08 Sep What is Urethane Cement?
What is urethane cement
Urethane Cements w/ Anti-Microbial Additives for Cleaner Facilities
What is urethane cement?
What is Urethane Cement? Urethane cement is a thick semi liquid cement mixture, which is made up of combined resins, cement, and other aggregates. This combination gives the performance benefits of resinous coatings (seamless, durable, chemical resistant, easy to clean) and maintains high durability of cement.
What advantages can urethane cement provide to a facility?
Urethane cements are the top choice for food processing facilities. After installation, urethane cement systems have a rapid return to service period that minimizes downtime. Additionally, because urethane cements are the most durable option for flooring, they will maintain their integrity longer than quarry tile or other flooring options common in food manufacturing.
Urethane cements are designed to protect concrete, wood, and steel substrates from thermal shock, impact, corrosion, chemical attack, and abrasion. Thermal shock resistance means that urethane cement can withstand high heat fluctuations underneath ovens, where hot oil spills occur, and when high pressure steam cleaning is used. It also means that temperature fluctuations will not cause a loosening of the bond to the concrete.
Urethane cements are also ideal to be installed in walk-in refrigerators and freezers. Urethane cements are moisture insensitive, meaning there is no requirement for moisture testing in the concrete and they will not lose bond from moisture vapor transmission through the concrete. For new construction, we can install over freshly poured concrete in as little as 5-7 days.
How urethane cement helps maintain high sanitation standards
When installing urethane cement, anti-microbial additives can be combined into the system for greater protection against bacteria and fungi such as mold or yeast. Urethane cements are most commonly used in commercial kitchens, restaurants, breweries, bakeries, or food manufacturing facilities, so for businesses in the food industry, urethane cements are often the first choice for a flooring system.
As an additional benefit, an integral cove can be added to this system to run up the wall 4 or 6 inches to create a seamless transition from floor to wall. This makes a truly seamless system where spills are contained and it’s easy to clean compared to tile flooring.
How do you determine if you need anti-microbial additives in your urethane cement flooring?
Each facility is unique in the amount of use it gets. For some, standard urethane cement without anti-microbial additives will work just fine. The system by itself is proven to work well and last years for food preparation facilities. The anti-microbial additive may give a customer, who has had issues in the past with cleanliness, an extra level of protection and confidence that their floor will now be easier to clean and last for years.
Who are urethane cement flooring systems best for?
Commercial kitchens, bakeries, breweries, wineries, restaurants, large food processing and/or manufacturing facilities. These facilities require FDA, USDA or other local, code approved flooring, which urethane cement is. It is priced out comparably to resurfacing pitted concrete and works as a moisture mitigation system either by itself or under another epoxy system.
If you’re still asking “what is urethane cement” contact our experts at Swedebro for more information on Urethane Cement Systems today!