P02.02
MavCrete — urethane cement
The cementitious urethane matrix that survives what epoxy mortar cannot: green concrete, thermal shock, aggressive chemistry, and outdoor exposure. This is the family that wins food plants and freezers.
- Explain why urethane cement tolerates green slabs and thermal cycling
- Describe the UM-SL stack and the sealer it requires
- Run the bag-count math for a urethane cement placement
The matrix that forgives the building
MavCrete is Maverick's other main system line, the urethane cement family. Together with MavClad it builds the floor on roughly 99% of Maverick projects, with coatings and sealers applied over the top. It is a cementitious urethane matrix — a three-component mortar or self-leveling system that tolerates moisture, thermal shock, aggressive chemicals, and exposure epoxy mortars cannot survive. Reach for it wherever concrete is green, the room swings a hundred degrees, or the floor is outdoors. MavCrete UM installs at 1/4 to 3/8 inch; USL is the troweled self-leveling version; UF-HD is the heavy-duty finish troweled at a heavier build than a standard UM.
Urethane cement vs epoxy mortar — the honest comparison
| Driver | Which family wins |
|---|---|
| Thermal shock — freezers, CIP wash-down, 180°F cycles | MavCrete. The only matrix that survives repeated swings. |
| Green or high-moisture concrete | MavCrete. Cementitious powder consumes free moisture at the bond line — no MVB required over a 7-day slab. |
| Outdoor and UV exposure | MavCrete. One of the few Maverick systems approved for outdoor service. |
| Aggressive chemical exposure | MavCrete, at mortar thickness. |
| Pure impact testing | Epoxy mortar typically posts the higher impact number. That is not urethane cement's selling point — do not oversell it. |
Say it out loud, then check yourself
- 01Which system goes over green, 7-day concrete, and why?
MavCrete — the urethane cement family. The matrix uses cementitious powder that consumes free moisture at the bond line, so it installs successfully over a green slab without a moisture vapor barrier. The urethane binder is moisture-forgiving in a way an epoxy body coat is not.
- 02Describe the MavCrete UM-SL stack. Is a primer required?
Prepared concrete at the required profile, then the UM-SL self-leveling urethane cement with quartz aggregate as the body, then a MavSeal UPA topcoat. No primer required — the urethane cement matrix is self-priming over sound concrete.
- 03Why does urethane cement handle thermal shock while epoxy mortar cracks?
Urethane's coefficient of thermal expansion is far closer to concrete's than epoxy's is. When a floor swings from 40°F to 180°F, the urethane cement expands and contracts almost with the substrate and the bond stays intact. Epoxy's higher coefficient of thermal expansion creates shear at the bond line that fatigues into cracks and delamination.
- 04Three environments where UM beats MavClad EM.
Freezer or thermal-shock service; wet-process, high-humidity, or green-slab installs; outdoor or UV-exposed floors.
- 05How many 55 lb bags of UM (yield ≈ 0.55 ft³) cover 2,000 SF at 1/4 inch?
Convert 1/4 inch to feet: 1/48 ft = 0.02083 ft. Volume = 2,000 × 0.02083 = 41.67 ft³. Bags = 41.67 ÷ 0.55 ≈ 76 bags, then round up for waste.
Takeaways
- Urethane cement installs over 7-day green concrete without a moisture vapor barrier.
- MavCrete UM-SL is self-priming and is sealed with MavSeal UPA — no substitutes.
- Epoxy mortar actually beats urethane cement on pure impact. Urethane cement wins on thermal shock, chemistry, and moisture.