Urethane cement is an excellent floor system, and we're not here to argue otherwise. But a curb isn't a floor. It's the edge of the room, the place forklifts hit, the line where floor meets wall, and the detail sanitation crews scrub every shift. In that specific spot, a stainless steel curb filled with concrete removes the coating that can chip, delaminate and need recoating. It isn't maintenance-free, and it costs more upfront, but for many high-traffic, wash-down areas it's worth a serious look before your next build or renovation.
Why this matters
We spend a lot of time talking with plant managers, QA leads, engineers and contractors in food and beverage. When the conversation turns to floors, curbs usually come up as an afterthought: “We'll just carry the urethane up the curb.” That's a reasonable default. This article lays out the trade-offs as fairly as we can, including where stainless isn't the right answer, and then explains why we built HygieniCurb™ the way we did.
Credit where it's due: what urethane cement does well
Urethane cement became the go-to system in food plants for good reasons:
- It moves with concrete. Its thermal expansion is close to that of concrete, which helps it handle hot wash-downs and temperature swings better than many thinner coatings.
- It's seamless across large areas, which makes it a strong choice for the field of the floor.
- It can last many years when it's properly installed, maintained and matched to the environment.
- It cures relatively quickly, so areas can often return to service fast.
So the question isn't “Is urethane cement good?” It is. The question is whether a coating is the best material for the most abused few inches in the room.
The problem: curbs live a harder life than floors
A curb takes punishment the open floor rarely sees:
- Impact. Curbs exist to stop forklifts, pallet jacks and carts from reaching walls. Those hits land on corners and edges.
- Edges and junctions. Coatings are generally most vulnerable at edges, terminations and wall junctions, and a curb is essentially one long wall junction.
- Moisture and chemicals. Once a coating is chipped or cracked, water and sanitizers can get underneath and work at the bond with the concrete over time.
Why that matters for food safety
Regulators set a clear expectation. In the U.S., FDA's current good manufacturing practice rule requires plant buildings to be constructed so that floors, walls and ceilings can be adequately cleaned, kept clean and kept in good repair (21 CFR 117.20). In Canada, the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations require food businesses to have preventive controls in place, including for sanitation and maintenance of the establishment (CFIA SFCR handbook).
Food safety specialists are equally clear about the risk. Cracked flooring, especially where a coating has lifted away from the concrete, creates hard-to-clean areas where water gets in and bacteria can establish niches (Food Safety Magazine). International hygienic design guidance for food factory buildings, including floors and walls, is set out in EHEDG Doc. 44, Hygienic Design Principles for Food Factories.
A chipped curb is exactly that kind of defect, sitting at the base of the wall, in a zone that gets hosed down every day.
The hidden cost: repairs and downtime
When a coated curb is damaged, the fix usually means:
- Taking an area out of production
- Grinding, prepping and recoating
- Waiting for cure before traffic and wash-down can resume
The material itself may cost less upfront. The downtime often doesn't. Over the life of a facility, the real comparison isn't the cost of a curb on day one. It's the cost of every repair, recoat and lost production hour that follows.
What changes with stainless steel
Stainless steel, typically grades 304 and 316, has long been the standard material for hygienic food processing equipment because it's durable, smooth, non-porous and stands up to repeated cleaning. Applying the same logic to the curb gives you:
- No coating to chip or delaminate. The stainless face is the finished surface, so impacts don't strip away a coating and expose concrete underneath.
- Easier sanitation. Smooth, non-porous stainless is quick to wash down.
- No curb recoat cycle. There's no coating on the curb face to renew.
- A grade to suit your chemistry. 316L contains molybdenum, which improves resistance to chlorides and harsh sanitizers, and is the grade to consider for aggressive wash-down programs. 304L suits many standard environments.
The trade-offs of stainless
- Higher upfront cost than a coated concrete curb.
- It can dent. Heavy impacts can dent the face, especially at lighter gauges. Choosing the right gauge for your traffic matters.
- Joints still need care. The transition where the curb meets the floor, and any sealant joints, still need to be detailed properly and checked as part of routine maintenance, just like the coated ones.
- Lead time. Made-to-order stainless needs to be planned into the schedule early.
Where urethane cement still makes sense
- Dry or low-traffic zones where curbs see little impact
- Very tight budgets where upfront cost is the deciding factor
- Short-term facilities or spaces likely to be reconfigured soon
And in most plants it isn't either/or. A urethane cement floor paired with a stainless curb can be a strong combination, with each material doing the job it's best at.
How we approached it with HygieniCurb™
We designed HygieniCurb™ specifically for food and beverage facilities, around the failure points above:
- Stainless steel face, concrete core. The curb mounts to the wall and is filled with concrete on site, combining a hygienic stainless surface with solid mass behind it.
- Fully welded and sealed to help keep moisture and contaminants out.
- 304L or 316L stainless, in 14 or 16 gauge, so you can match material to your sanitation chemistry and traffic.
- Simpler install. No forming, grinding, priming or coating on the curb. On a typical 100 lin. ft. install, areas can be released 15–20% sooner. Results vary by site.
- Made to order for your layout.
Questions to ask before you spec your next curb
- How often are our current curbs repaired or recoated, and what does each shutdown cost us?
- Where do our environmental swabs come back positive, and are wall bases on that list?
- What sanitizers do we use, and how often?
- Which areas see the heaviest forklift and cart traffic?
- How long can each area realistically be out of production during a build or renovation?
Disclaimer: Performance, installation time and service life depend on site conditions, substrate, installation practices and the contractor performing the work. Install time figures are based on a typical 100 lin. ft. install, and results will vary by project. This article is for general information and isn't a substitute for project-specific engineering or regulatory advice.