Topcoat showdown: polyaspartic or aliphatic urethane for retail?

Both chemistries are aliphatic, both are UV stable, and both make a great wear layer. The choice usually comes down to downtime, film build and how hard the floor gets used.

When polyaspartic wins

If the store needs to reopen tomorrow, polyaspartic is the answer. It builds thicker per coat and cures to foot traffic in hours. It's also more forgiving of cooler slab temperatures.

When urethane wins

For high-abrasion aisles, pallet jacks and wheeled carts, a high-solids urethane at 2–3 mils is extremely tough per dollar. Its longer pot life also makes large, continuous areas easier for smaller crews.

Our default

For most retail floors we spec a polyaspartic topcoat over an epoxy base, and add a urethane wear coat in the highest-traffic lanes.