5kg vs 10kg Polyurethane Coating in Ghana 2026: Which Should You Buy?
Share
Buy by area, not by pail size: the 5kg (GHS 500) and 10kg (GHS 1,000) polyurethane coatings cost exactly the same per kilogram. Multiply your area by 0.4 kg to get the two-coat quantity, then combine pails to reach that figure with a small margin. Under about 20 m², a 5kg is usually enough; above that, start with 10kg pails.
The two products side by side
| 5kg pail | 10kg pail | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | GHS 500 | GHS 1,000 |
| Price per kg | GHS 100 | GHS 100 |
| Coverage per coat | 20-40 m² | 40-80 m² |
| Finished coverage (2 coats) | 10-20 m² | 20-40 m² |
| Colours | Transparent, grey, red, blue, green | Transparent, grey, red, blue, green |
| Best for | Bathrooms, balconies, small tank lids, top-ups | Roofs, terraces, gutters, larger tanks |
| Link | Buy 5kg | Buy 10kg |
Why the per-coat figure trips people up
Every coverage figure you see on a pail or a website is per coat. Waterproofing needs two coats: the first bonds and fills, the second builds the film thickness that actually keeps water out. If you read "20-40 m²" on a 5kg pail and buy one pail for a 35 m² balcony, you have bought half the material you need. That single mistake is the most common reason DIY membranes fail within a season. We explain the maths in more detail in why waterproofing coverage figures mislead buyers.
The 0.4 kg rule
For take-off, use 0.4 kg per m² across two coats. This is not a theoretical number. On our Kpone Katamanso project we used fifteen 10kg pails — 150 kg — on 370 m² of roof and walls. That is 0.41 kg/m².
Rough, porous or heavily cracked surfaces drink more. Smooth, well-trowelled concrete takes less. 0.4 kg is a safe planning figure for most Ghanaian concrete.
Worked examples
| Job | Area | Needed at 0.4 kg/m² | What to buy | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shower floor + 1.8 m walls | 12 m² | 4.8 kg | 1 × 5kg | GHS 500 |
| Small balcony | 18 m² | 7.2 kg | 1 × 10kg (or 2 × 5kg) | GHS 1,000 |
| Concrete gutter run | 30 m² | 12 kg | 1 × 10kg + 1 × 5kg | GHS 1,500 |
| Bungalow roof | 100 m² | 40 kg | 4 × 10kg (+1 × 5kg margin) | GHS 4,000-4,500 |
| Two-storey flat roof | 250 m² | 100 kg | 10 × 10kg (+1 margin) | GHS 10,000-11,000 |
When the 5kg is the better buy
- Small wet areas where an opened 10kg would sit half-used.
- Top-up and margin. Buy 10kg pails for the bulk and one 5kg as the safety margin.
- A second colour — for example grey on the roof field and a separate 5kg for a feature area.
Opened polyurethane reacts with moisture in the air and will skin over. If a 10kg pail would sit half-full for months, two 5kg pails are the safer purchase. See how to store leftover coating.
When the 10kg is the better buy
- Any area above about 20 m².
- Jobs done in one session where fewer pails means fewer lids open and less waste.
- Contractor stock for multiple jobs.
What the coating gives you — and what it doesn't
Applied as a proper two-coat system, the membrane has a 20-year design life. Fest Ghana's installed jobs carry a 3-year workmanship warranty, and the material carries a 3-year manufacturer warranty. The warranty is the period we return and fix it at our cost. The design life is how long the membrane is engineered to keep performing. Anyone in Ghana offering a "20-year warranty" on waterproofing is quoting design life under the wrong heading.
The coating does not fix active water pressure through concrete (use Plugging King, GHS 100 first), and it will not bridge a moving crack wider than about 0.3 mm on its own — that is where fleece reinforcement comes in.
Not sure? Get it measured
If you would rather not guess, we measure, quote in kilograms and apply. Book an inspection or call 0555 548 001.