Polyurea and polyurethane are copolymers used in the manufacture of spandex, which was invented in 1959.
Polyurea was originally developed in automotive applications in the 1980s but other applications such as protecting tabletop edges followed. Its fast reactivity and relative moisture insensitivity made it useful for coatings on large surface area projects, such as secondary containment, manhole and tunnel coatings, tank liners, and truck bed liners. Excellent adhesion to concrete and steel is obtained with the proper primer and surface treatment. They can also be used for spray molding and armor.  Some polyureas reach strengths of 40 MPa (6000 psi) tensile and over 500% elongation making it a tough coating.  The quick cure time allows many coats to be built up quickly. The high strength and high impact resistance of polyurea coatings is a key reason for their use.
In 2014, a polyurea elastomer-based material was shown to be self-healing, melding together after being cut in half. The material also includes inexpensive commercially available compounds. The elastomer molecules were tweaked, making the bonds between them longer. The resulting molecules are easier to pull apart from one another and better able to rebond at room temperature with almost the same strength. The rebonding can be repeated. Elastic, self-healing paints and other coatings recently took a step closer to common use, thanks to research being conducted at the University of Illinois. Scientists there have used "off-the-shelf" components to create a polymer that melds back together after being cut in half, without the addition of other chemicals.
Polyurea has become a preferred long term solution for narrowboats. The traditional coating with bitumen, known as "blacking" is being replaced with the practice of polyurea coatings. The clearest advantage is that it is not necessary to reapply a coat every 3–4 years. It is thought that polyurea coatings last 25–30 years.
Commercial trademarks for Polyurea include Line-X, GLS 100R, and Pentens SPU-1000, to name a few. There are multiple possible polyurea formulations. The Polyurea Development Association is a trade association that represents the interests of polyurea coating manufacturers.