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ARMORTHANE PROTECTING YOUR WORLD

PROTECTING YOUR WORLD

ARMORTHANE PROTECTING YOUR WORLD

ArmorThane Knowledge Center

Straight answers about polyurea, from the people who make it.

We've been formulating protective coatings in Springfield, Missouri since 1989. This is where we keep the guides, spec notes, case studies and price talk our tech line hands out every day. Read whatever helps. If it doesn't, call us.

Popular Bedliners Roof coatings Secondary containment Aromatic vs. aliphatic Polyurea cost
Applicator in a protective suit and full-face respirator spray-coating a flat commercial roof
Field note

Spray polyurea, typical numbers

Mix ratio
1 : 1
Gel time
6–10 sec
Tack-free
< 30 sec
Per pass
20–80 mils
Back in service
~1 hour

From the ArmorThane Polyurea Guide

1989Garry Froese starts ArmorThane in Springfield, Missouri
50+Countries where ArmorThane coatings get sprayed
200+Formulations across polyurea, polyurethane, polyaspartic and foam
$0Franchise fees or royalties for our applicators. Ever.

01 · Start here

Tell us why you're here. We'll tell you what to read.

Most people land on this page with one of three jobs in mind. Pick yours and you'll get a short reading list, in the order we'd hand it to you across the counter.

Chevrolet Z71 pickup with a black textured spray-on bedliner, tailgate down
Spray-on bedliner, Chevy Z71

Protecting something you own

Learn the basics, get a feel for price, look at jobs like yours, then talk to an applicator near you. That's the whole process.

  1. Polyurea, explained without the sales pitchWhat it is, where it works, where it doesn't, and how long it lasts.
  2. What polyurea actually costsPrice ranges for bedliners, floors, roofs and tanks, and what pushes a quote up.
  3. See it on real jobsSewer systems, silos, digesters, even the Montreal Biodome.
  4. Find a certified applicatorSearch the ArmorThane applicator network by location.
Get a quote Find an applicator
Proportioner control panel and material drums inside an ArmorThane mobile coating unit
Inside an ArmorThane mobile coating unit

Starting or growing a coatings business

We sell equipment, material and training. We don't sell franchises. Read these before you call and the first conversation goes a lot faster.

  1. How spraying polyurea worksThe chemistry, the equipment and the kind of jobs that pay.
  2. Dealer FAQ and the 8 reasons people sign onFees, on-site training, protected territory, shipping. The fine print, answered.
  3. Getting started in the coatings businessWhat it takes to get from a first conversation to a first paying job.
  4. Polyurea equipment guideProportioners, heated hose, guns and turnkey rigs, matched to the work you want.
  5. Markets you can sell intoBedliners, roofs, containment, wastewater, military and more.
Become an applicator Brochures
Row of large white storage tanks insulated and coated with ArmorThane systems
Tank insulation, ArmorFoam + UltraThane

Specifying a coating system

The chemistry, the thicknesses and the compliance details. If you need data sheets or a system recommendation for a specific substrate, our technical team will help.

  1. Aromatic vs. aliphatic polyureaWhy most outdoor jobs use an aromatic body coat under an aliphatic topcoat.
  2. Polyurea thickness by applicationFrom 15-mil floors to 250-mil wear liners, with a gallons-per-mil calculator.
  3. Chemical resistance, comparedNovolac epoxy, vinyl ester, polyurea and polyurethane. Splash versus immersion.
  4. Secondary containment guideEPA SPCC and RCRA rules, sizing math and the documentation inspectors ask for.
  5. Product literatureBrochures for 20+ coating and equipment products.
Call (417) 831-5090 See the polyurea line

02 · The shelves

Everything in the Knowledge Center, on one screen.

No digging through menus. Each door below opens a part of the site we keep current, from the chemistry basics to the dealer paperwork.

Two applicators on a lift spray-coating the wall of a large blue industrial tank
Start here

All about polyurea

The guide we send anyone who asks "so what is this stuff?" Chemistry, uses, prep, cost and how long it lasts.

 Applicator in a blue protective suit holding a spray gun inside a mobile coating rig
Opportunities

Become an applicator

Equipment, training and territory. No franchise fee.

How it works

Isocyanate meets amine resin at the gun. Seconds later it's a liner.

Dealer FAQ

Fees, training, shipping and territory, asked and answered.

 Pedestrian bridge deck rehabilitated with a polyurea coating between green steel trusses
Proof

Case studies

Sewers, silos, digesters, NATO blast testing and the Montreal Biodome. The problem, the system, the result.

