Sika Chapdur
Non-metallic mineral dry-shake hardener that turns a fresh concrete slab into a dense, dust-proof, wear-resistant floor in a single monolithic pour.
What is it?
A one-part, factory-blended dry-shake floor hardener made from graded natural mineral aggregates, cement, admixtures and pigments — broadcast onto fresh concrete to build a hard-wearing surface topping.
Where is it used?
Warehouses, factory shop floors, shopping malls, parking decks, garages, service stations and public-traffic areas where slabs face heavy mechanical wear.
Why use it?
It lifts abrasion resistance and surface hardness well above plain trowelled concrete, makes the floor dust-proof, and does it monolithically with the slab — no separate screed or resin layer.
How is it applied?
Sprinkled onto the fresh slab in two passes (60% then 40%) after bleed water clears, then power-trowelled to a dense closed finish and water-cured.
About Sika Chapdur
Sika Chapdur (IN) is Sika India’s non-metallic mineral dry-shake floor hardener — a ready-to-use powder that construction teams broadcast directly onto a freshly placed concrete slab while it is still green. It is a single-component blend of Portland cement, carefully graded natural mineral aggregates, performance admixtures and colouring pigments, arriving pre-mixed in 30 kg bags so there is nothing to batch or gauge on site. Because the hardener is worked into the top few millimetres of the slab and finished as one operation, the wearing surface becomes an integral part of the floor rather than a coating applied later. That distinction matters on Indian industrial projects, where a bonded resin or screed topping can delaminate under years of forklift and pallet-truck movement, while a dry-shake surface has no interface to fail.\n\nFor engineers and contractors, the appeal is a hard, dense, easy-to-clean grey floor delivered at a fraction of the cost and downtime of a resin system. Sika Chapdur is explicitly a non-metallic, rust-free product, which suits food, pharma, warehousing and public spaces where iron-aggregate hardeners can stain or corrode. It is a specialist operation, though — Sika limits its use to experienced applicators, because the whole result depends on reading the concrete correctly and timing the broadcast and trowelling to the minute. Space Arc Engineering supplies the material and carries out the application across Delhi NCR and Pan-India, so the specification and the trowel crew come from one accountable source.
The technical insight
A dry-shake hardener works by starving, densifying and reinforcing the top surface of the slab in the moments the concrete is still plastic. When the graded mineral aggregate and cement blend is broadcast onto fresh concrete, it draws on the bleed moisture rising from the slab to hydrate in place, and trowelling drives those hard aggregate particles down into the paste. The result is a thin monolithic wearing layer, typically 2.5–3.0 mm at around 5.0 kg/m², in which very hard mineral grains sit locked in a dense, low-porosity cement matrix. That surface reaches a Moh’s hardness of roughly 8 to 9 (IS:13630 Part 13) and shows only about 1.70 mm of wear loss under the IS:1237 abrasion test, with compressive strength of the topping at or above 70 N/mm² (IS:4031 Part 6) — figures well beyond ordinary trowelled concrete. Two things make or break it: bleed water must have evaporated or been removed before the shake goes down (never add water back), and the two-stage 60/40 broadcast must be worked in and closed before the slab stiffens. The hardener also naturally suppresses surface fibres and closes pores, which is why the finished floor sheds dust and resists oil and grease ingress.
