Mapei Ultratop PC – Spectacular Failure

  • do not use mapei ultratop pc

This is not a product review or technical evaluation. What I am about to describe is an application of Mapei Ultratop PC that failed miserably in my opinion. This was our first and only experience using a Mapei product. We consulted the local representative extensively and followed the installation instructions to the letter. In the end we had to install the floor again using another material; at our expense.
My name is Robin leigh and I own a small company that specializes in decorative concrete finishes, based in Connecticut. We were approached by a delightful young lady in New Milford CT early this year. She was in the process of renovating a lake house and her contractor had left a pitted concrete floor after removing some old tiles. During our product research we came across an advert for Mapei Ultratop PC. A self leveling, high performance, polishable topping. We contacted the local representative and he sent me some samples. We made some tests in our workshop and decided to go ahead with the installation.

First of all we thoroughly cleaned the floor. We the applied a coating of Mapei Eco Prim Grip primer, as instructed by Mapei. The next day we mixed some Mapei Ultratop PC with a dark gray colorant and coated the floor to 3/8″. The material went down well, self leveled and looked great.

do not use mapei ultratop pc

do not use mapei ultratop pc

do not use mapei ultratop pc

do not use mapei ultratop pc

Four days later we sanded/honed the floor using a buffing machine with a 120 grit sanding disc. This brought the floor to a nice shine and smooth finish. We then sealed the floor using Trinic NanoSeal. This is a spray on/microfiber wipe coating with excellent stain resistance and longevity.

do not use mapei ultratop pc

At this stage both the client and us were very pleased with the result. I wish it ended hear but a week later the client called to say the floor was cracking.

do not use mapei ultratop pc

do not use mapei ultratop pc

do not use mapei ultratop pc

She was correct. The floor had hundreds of fine crack lines. All random and everywhere.

We took some photos and sent them with an urgent help request to Mapei. Several reminders and follow up calls resulted in a response about a month later. They had no idea what the problem could be and have never come across it before.

About as much help as an ejector seat in a helicopter!

So, there you have it. My Mapei experience. I will probably never use one of their products again.

Since posting this information I have received several calls from other contractors that have experienced the same problem. In all cases Mapei seem to blame the contractor or site conditions.

In future I will post the names of the other installers here. If your would like to be added to this list, please forward me your contact details.

December 2015 – Level Tech Concrete – http://leveltechconcrete.com

By |2018-02-21T12:43:07-05:00September 7th, 2014|General|10 Comments

10 Comments

  1. Juan Levy October 27, 2014 at 11:35 am

    My understanding (from both Mapei Ultratop literature and Mapei tech support) is that the correct primer to use under Ultratop is Planibond EBA (an epoxy primer) with sand broadcast to rejection. How did you correct the failed installation?

    • Robin Leigh November 16, 2014 at 6:07 pm

      I followed and used the materials recommended by the Mapei Rep.

      When it failed he was nowhere to be seen and took 4 weeks to respond with a ‘we have no idea’ explanation.

      I ended up covering the fllor with epoxy and using an Elite Crete thinset/Micro finish.

      I will never use a Mapei product again.

    • Steven October 9, 2015 at 10:09 am

      the planibond eba epoxy primer with a sand broadcast was the correct application 1st. you failed to read the pdfs!!! do your homework before slamming an awesome company.

  2. azim vasrani March 5, 2015 at 11:45 am

    We have experienced similar problem with cracking using all the recomended primers and the ultratop PC. Mapei is saying nothing wrong with the Ultratop PC……….really!!!!!!

    • Paul Helmer October 29, 2015 at 9:35 am

      In September, 2014, we completed the installation of 52,000SF of Ultratop PC. 2-3 months after installation of the Ultratop PC, cracking and debonding of the Ultratop PC began. First it was small map cracks, then larger and longer running cracks along with some debonding between the two epoxy layers ….. the EMB Primer and the VS Moisture Mitigation layers. In all cases, the VS is strongly bonded to the concrete substrate and the EMB, with #16-#30 sand embedded, is strongly bonded to the Ultratop PC. However if you pull a 12″ x 12″ sample from the floor, a very high percentage of the samples have a very weak bond between the EMB and VS. Now 13 months after the original installation, the map cracks and longer running cracks are JUST NOW beginning to show “stitches” along the same cracks that have been visible for the last 10 months. In the original installation we honored the existing control joints but did not use perimeter isolation strips. For 13 months now, the floor is washed 2-3 times a day with a walk behind scrubber. Mapei says the materials are good and that either the substrate is bad or the installation was not done properly. We feel both the substrate is good, as there are no cracks on the concrete substrate that are directly below the cracks in the Ultratop PC; all cracking is within the Ultratop PC only. In an effort to find the problem, we recently removed and replaced 2 areas about 300 SF each under Mapei’s watchful eye and per the TDS for Mapei’s Ultratop PC, Version Feb 3, 2014 to see if the problem reoccurs or not. We have to let the floor “age” 2-3 months as it took that amount of time after the initial installation for the cracking to occur. If you have any similar experiences with Ultratop PC please reach out to me. You can reach me at phelmer@krezgroup.com or at 847 921 3491. Thank You.

  3. Kevin P. June 1, 2015 at 5:31 pm

    This is nothing new, and the Mapei reps I have spoken with have warned me in advance that it will crack. We have remedied our own issues by placing a lot of saw cuts in the floor after it cures. Since we do that, no more cracking, but the funny thing is… Mapei will not warranty with the saw cuts installed now. That’s fine though… I will stand by my men and the installation and keep my word.

    • Jason J. September 29, 2015 at 12:28 pm

      Kevin,
      We have had similar problems with this product and would like to speak with you. Could you please email me your contact info to jjansma@krezgroup.com

  4. Paul Helmer October 29, 2015 at 10:17 am

    Here is a link to Dropbox where I put pictures of the Removal and Replacement of Mapei’s VS, EMB with #16 Sand and Ultratop PC. In addition, at the end of the files there are pictures of the “Stitches” along the cracks in the Ultratop PC.
    https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zoii9wyvh1isgfc/AACGeNMSt_jcguzBL3zXaP5va?dl=0

  5. George MacLeman January 20, 2016 at 11:21 am

    Use ARDEX underlayment, overlayment, moisture mitigation and topping products and you won’t have any problems…

  6. Rick September 12, 2016 at 6:07 pm

    It’s unfortunate that we were not able to find this post earlier. We would have saved a lot grief and not have an unhappy customer in $4,000,000 house. If I had to submit pictures they would look very similar. We have performed many Ultratop installations, so we always warn clients about doing saw cuts and that hairline crack will occur. But when a large room begins to crack it doesn’t stop and client was very unhappy and did not want the saw cuts either. The client called Mapei rep to come out, he went through the house, took photos, and promised to submit a report in 2 weeks. Six weeks had past no report and of course the rep has no idea what happen, and like others here, acted clueless as he never seen it before.
    At the end of the day we lose trust with client, as they think it’s out fault, and Mapei is like Teflon Don, no liability or responsibility for it at all!
    IF DON’T WANT TO LOSE CLIENTS, AND MONEY KEEP AWAY FROM MAPEI ULTRATOP

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