 Two applicators in orange coveralls spraying a coating across a commercial roof

Recent projects

What's been sprayed lately.

Brochures

Printable literature for 20+ coating and equipment products.

 New applicators in a training session at ArmorThane, seated around a conference table
Since 1989

Who is ArmorThane?

It started with spray-on bedliners in Springfield, Missouri. Here's what happened next.

Applications

Every surface we coat, sorted by industry.

Videos

Training clips and job footage.

Photo galleries

Finished jobs, sorted by application.

Blog

News, tech tips and the odd strong opinion.

Find an applicator near you

Certified ArmorThane applicators, searchable by location.

03 · How a job goes

From bare surface to back in service.

Spraying is the fast part. Here's what a certified ArmorThane applicator does on a typical polyurea job, step by step, with the numbers from our own guide.

Look before you touch it.

Check the surface for moisture, oil, cracks and soft spots. Concrete should read under 5% moisture. Test the pH, measure the existing profile and write down what you find. Whatever gets skipped here tends to show up later as a blister.

  • Moisture < 5%
  • pH test
  • Profile check
1 / 6

Prep. The part nobody photographs.

Steel gets abrasive-blasted to SSPC-SP6 or SP10. Concrete gets diamond-ground or shot-blasted to CSP 3–5. It is loud, dusty and slow, and it accounts for 60 to 80 percent of whether a coating system succeeds.

  • SSPC-SP6 / SP10
  • CSP 3–5
  • 2–4 mil anchor profile
2 / 6

Give the coating something to grab.

A primer matched to the substrate goes down at 3 to 5 mils dry, usually an epoxy or a polyurethane. Depending on the job it blocks moisture, boosts adhesion, or both. It needs 30 to 60 minutes to flash off before the next coat.

  • 3–5 mil DFT
  • 30–60 min flash
  • Epoxy or PU
3 / 6

Dial in the rig.

Polyurea comes in two parts that never meet until they reach the gun. The proportioner heats both sides to 140–160°F, pumps them at 2,000–3,000 psi and holds the ratio at 1:1. Get the heat or the ratio wrong and it will not cure the way it should.

  • 140–160°F
  • 2,000–3,000 psi
  • 1 : 1 ratio
4 / 6

Spray. The fast part.

The applicator builds thickness in passes of 20 to 80 mils. Each pass gels in 6 to 10 seconds and is tack-free in under 30, so you can watch it go from liquid to solid while you stand there. That quick set is why it can go on walls and overhead.

  • 20–80 mils per pass
  • Gel 6–10 sec
  • Tack-free < 30 sec
5 / 6

Prove it, then hand it back.

Measure dry film thickness with a gauge, spark-test for pinholes (the trade calls them holidays) and pull-test adhesion where the spec asks for it. Most surfaces go back into service within about an hour.

  • DFT gauge
  • Holiday test
  • ~1 hr to service
6 / 6
Cross-section of a polyurea coating system building up step by step: concrete substrate, blasted surface profile, primer, then polyureaOIL / GREASEMOISTUREMUST READ UNDER 5%LAITANCEWEAK TOP LAYERCSP 3–5 PROFILE2–4 MIL ANCHORPRIMER3–5 MILS DFT · 30–60 MIN FLASHABISORESINPROPORTIONERRIG CHECKTEMP140–160°FPRESSURE2,000–3,000 PSIRATIO A:B1 : 1POLYUREA20–80 MILS/PASS · GEL 6–10 STHICKNESS (DFT)HOLIDAY / SPARK TESTADHESION PULL-OFFBACK IN SERVICE IN ~1 HOURDFT ✓CONCRETE SUBSTRATE · NOT TO SCALE

Typical values from the ArmorThane Polyurea Guide. When a project spec says otherwise, the spec wins.

04 · Shop talk

Words you'll hear on the job, in plain English.

Coatings people talk in mils, CSP and holidays. Pick a term and we'll translate.

  • Noun · Chemistry

    Polyurea

    A coating made by reacting an isocyanate with an amine resin. The reaction takes seconds, so the two parts get mixed at the spray gun instead of in a bucket. What comes out is tough, flexible and waterproof.

    Read the polyurea guide
  • Adjectives · Chemistry

    Aromatic vs. aliphatic

    The two main families of polyurea. Aromatic is the tough, economical workhorse, but sunlight darkens it and dulls the color over time. Aliphatic holds its color under UV, so it usually goes on top as the finish coat.

