Sika Ucrete PLC
Waterborne polyurethane scratch-coat primer that seals and levels the slab beneath Ucrete industrial flooring — overcoat in as little as eight hours.
What is it?
A three-part, trowel-applied waterborne polyurethane scratch coat, laid at 0.5–3 mm to seal and level prepared concrete before a Sika Ucrete wearing course goes down.
Where is it used?
Beneath Ucrete floor finishes in food and pharma plants, chemical facilities, clean rooms, warehouses, electronics units and data centres across India.
Why use it?
It fills anchor grooves, prevents pinholes in the topping and bonds at over 2.0 MPa — stronger than the concrete itself — yet accepts overlay after roughly 8 hours at 20 °C.
How is it applied?
Mixed as full units with a low-speed stirrer, poured onto the slab and trowelled firmly into the surface in both directions to leave a continuous, sealed film.
About Sika Ucrete PLC
Ucrete PLC comes from the Ucrete polyurethane-concrete family developed under BASF and Master Builders Solutions; since Sika’s 2023 acquisition of the MBCC Group it ships as Sika Ucrete PLC. It is not a wearing surface. It is a trowel-applied scratch coat, laid at 0.5–3 mm, that completely seals prepared concrete, fills anchor grooves and presents a smooth, even base for the Ucrete floor finish that follows.
That role matters on Indian sites, where slabs are cast fast and coated early, carrying residual moisture that defeats conventional primers. Ucrete PLC accepts seven-day-old concrete and three-day-old polymer screeds, tolerates up to 8% substrate moisture, and keeps VOC below 50 g/L — workable in occupied food and pharma plants. Space Arc Engineering supplies and applies it across Delhi NCR and pan-India with crews trained in its compact mixing-to-trowel workflow.
The technical insight
The mechanism is hybrid. Two liquids — waterborne polyurethane resin and hardener — blend with a cementitious filler powder into a dense 2.0 kg/L mortar that behaves more like polymer concrete than paint. Trowelled hard into the slab in two directions, it plugs the capillaries and pores through which air and moisture vapour would otherwise migrate into the fresh Ucrete topping — the root cause of pinholing in PU-concrete floors. The waterborne chemistry is unbothered by damp, alkaline young concrete, withstanding saturated calcium hydroxide exposure for 48 hours, and the cured film develops tensile adhesion beyond 2.0 MPa, with pull-off failure occurring in the concrete rather than at the bond line.
Where it is used
- Scratch-coat priming of prepared concrete ahead of any Sika Ucrete floor finish
- Filling anchor grooves and minor surface irregularities in one pass
- Dry process areas in food and beverage plants receiving Ucrete toppings
- Pharmaceutical suites and clean rooms where low-VOC installation is required
- Chemical and processing facilities with aggressive service conditions
- Warehouses, dry packing lines and storage areas
- Electronics facilities and data centres
- Fast-track refurbishments on young concrete or fresh polymer screeds
Key advantages
- Tensile adhesion above 2.0 MPa — pull-off failure occurs in the concrete, not the primer
- Overcoatable in roughly 8 hours at 20 °C, keeping flooring programmes tight
- Goes down on 7-day-old concrete and 3-day-old polymer screeds
- Tolerates substrate moisture up to 8% by weight — no long drying waits
- Waterborne, VOC under 50 g/L; suitable near occupied or food-handling zones
- Seals the slab completely, eliminating pinholing in the PU-concrete finish
- Resists saturated lime alkalinity from fresh cementitious substrates
- One 20.13 kg unit covers 5–10 m², simplifying estimation
Limitations & considerations
- Not a finished floor — it must always be overlaid with a Ucrete wearing course
- Horizontal application only; verticals and coving call for Ucrete RG instead
- Working window is 10–30 °C at under 80% RH; condensation risk must be managed
- Full units only — no part-mixing — and batch numbers must not be mixed in one area
- Steam-cleaned floors need the Ucrete UD200 system above it to resist thermal shock
- Stated coverage is theoretical; porous or heavily profiled slabs consume more
Selection & best practice
Shot-blast or grind the slab to an open texture; concrete must offer at least 25 N/mm² compressive and 1.5 N/mm² tensile strength. Vacuum clean, then cut anchor grooves at all free edges, trenches and drains, sized twice the finished system thickness. Confirm 10–30 °C, maximum 80% humidity and a substrate 3 °C above dew point. Mix full units only with a 400–600 rpm stirrer: Part 1 for 15 seconds, Part 2 for 20 seconds, then add the powder slowly and mix two minutes more, scraping container sides. Pour at once and trowel firmly in both directions, filling grooves. Hold a wet edge with adequate crew, overcoat after about 8 hours at 20 °C (16 hours at 10 °C), and clean tools immediately with Thinner C.
Specifications
| Chemical base | Waterborne polyurethane, three-component (two liquid parts + powder) |
| Layer thickness | 0.5–3 mm, trowel applied |
| Consumption | ~2 kg/mm/m²; 2–4 kg/m² (5–10 m² per unit, theoretical) |
| Tensile adhesion strength | ≥ 2.0 MPa (failure in concrete) |
| Density (mixed) | ~2.0 kg/L |
| VOC content | ≤ 50 g/L |
| Overcoating time | ~8 h at +20 °C; ~16 h at +10 °C |
| Packaging | 20.13 kg unit — Part 1: 2.67 kg pail; Part 2: 2.86 kg pail; Part 3: 14.6 kg bag |
| Application conditions | +10 to +30 °C (optimum 15–25 °C); RH ≤ 80%; substrate moisture ≤ 8% pbw |
Industry use cases
Food & Beverage
Dairies, bakeries and dry packing halls seal slabs with Ucrete PLC before Ucrete MF or DP finishes, keeping the hygienic topping pinhole-free.
Pharmaceuticals & Clean Rooms
Low-VOC waterborne chemistry lets formulation suites and clean rooms be primed without solvent odour, with overlay the same shift or next morning.
Chemical Processing
The sealed, high-bond base layer beneath chemically resistant Ucrete floors in acid, alkali and solvent handling areas.
Warehousing & Logistics
Fast overcoating and early application to young concrete keep racking and MHE zones out of service for the minimum time.
Electronics & Data Centres
Smooth substrate correction beneath dust-free Ucrete finishes in assembly halls and server environments.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ucrete PLC a standalone floor coating?
How soon can the Ucrete topping go over it?
Can it go on new or damp concrete?
How much material do I need?
Is this a Master Builders Solutions product or a Sika product?
Do I need a scratch coat if my slab looks smooth?
How we position Sika Ucrete PLC
Ucrete PLC is the foundation of the Ucrete system, not a competitor to it: pair it with Ucrete MF for smooth medium-duty production floors, Ucrete DP where wet processes demand slip resistance, or Ucrete UD200 for steam-cleaned heavy-duty zones, with Ucrete RG handling coving and verticals. Where full polyurethane concrete is more floor than the duty warrants, Space Arc also supplies Sikafloor epoxy systems and Fosroc Nitoflor screeds, and can reinstate weak substrates beforehand with Sika or Fosroc concrete repair mortars.
Related Industrial Flooring products
Source Sika Ucrete PLC for your project
Authorised distribution, technical advice & professional application across Delhi NCR and Pan-India.