Polyurethane concrete flooring

Polyurethane concrete flooring is a heavy-duty floor made from polyurethane resin, cement and graded aggregate, built to take forklift traffic, thermal shock, hot washdown and aggressive chemicals. Food plants, cold stores, chemical works and production halls use it where epoxy would crack or wear through. 2EP Zemin lays it in Türkiye and abroad, including a PU concrete floor at Süleymaniye–Kirkuk, Iraq, for Dalotürk İnşaat.

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What is polyurethane concrete flooring?

Polyurethane concrete flooring is a three-component system: a polyurethane resin, a hardener and a cement-based powder filled with graded aggregate. Mixed on site, it cures into a dense floor that behaves much like concrete under temperature changes, so it stays bonded where other resins would shear off.

Prepared substrate. Concrete shot blasted or ground to a clean, open surface, with anchor grooves cut at edges, drains and joints so the floor cannot lift at its free edges.
Primer or scratch coat. Seals the concrete and gives the main layer a firm key.
Main layer. Trowelled as a heavy-duty screed or poured as a self-levelling layer, depending on the use.
Finish. Left smooth for dry areas, or broadcast with aggregate and sealed with a topcoat for slip resistance in wet areas.
Coving. Where hygiene demands it, the floor turns up the wall in a seamless cove so dirt cannot collect in the corner.

Typical thickness

Thickness depends on the product and the duty. As a general range, flowable self-levelling grades typically go down at about 4 to 6 mm, while trowelled heavy-duty grades are laid at around 6 to 9 mm, and thicker where the floor takes very hot water or heavy impact. Thicker builds generally tolerate a wider temperature range.

Water-based and solvent-free

Many polyurethane cement systems are water-based and solvent-free, with little odour during installation. That matters when a food plant or a building next door stays in use while the floor goes down.

PU concrete, polyurethane cement flooring and epoxy compared

PU concrete, polyurethane cement flooring and urethane cement are names for the same family of floors. They differ from epoxy in one important way: their thermal behaviour is close to that of concrete, so they handle sudden temperature changes, hot spills and steam cleaning that would crack or debond an epoxy floor.

Thermal shock: PU concrete takes boiling water, steam and cold-store temperatures; most epoxies soften or crack under them.
Moisture in the slab: PU cement tolerates more residual moisture than most epoxies, and some systems can go down on concrete as young as seven days.
Chemicals: PU concrete resists a wider range of organic acids, fats and sugars found in food processing.
Finish and colour: epoxy gives a glossier finish and more colour choice; PU concrete is matt and offered in a limited palette.
Cost: epoxy is usually cheaper per m² for light-duty areas where thermal shock is not a factor.

Against decorative floors

In public and office areas the floor is part of the design, and epoxy terrazzo is the stronger choice. Many buildings combine the two: terrazzo in lobbies, corridors and front-of-house, PU concrete in kitchens, plant rooms, production and loading areas.

How to choose

Start with the conditions on the floor: the heaviest load, the hottest and coldest temperature, the chemicals and the cleaning method. If any of these exceed what epoxy can take, specify polyurethane concrete flooring. If they do not, and appearance or cost matter more, a self-levelling or multi layer epoxy may be enough.

Where PU concrete is used

PU concrete is used wherever a floor faces heavy traffic together with heat, water or chemicals. Typical areas are food and beverage production, commercial kitchens, cold stores and freezers, dairies, breweries, chemical and pharmaceutical plants, laboratories, workshops and heavy production halls.

Food and beverage

Floors in food plants are washed down daily, often with hot water and steam, and take spills of fats, sugars, milk, blood and fruit acids. A seamless, impermeable PU cement floor with coved upstands gives bacteria nowhere to settle and survives the cleaning regime.

Cold stores and freezers

Thicker PU concrete builds handle sub-zero service temperatures and the thermal shock of doors opening and trucks entering, where most resin floors would crack.

Chemical, pharmaceutical and laboratory

Chemical resistance protects the slab underneath from corrosive spills, and the dense surface is easy to keep clean to the standards of a regulated production area.

