The unsurpassed versatility of polyurethanes is remarkably evident in the areas of two-dimensional applications. Polyurethanes are tailor-made for the wide range of rigid surface coatings, eg; for metal, concrete and wood; for flexible surface coatings; for textile substrates and leather; and for a wide variety of adhesives. Polyurethanes give unexcelled performance in almost all of these applications. In many cases this superiority is achieved by the fact that polyurethanes are generally reactive processing polymers which can be intrinsically cross-linked to the optimal degree. This key fact can be accounted for by the versatility of the NCO group, an “energy package” of unique quality. Two-component polyurethane coatings based on aliphatic polyisocyanates have experienced significant breakthroughs in automotive applications and for powder coatings. A prime target of coating textiles with polyurethanes is the achievement of the quality of natural leather. A highly water vapor permeable, but water repellent textile coating has recently become possible using a direct coating process. The application of a microporous polyurethane film on split leather by a reaction process leads to prime quality leather for shoe uppers. For many years, elastomeric polyurethanes have been the top-ranking adhesives for highly plasticized PVC articles. More recently, polyurethanes have been introduced into the market as structural adhesives, especially for the bonding of automotive body parts. A new principle of heterogeneous cross-linking of polyurethanes which has potential for one-package structural adhesives is presented. Aqueous polyurethane can also be tailor-made for the whole range of two-dimensional applications. They complement the high solids and the powder polyurethane coatings, as well as the solvent-free polyurethane adhesives in the fulfillment of ecological and industrial hygiene requirements.