Benefits of Urethane Mortars vs. Epoxy
by Daniel Owen - R&D Leader, Specialty Flooring
If you work in the industry of concrete coatings, you are probably aware that choosing the correct system for a flooring project can be the deciding factor in the success or failure of a project. Certainly this is the case when we are talking about the critical needs of any floor that will be subjected to extreme conditions.
The physical properties of urethane mortar systems are far superior to that of epoxy systems when it comes to specific applications such as heavy-duty industrial food processing, pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities, breweries or meat, fish and dairy processing plants. The standard system application for projects such as these, for many years, has been epoxy mortar. However in the last few years, urethane mortars have proven to be far better suited for these types of applications.
Epoxy systems often cannot withstand severe conditions such as radical temperature changes, extreme temperatures, chemical attack and thermal shock. This results in failures and an unhappy customer. In contrast, urethane mortars are ideal for these demanding environments. The reason that urethane mortars perform better in areas that are subjected to thermal shock is because their coefficient thermal expansion is similar to that of concrete. The chemistry of urethane mortar systems also allow them to withstand temperatures up to 250° where typical epoxy resins are closer to 160°. In addition to their suitability for high needs environments, urethane mortar is also non-toxic, low-odor and high-solids.
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