Production, automotive and defence

Forklifts, pallet trucks and dropped parts damage softer floors quickly. Our references include the CKD building at Türk Traktör in Ankara and a floor for Balaban İnşaat at the DHMİ (General Directorate of State Airports Authority) in Ankara, and we have laid polyurethane concrete for Aselsan and MAN Türkiye. In our experience, defence-industry projects in Türkiye mostly specify PU concrete and antistatic epoxy.

Projects abroad

For Dalotürk İnşaat we laid polyurethane concrete flooring at Süleymaniye–Kirkuk, Iraq.

Performance: heat, chemicals, wear and hygiene

The main strengths of polyurethane concrete flooring are its resistance to thermal shock, chemicals and abrasion, combined with a seamless, impermeable surface. These properties hold together, which is why the system is chosen for floors that face several hazards at once.

Thermal shock: coefficient of expansion close to concrete, so the floor stays bonded through sudden heating and cooling.
Service temperature: depending on product and thickness, typically from freezer temperatures up to hot washdown, with the thickest builds rated for the highest temperatures.
Chemical resistance: high resistance to many acids, alkalis, solvents, oils and fats.
Abrasion and impact: hard aggregate in a tough resin matrix takes forklift traffic and dropped loads.
Slip resistance: the surface texture can be set to the use, from smooth for dry areas to coarse for wet, greasy floors.
Hygiene: seamless and non-porous, does not support bacterial growth, and suits steam and pressurised hot-water cleaning.
Fast return to service: cures quickly, so areas can reopen sooner than with many alternatives.

What it does not do

PU concrete is a functional floor. Its colour range is limited and it can yellow or change shade under UV light, which matters little in a production hall but rules it out as a decorative finish. Colour consistency between batches is also less precise than with epoxy, so large areas are laid in planned bays.

Exact figures for temperature range, chemical resistance and compressive strength come from the product data sheet for the system specified, and should be checked against the duty of each area.

Antistatic epoxy flooring for defence and electronics

Antistatic epoxy flooring carries static charge from people, trolleys and equipment safely to earth, so it cannot build up and discharge into sensitive electronics or ignite flammable vapour. In our experience it is, alongside PU concrete, the floor that defence-industry projects in Türkiye ask for most.

How it works

The system is a two-component, self-levelling epoxy made conductive with carbon fibres or similar fillers. Beneath it, a primer, copper busbars and a conductive intermediate layer connect the floor to the building's earthing points. Static charge flows through the coating into the busbars and away to earth.

Where it is used

Electronics production, assembly and storage
Printed-circuit plants and clean rooms
Explosives and munitions production and storage
Fuel stores and areas where flammable gases are handled or filled
Data and server rooms

Conductive or dissipative

Antistatic floors come in grades with different electrical resistance. Conductive grades are generally used where explosives or flammable atmospheres are present; static-dissipative grades suit most electronics work. The required range comes from the client's specification and the relevant ESD standard, and the floor should be tested against it after installation.

Our work

We have laid antistatic epoxy at Aselsan Macunköy in Ankara for Sun İnşaat, and chemical-resistant self-levelling epoxy in the printed-circuit area at Aselsan Macunköy. More detail is on our Turkish page on antistatic epoxy flooring.

How a PU concrete floor is installed

Installation generally follows this order: survey, preparation, anchor grooves, primer, main layer, finish and coving. Preparation decides how the floor performs, and most early failures of PU concrete trace back to it.

Survey. Slab strength, moisture, falls to drains and existing joints are typically checked, and the duty is agreed: loads, temperatures, chemicals and cleaning.
Preparation. The slab is shot blasted or ground to remove laitance, contamination and old coatings. Our page on shot blasting floor preparation is in Turkish.
Anchor grooves. Grooves are cut along edges, around drains and at day joints so the floor is locked into the slab at every free edge.
Repairs and primer. Cracks, holes and joints are treated, then the primer or scratch coat is applied.
Main layer. The three components are mixed in measured batches and trowelled or poured to the specified thickness.
Finish. For wet areas, aggregate is broadcast into the surface and sealed with a topcoat.
Coving and drains. Coves are formed at walls and plinths, and the floor is detailed into drains and channels.
Cure and handover. The floor takes foot traffic quickly and vehicle traffic after a short cure, depending on temperature and product.

