Are you interested in learning more about epoxy floors? By clicking on the link you can access our FREE 4-page troubleshooting guide for epoxy floors http://learncoatings.com/sign-up-to-my-newsletter/ Epoxy and polyurethane (PU for short) floors are the two most commonly used types of resinous industrial floors. An age old question in the industry is what are the differences between the two types of floors and when should we pick one over the other. This presentation aims to present the key differences between the two types of floors. Their differences can be identified under the following factors: 1. Durability 2. Elasticity 3. Chemical resistance 4. Moisture sensitivity 5. Curing time

1. 5 key differences between
epoxy and polyurethane
floors

2. Epoxy and polyurethane (PU for short)
floors are the two most commonly used
types of resinous industrial floors.
This presentation explains the key
differences between the two types of floor
coatings

3. IMPORTANT POINT:
This presentation focuses specifically on industrial
floor coatings
Polyurethanes and epoxies have a vast range of
applications on other types of surfaces (rooftops,
sports surfaces, screeds, metal surfaces etc) that we
don’t cover here

4. Let’s take a look at the
differences between
epoxies and polyurethane
floors

5. Operational
differences

6. Epoxy floors are usually harder than
Polyurethanes
• They have a higher compressive and impact
strength
• This makes them durable in heavy duty facilities
1. Operational Differences

7. For these reasons epoxies are
preferred in
• Warehouses
• Heavy industry
• Logistics centers
• Facilities with heavy
forklift traffic
1. Operational Differences

8. Polyurethane floors are usually softer and
elastic
• This gives them a better resistance to
scratching
• And better resistance to very low freezing
temperatures
2. Operational Differences

9. Polyurethane floors are therefore preferred
• In spaces with foot traffic
• In multideck car-parks since the elastic layer can
act as a waterproofing layer
• In freezing chambers where temperatures can
reach -30oC
2. Operational Differences

10. 2. Operational Differences
Elastic polyurethane floor
paint for a car park

11. Epoxies and Polyurethane floor surfaces may
behave differently according to what chemicals
they are exposed to
• Polyurethanes are preferred in dairy production
(milk, yoghurt, cheese) as they behave better
with organic acids
• Epoxies are preferred in industries with sulfuric
acids
• Always check with the manufacturer of the
product
3. Operational Differences

12. application
differences

13. Polyurethane floors are more sensitive to moisture.
The picture below depicts what happens when
moisture attacks an uncured PU floor
4. Application Differences

14. Epoxy resins are also sensitive to moisture but
the damage done by humidity will be far more
limited to some discoloration or blushing.
When working in environments where the
presence of humidity could become an issue,
epoxy is always the much better choice.
4. Application Differences

15. Polyurethane floors can be easily modified to
extend or limit their pot life, re-coat time as well
as the total curing time.
This flexibility enables contractors to complete
PU floors much quicker and to turn over the
floors to their customer in a much shorter period
of time.
Epoxy floors are much less flexible in this respect.
They usually require 7 days to fully cure.
5. Application Differences

16. In general polyurethanes are harder to work
with. Their limited pot life in combination with
their humidity issues require very well trained
and experienced staff.
5. Application Differences

17. Any Questions or
comments?
Please comment below!

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