Polyurea and Polyurethane Detailed

Professional Grade Bedliner

The truth is there are very few true polyurea bedliners. They are very expensive and dangerous. This topic is obfuscated with terms like poly hybrid, polyurea/poly polyurea/hybrid, etc. The reality is that pure polyurea is extremely expensive and has dangerous properties that keeps it from being applied without great precaution in some states.

A professional grade bedliner is differentiated from DIY retail bedliners by the fact that high grade bedliners are manufactured from polyurea hybrids versus polyurethanes. You will see large vendors such as Rhino Linings and Line-X boast polyurea. We are here to inform you that NO bedliner is a true polyurea. These are extremely expensive and caustic.

Formulation Basics between polys

What is a polyurea

A polyurea coating is the result of a one-step reaction between an isocyanate component and a resin blend component. The isocyanate can be monomer based, a prepolymer, a polymer or a blend. For the prepolymer, amine- and/or hydroxylterminated resins can be used. On the other hand, the resin blend should only contain amine-terminated resins and/or chain extenders and not any hydroxyl reactive polymer components. All the polyurea coatings mentioned in the paper comply with this requirement.

Though a true polyurea has no VOCs or solvents, it is a product of isocyanates which makes it caustic and dangerous.

Major Bedliner Differences

Are any commercial or retail bedliners true polyureas?

The answer is NO. Eventhough companies like Rhinolining and Line-x use the word polyurea, they are actually mixtures of polyurea and polyurethane. This is primarily to reduce cost and issues with environmental factors.

What is a polyurethane

A purely polyurethane coating is the result of a reaction between an isocyanate component and a resin blend made with only hydroxyl-containing resins. The final coating film will contain no intentional urea groups. A polyurethane system will most probably contain one or more catalysts. Polyurethanes for truck bed liners have elastomeric polyurethane which provides high tensile, elongation and elastic properties.

Primary differences between polyurethane and polyureas

The main distinguishing characteristic with the polyurea technology over polyurethanes is that amine terminated (-NH2) resins are used rather than hydroxyl terminated (-OH) resins, commonly referred to as polyols. The reaction of the amine terminated resins with the isocyanate component results in the formation of a urea linkage. Since this is a polymer and these units repeat, the term polyurea then applies.

Other Differences

– effect of moisture on elastomer density
(Density of elastomer is decreased in polyurethanes compared to polyureas)
– set time
– effect of ambient temperature and substrate temperature
– polyureas are amorphous while polyurethanes are crystalline in nature

What is a Poly Hybrid?

Polyurea/Polyurethane hybrid formulations can be defined as the result of a chemical reaction between an isocyanate and a mixture of polyol and amine reactants. These mixtures result in a polyurea product that displays some of the properties of polyureas and is less expensive. Polyurea hybrids are normally associated with use on ?non-critical? items that generally do not require immersion or extreme temperature conditions for application. Some examples of these applications include sprayed-in truck bed linings and balcony deck coatings.

Why do retail bedliner kits use polyurethane
Who uses polyureas and polyhybrids
Who uses polyurethanes

DIY Grade Professional
PROFESSIONAL GRADE= POLYUREA, POLYHYBRIDS- DEFINED CHEMICALLY, SUB DEFINE REAL USES, FACTS, EXAMPLES & LINKS
DIY GRADE = POLYURETHANE, URETHANE, EPOXY- DEFINED CHEMICALLY, SUB DEFINE REAL USES, FACTS EXAMPLES & LINKS

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