In plants that cannot stop, the work is usually phased by zone or timed to shutdown windows agreed with the client, with day joints placed where the floor layout allows.

What drives the price of polyurethane cement flooring

The price of polyurethane cement flooring per m² depends on the duty the floor must meet and the condition of the slab. We quote each project from a survey or detailed photos and drawings, not from a price list.

Area: larger areas spread mobilisation and set-up costs, so the cost per m² falls.
Substrate condition: old coatings, oil contamination, cracks and weak concrete add preparation and repair work.
Thickness: the build rises with temperature and impact demands, and so does the material cost.
System and finish: self-levelling, trowelled or textured, with or without a topcoat.
Detailing: coves, upstands, drains, channels and movement joints all add linear work.
Colour: standard colours cost less than special shades.
Site conditions: a working plant, shutdown windows, night or weekend shifts and climate control affect the programme.
Timeline and location: a short programme may need more crews; work abroad adds travel, freight and customs.

Lifetime cost

In food and chemical plants, a floor that fails means a shutdown, lost production and repeat preparation. A PU concrete floor that matches the real duty usually costs more to install than epoxy but avoids those repairs. Ask us to compare both systems for your floor and we will set out where each fits.

Care, maintenance and service life

PU concrete is cleaned with the methods food and industrial plants already use: scrubber-driers, pressurised hot water and steam, with detergents suited to the soil. The seamless surface leaves no joints for dirt to collect in.

Remove spills of aggressive chemicals promptly, even on a resistant floor.
Choose the cleaning chemical and brush to suit the surface texture, so textured floors stay slip resistant.
Keep drains and channels clear so water does not stand on the floor.
Inspect coves, drain edges and joints, where wear and impact show first.

Repairs

Local damage, such as a gouge from a dropped part, can be cut out and patched with the same system. Because the floor is anchored at every edge, a repair does not lift the surrounding area.

Service life

A polyurethane concrete floor sized to its duty and laid on a properly prepared slab is a long-term floor. Service life depends on traffic, chemicals, temperature and cleaning, and on matching the thickness to them. A topcoat on textured floors may need renewing in the most heavily used areas over time.

The facility team should keep written cleaning and inspection guidance for the system and finish installed, and record repairs so wear patterns show up over time.

Our polyurethane concrete flooring work and how to get a quote

Our PU concrete references include Süleymaniye–Kirkuk, Iraq, for Dalotürk İnşaat, the Türk Traktör CKD building in Ankara and the DHMİ floor in Ankara for Balaban İnşaat. More jobs are on our projects page.

Floor area, location and target start date
Use of the space and the heaviest traffic: foot, pallet truck, forklift
Highest and lowest temperatures, including washdown water
Chemicals spilled or used for cleaning
Slab age and condition, existing coatings, and photos
Any antistatic or ESD requirement

Send the details to info@2epyapi.com or phone +90 312 276 13 76; our English home page lists the full contact details. We reply with a proposed system and an offer.

If a specification is already written, we align our proposal with it; where the duty is still open, we propose a build-up from the conditions you describe. On defence and other secure sites, tell us the access and security procedures at the start, because they shape the programme and site planning. If the building also has front-of-house areas, we can price epoxy terrazzo for them in the same offer.

Frequently asked questions

What is PU concrete?

PU concrete is a floor made from polyurethane resin, cement and graded aggregate, mixed on site and trowelled or poured onto a concrete slab. It is also called polyurethane cement flooring or urethane cement. It is used in food plants, kitchens, cold stores, chemical works and production halls because it takes thermal shock, hot washdown, chemicals and heavy traffic. The finish ranges from smooth to coarse, depending on the area.

How thick is polyurethane concrete flooring?