Where it is used
- Warehouse and distribution-centre floors carrying constant forklift and pallet-truck traffic
- Manufacturing and factory shop floors subject to heavy mechanical wear and point loads
- Shopping malls, showrooms and public-access areas needing a durable, low-dust finish
- Multi-level and surface car parks, garages and vehicle service stations
- Loading bays, dispatch docks and internal roadways within industrial sheds
- Museums, exhibition halls and institutional floors where a clean, hard-wearing surface is required
- Workshops and assembly areas where oil and grease resistance matters
- New monolithic ground-bearing slabs where a separate screed or resin topping is to be avoided
Key advantages
- Bonds monolithically into the fresh slab, so there is no topping-to-substrate interface that can delaminate
- Raises surface hardness to 8–9 on the Moh’s scale and cuts abrasion wear to about 1.70 mm (IS:1237)
- Non-metallic and rust-free — safe for food, pharma, warehousing and public spaces with no staining
- Produces a dust-proof surface that is easy to clean and resists oil and grease penetration
- Ready-to-use factory blend in 30 kg bags — no on-site batching, consistent quality every bag
- Considerably more economical and faster than laying an epoxy or PU resin floor
- Suppresses superficial fibres and closes surface pores in fibre-reinforced slabs
- Long 12-month shelf life allows planned procurement ahead of large pours
Limitations & considerations
- Application is time-critical and skilled — Sika restricts it to experienced applicators, as timing of the broadcast and trowelling governs the result
- Must be integrated with the concrete pour; it cannot be added to a slab that has already set
- Not suitable over air-entrained concrete, and the base slab must reach at least 20 N/mm² compressive strength
- Some colour variation across the floor is inherent to dry-shake systems and normal during the drying-out period
- Cannot be applied in strong wind or very dry conditions, and the finished surface must be protected from rain, water and contaminants
- Grey is the standard shade; this is a functional wearing surface, not a decorative or self-levelling finish
Selection & best practice
Get the concrete right first: aim for a consistent mix with a 75–110 mm slump and a minimum compressive strength of 20 N/mm², and consider a Sika superplasticiser such as Sikament or SikaViscoCrete to hold quality and fibre dispersion. Wait until surface bleed water has evaporated or been removed, then broadcast Sika Chapdur evenly in two stages — 60% first, worked in immediately, followed by the remaining 40% — avoiding ripples in the surface. Close the pores and level undulations with hand or power trowels, timing each pass to the concrete’s set. Never add water to the shaken surface. For manual work, spread once the slab can be walked on without leaving a print deeper than 3–5 mm; for laser-screed jobs, an automatic spreader lets broadcast begin almost immediately. Cure with clean water straight after finishing, protect the floor from rain and contaminants, and plan around foot traffic at about 72 hours and full service at about 7 days. Because the outcome hinges on judgement at the trowel, use an experienced crew — Space Arc supplies and applies the system directly.
Specifications
| Type | Non-metallic mineral dry-shake floor hardener (one-part) |
| Chemical base | Natural mineral aggregates graded with cement, admixtures and pigments |
| Colour | Natural concrete grey powder |
| Packaging | 30 kg bags |
| Bulk density | 1.5 ± 0.1 kg/L at +27 °C |
| Surface hardness | Between 8 and 9 on the Moh’s scale (IS:13630 Part 13) |
| Abrasion resistance | ~1.70 mm wear loss (IS:1237) |
| Compressive strength | ≥ 70 N/mm² (IS:4031 Part 6) |
| Consumption | Light 3.5–4.0, medium 4.5–5.0, heavy 5.5–6.0 kg/m²; layer 2.5–3.0 mm at ~5.0 kg/m² |
Industry use cases
Warehousing & Logistics
Ground-bearing slabs in distribution centres take relentless forklift and reach-truck wear; a Chapdur topping keeps aisles hard and low-dust without a separate resin floor.
Manufacturing & Heavy Industry
Shop floors under point loads, dropped tools and trolley traffic get a monolithic wearing surface that will not delaminate the way a bonded topping can.
Food, Pharma & Cold Chain
Being non-metallic and rust-free, it suits hygienic warehousing and processing spaces where iron-aggregate hardeners risk staining or corrosion.
Retail & Public Buildings
Malls, showrooms and institutional halls get a clean, abrasion-resistant grey floor that stands up to continuous footfall and trolley movement.
Parking & Automotive
Car park decks, garages and service stations gain an oil- and grease-resistant, dust-free surface that handles vehicle tyres and workshop use.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sika Chapdur a metallic or non-metallic floor hardener?
How much Sika Chapdur do I need per square metre?
When can the floor take traffic after application?
Can Sika Chapdur be applied to an existing concrete floor?
What concrete does it need underneath?
Why does the finished floor show some colour variation?
How we position Sika Chapdur
Sika Chapdur is the workhorse choice when the priority is a hard, dust-proof, abrasion-resistant industrial floor delivered monolithically with the pour at sensible cost. Where a project needs higher chemical resistance, a hygienic seamless finish or specific colours, step up to a Sika resin flooring system such as the Sikafloor range rather than a dry-shake. To protect and optimise the concrete beneath, pair it with Sika admixtures — Sikament or SikaViscoCrete superplasticisers for workability and strength, and a Sika curing compound where water curing is impractical. Across our other brands, comparable non-metallic dry-shake hardeners are available from Fosroc and MC-Bauchemie, and for existing hardened slabs that cannot take a dry-shake, we can specify a bonded epoxy or PU screed instead. Space Arc supplies and applies all of these, so the flooring specification stays coherent from slab to surface.
Fosroc Nitoflor Hardtop Standard — A specifier standardised on Fosroc for a project — or wanting a directly equivalent non-metallic dry-shake hardener within an existing Fosroc flooring and admixture chain — may prefer Hardtop Standard for single-source consistency.
Related Industrial Flooring products
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Authorised distribution, technical advice & professional application across Delhi NCR and Pan-India.