Industrial Floor Coating: Epoxy vs Polyurethane vs PU-Cement — Choosing a System per EN 13813 in Thailand

See the whole-system guide: the Warehouse/DC fit-out guide — this article is one step — see the end-to-end fit-out guide.

A factory floor takes load, forklift traffic, chemicals, washdown, and abrasion every day. Bare concrete dusts, cracks, absorbs oil/bacteria, and won't clean. Floor coating systems solve this — but you must match the system to the job, or it delaminates within 1-2 years.

The three main industrial systems — epoxy, polyurethane (PU), and PU-cement — differ sharply. This article compares them per EN 13813 and real Thailand use.

1. The Three Systems — How They Differ

Epoxy — hard, smooth, chemical-resistant, economical, but brittle and not thermal-shock resistant (hot water cracks/delaminates it). PU — more flexible, better UV and temperature-swing resistance than epoxy. PU-cement (urethane concrete) — toughest, resists thermal shock from hot-water/steam cleaning, resists food acids — the best fit for food plants.

2. The EN 13813 Standard — Reading a Floor Spec

Resin floor systems are classified per EN 13813 with a code such as CT-C50-F10-AR0.5:

• C = compressive strength (e.g., C50 = 50 MPa)
• F = flexural strength (e.g., F10)
• AR = abrasion resistance (lower number = more resistant, e.g., AR0.5)

ASTM equivalents: abrasion by ASTM D4060 (Taber), chemical/strength by ASTM C579. Choose the class to match the real load (heavy vehicles need high C/AR).

3. How to Choose

flowchart TD
  A[Factory floor] --> B{Hot water/steam/
frequent washdown thermal shock?}
  B -->|Yes - food/beverage| C[PU-Cement 6-9 mm
+ wall cove for HACCP]
  B -->|No| D{Temperature swing
or UV exposure?}
  D -->|Yes| E[Polyurethane PU]
  D -->|No - dry, indoor| F{Heavy forklift?}
  F -->|Yes| G[Epoxy self-leveling 2-3 mm]
  F -->|No| H[Epoxy coating 0.3-1 mm]
  C --> I[Measure concrete moisture
+ shot-blast prep]
  E --> I
  G --> I
  H --> I

Selection summary:

• Food/beverage/wet-hot → PU-cement
• Temperature swing/sun exposure → PU
• Warehouse/dry/heavy traffic → epoxy self-leveling
• General economical work → epoxy coating

4. Common Mistakes (That Cause Delamination)

1. No concrete moisture test — moisture pushes the floor off; measure + add a vapor barrier if high
2. Poor surface prep — must shot-blast/grind to open pores, not just sweep
3. Concrete not cured to 28 days — moisture/chemistry not yet stable
4. Wrong system for the job — epoxy in a hot-washdown zone will crack
5. Insufficient thickness for the real load/thermal shock

5. Checklist Before Ordering Floor Coating

1. State the real use — dry/wet, temperature, chemicals, vehicle weight
2. Choose system + EN 13813 class to match the load
3. Specify thickness by job (don't cut cost by cutting thickness)
4. Specify surface prep (shot-blast) + measure concrete moisture
5. Food: cove the wall edges + seamless per HACCP

We supply and coordinate installation of industrial floor coating systems — epoxy, PU, and PU-cement to EN 13813 — with guidance on choosing the system per zone (dry/wet/food), surface prep, and the right thickness for the actual vehicle loads and thermal shock.

Talk to our engineering team to design a cost-effective, long-lasting factory floor — call 02-096-2118 or LINE OA @sahawatt1988.

Summary

• Epoxy = hard, chemical-resistant, economical, but brittle and not thermal-shock resistant → warehouses/dry floors
• PU = flexible, UV/temperature-swing resistant → varying-temperature areas
• PU-cement = toughest, thermal-shock resistant ~130°C → food/beverage/wet-hot plants
• Read the spec by EN 13813 class (C/F/AR) to match the load
• The make-or-break = moisture testing + surface prep (shot-blast), not just the resin choice

Match the system to the zone and the floor lasts 10-15 years — not delaminating within 1-2.