Protective coatings, straight from the people who spray them
A working conversation about polyurea and polyurethane coatings — the chemistry, the equipment, the prep, and the business of running a spray operation. Written for applicators, contractors, specifiers, and anyone who has to live with a coating after the crew packs up.
Most of the useful knowledge in this trade never gets written down. It lives with the person who has sprayed four thousand truck beds and can hear a bad mix ratio through the gun. Getting some of that on the record is the point of the show.
What we cover
Coating Chemistry
Why polyurea sets in seconds, what separates it from polyurethane and hybrids, and how material properties are actually measured.
Application & Equipment
Surface prep, proportioners, ratio discipline, spray technique, and the failures that get blamed on the material.
Business & Operations
Bidding, pricing, crew structure, cash flow, and the ceilings every growing coatings shop runs into.
Industry & Standards
Test methods, specifications, certifications, and how to read a data sheet without being misled by it.
Latest articles
- Why Polyurea Sets in Seconds, and What That Speed Costs You
The amine reaction buys moisture tolerance and same-day return to service. It costs you flow-out, recoat windows, and any forgiveness for bad prep. - Reading a Coatings Data Sheet Without Getting Fooled
Test methods, durometer scales, adhesion figures, and chemical resistance charts — what is comparable and what only looks like it. - The Coating Did Not Fail. The Prep Did.
Four preparation failures behind most delaminations, how to test for them, and why prep is where bids get cut. - Off-Ratio: How Proportioner Drift Ruins a Tank of Material
You cannot see off-ratio in the fan. Five sources of drift and the ten-minute check that catches all of them. - Polyurea, Polyurethane, and Hybrids: What the Categories Actually Mean
The distinction is what the isocyanate reacts with — and it decides moisture sensitivity, working time, and recoat behavior. - What Contractors Get Wrong When Bidding Containment Work
The low bid is usually wrong in the same three places. What to walk, what to count, and what to put in the bid.
Who makes this
Hosted by Troy Bacon, who leads business development and marketing at ArmorThane USA Inc. in Springfield, Missouri, and works day to day with dealers, applicators, and specifiers. He is not a chemist, which is why most episodes will have one on.
The show is produced and funded by ArmorThane USA Inc. That relationship shapes who we can get on the mic; it does not buy a favorable answer to a technical question. Our editorial policy sets out how we source claims, handle the conflict of interest, and post corrections.
Get told when it launches
Email hello@polyureapodcast.com with “launch list” in the subject and we will let you know when the first episode is up. It is the only list we keep, we do not sell it, and unsubscribing works.
Want to be a guest, or think we have a premise wrong? Pitch us.