Thickness depends on the product and the duty. As a general guide, flowable self-levelling grades are typically laid at about 4 to 6 mm, and trowelled heavy-duty grades at around 6 to 9 mm. Floors that take very hot water, steam or heavy impact are laid thicker, since a thicker build generally gives a wider service temperature range. The thickness is set from the conditions on the floor, and the figure varies with the system.

What is the difference between PU concrete and epoxy?

PU concrete behaves like concrete under temperature change, so it handles thermal shock, steam cleaning and hot spills that crack or debond epoxy. It also tolerates more slab moisture and resists the organic acids found in food processing. Epoxy gives a glossier finish, more colours and a lower price for light-duty dry areas. The choice depends on the heat, chemicals and loads the floor faces.

Can polyurethane concrete be laid on new concrete?

PU cement systems tolerate more residual moisture than most epoxies, and some can be laid on concrete as young as seven days, which helps on tight new-build programmes. The slab must still be sound and properly prepared, and the product's moisture limits apply. Moisture and strength are normally checked at the survey before the system and the start date are confirmed. This can save weeks of waiting for a slab to dry.

How quickly can a PU concrete floor be used?

PU concrete cures fast. Depending on temperature and product, a floor typically takes foot traffic within hours to a day and vehicle traffic after a short further cure. Full chemical resistance develops over the following days. In plants that cannot stop, work is usually planned in phased zones or shutdown windows so each area returns to service as soon as possible. Ask us for the cure times of the proposed product at your site temperature.

Is PU concrete suitable for food factories?

Yes. It is one of the most common floors in food and beverage plants. It is seamless and impermeable, does not support bacterial growth, takes daily hot-water and steam cleaning, and resists fats, sugars, milk and fruit acids. Coved upstands at walls and careful detailing at drains remove the corners and joints where dirt would otherwise collect. Thicker builds suit areas around cookers, fryers and hot-water washdown.

Can antistatic epoxy flooring and PU concrete be used in the same building?

Yes, and on defence and electronics sites they often are. PU concrete goes in production halls, loading areas and washdown zones; antistatic epoxy flooring goes in the rooms where electronics or explosives are handled. The two meet at a detailed joint, and the earthing of the antistatic area is kept continuous across it. Antistatic epoxy is not designed for hot washdown, so wet processes stay on the PU side.

What affects the price of polyurethane concrete per m²?

The main factors are the area, the condition of the slab, the thickness, the system and finish, the amount of coving and drain detailing, the colour, site conditions such as working around live production, the timeline and, for work abroad, travel and freight. We do not work from a price list; send drawings and photos and we will quote your floor.

Is PU concrete slip resistant?

It can be set to the slip resistance the area needs. Dry production areas often take a smoother finish for easy cleaning, while wet and greasy floors get aggregate broadcast into the surface and sealed with a topcoat. The balance between grip and cleanability is agreed at the specification stage, based on the use and the cleaning method. Textured finishes need suitable brushes to clean well.

Does 2EP Zemin install PU concrete abroad?

Yes. We laid a polyurethane concrete floor at Süleymaniye–Kirkuk, Iraq, for Dalotürk İnşaat, and have worked in Karbala, Sint Maarten and Kandahar on other systems. For work abroad, materials, logistics and site conditions are usually agreed with the main contractor before mobilisation. Send us the project location and details for a proposal. Overseas work depends on early agreement about material lead times and customs.

How long does polyurethane concrete flooring last?

Polyurethane concrete flooring sized to its duty and laid on a well-prepared slab is a long-term floor, often outlasting epoxy in demanding plants. Its life depends on the traffic, chemicals, temperatures and cleaning it sees. Local damage can be cut out and patched with the same system, and textured topcoats can be renewed in the busiest areas. Inspect coves and drain edges regularly, since that is where wear shows first.

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0312 276 13 76 Request a quote

Request a quote

Tell us the system, the area and the city. We will come back with the right system and a square-metre price.

Phone: 0312 276 13 76
Email: info@2epyapi.com
Akşemsettin Mah., Polatlı 1. Cad. 34/b, Sincan, Ankara

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Polyurethane concrete flooring

What is polyurethane concrete flooring?