than the data-sheet one.
Do you work nights, weekends and shutdowns?
Yes, and on most commercial jobs that is how we prefer to run it. Off-shift work is normal scheduling for us rather than an exception we charge extra to accommodate. Holiday and summer shutdown windows are the easiest of all to plan against.
Can you install in winter?
In a heated interior, year-round — and winter is often the best time to book institutional and municipal work, because the building is quiet and our calendar is not competing with the summer rush. Polyaspartic systems install down to about 30°F with the slab 5°F above dew point. You may see −40°F claimed elsewhere in this industry; it is not supported by any manufacturer data sheet we work from.
The last coating failed. Why would this be different?
Nearly every failure we are called in to replace comes down to one of three things: the slab was acid etched or not prepared at all, nobody tested it for moisture, or the joints were coated over instead of being repaired. We grind or shot blast to a measured profile, we test and record moisture and dew point before anything goes down, and we treat joints as a separate detail.
What does a site assessment involve?
About an hour on site. We test the slab for moisture, look at the joints, the drains and the thresholds, ask what gets spilled on the floor and what cleans it, and talk through when the space can realistically be released. You get a written scope with a system recommendation and a phasing plan. There is no obligation and no pressure to decide on the spot.
Next step
Book a site assessment.
We walk the building, test the slab, and put a written scope and a realistic shutdown plan in front of you. No obligation, and if the timing or the system is wrong for your space we will say so.