    Aromatic vs. aliphatic, in depth
  • Noun · Measurement

    Mil

    One thousandth of an inch. Not a millimeter. A credit card is about 30 mils thick, and 40 mils is roughly one millimeter.

    Polyurea thickness by job
  • Abbreviation · Inspection

    DFT

    Dry film thickness: how thick the coating is once it has cured. It is the number a spec calls for and the number an inspector measures.

    How DFT gets measured
  • Noun · Application

    Gel time

    How long sprayed material keeps flowing before it sets up. Spray polyurea gels in 6 to 10 seconds, which is why it can go on a vertical wall without running down it.

  • Adjective · Application

    Tack-free

    The point where you can touch the surface and nothing sticks to your glove. Spray polyurea gets there in under 30 seconds.

  • Noun · Testing

    Elongation

    How far a material stretches before it tears, given as a percentage of its length. Polyurea typically runs 350 to 450 percent, so it moves with concrete instead of cracking along with it.

    More on polyurea performance
  • Adjective · Equipment

    Plural-component

    Two liquids stored apart until the moment they are applied. A proportioner heats them, pressurizes them and meters them 1:1 into the spray gun.

    Polyurea equipment guide
  • Noun · Inspection

    Holiday

    A pinhole, skip or thin spot in a coating. Applicators hunt them down with a spark tester or wet-sponge tester before the job goes into service. Nothing to do with vacations.

  • Abbreviation · Surface prep

    CSP

    Concrete Surface Profile, a 1-to-10 roughness scale published by the International Concrete Repair Institute. Polyurea jobs usually call for CSP 3 to 5.

  • Noun · Chemistry

    Polyaspartic

    A close cousin of polyurea with a slower, more workable cure and good UV stability. Popular for garage floors and decorative concrete.

Shop math

How much material will it take?

Gallons, theoretical18.7
sq ft × mils ÷ 1,604 = gallons, at 100% solids and before overspray or waste.Full thickness calculator

05 · The library

Guides worth bookmarking.

Long reads from our team. Filter by the kind of work you do, or hit "Everything" and settle in.

Looking for something specific? Search the whole site or browse the blog.

06 · Quick answers

Questions we answer every week.

Still stuck?

Call our team in Springfield, Missouri and talk to someone who works with these coatings every day.

(417) 831-5090 Get a quote for your project
How long does a polyurea coating last?

Applied right and looked after, typically 20 to 25 years, and in good conditions it can go past 30. Traffic, UV exposure and chemicals all move that number. Surface prep matters more than anything else.

How soon can I use the surface again?

Spray polyurea gels in 6 to 10 seconds and is tack-free in under 30. Most surfaces are back in service within about an hour, compared with the 3 to 7 days of downtime an epoxy system can take.

Does polyurea fade or yellow in the sun?

Aromatic polyurea does. It keeps protecting, but UV darkens it and dulls the color. For outdoor work where looks matter, applicators put an aliphatic topcoat over the aromatic body coat. Our aromatic vs. aliphatic guide covers the details.

What does polyurea cost?

As a ballpark, our polyurea guide puts material at $4 to $7 per square foot plus $3 to $5 for labor. That is more than epoxy up front. Over 20 years it usually costs less, because you are not recoating every 5 to 7 years. The polyurea cost guide breaks it down by job.

Can I spray polyurea myself?

Not with a roller or a rattle can. Spray polyurea needs a heated plural-component proportioner running at 2,000 to 3,000 psi, plus the training to use it safely. Hire a certified applicator, or become one. We train new applicators on site. Find an applicator near you.

Do I have to buy a franchise to become an applicator?

No. ArmorThane does not charge franchise fees, dealership fees or royalties, and protected territory comes at no extra cost. You buy the equipment, material and supplies you need, we train you at your location, and our goal is to have you up and running within 30 days of purchase. The dealer FAQ has the rest.

Is polyurea the same thing as a spray-on bedliner?

A bedliner is one use of it. ArmorThane started with spray-on truck bed liners in 1989. Today the same family of spray-applied coatings protects bridge decks, water treatment plants, marine structures and farm equipment.

Get a Quote

Get a quote for your project

Tell us what needs protecting and an ArmorThane coatings specialist will come back with the right product, the right system and a realistic price.

  • Product and system matched to your substrate
  • Coverage and budget guidance before you commit
  • A certified applicator near you
  • 30+ years of field-proven polyurea and polyurethane
Rather talk now? Call (417) 831-5090
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