In this documented test a polished concrete test panel protected with PolishGuard easily withstood 15 minutes exposure to vinegar. The same solution and 15-minute exposure severely etched a similar but unprotected polished concrete panel.
Our great new protective treatment for finished concrete floors — Consolideck PolishGuard — got some nice recognition recently when a panel of industry experts named it an “Expert’s Choice” in the Most Innovative Product competition at World of Concrete in February.
Here’s the press release from Hanley-Wood, producer of the tradeshow.
At PROSOCO, we think PolishGuard is terrific because it gives you a window to clean up etching and staining spills on polished concrete. That’s handy for grocery stores with shiny polished concrete floors, especially in the dreaded Condiments Aisle.
Restaurants, grocery stores and other food-oriented institutions aren’t the only places where a stain-resistant top coat is useful. Any place with polished concrete flooring benefits from this insurance policy.
Pickle juice made this nice little etch. Could have been avoided if the floor had been treated with PolishGuard. Unfortunately, we hadn't invented it yet.
Polished concrete floors are wonderfully durable and low-maintenance, but accidental exposure to acidics — vinegar for instance — can easily leave a dull splotch right in the middle of the floor if someone happens to fumble a bottle of the stuff.
Plenty of other items we take for granted can do it too — ketchup, orange juice, pickle juice, even milk (yep, milk contains lactic acid).
How much time do you have on a typical polished concrete floor between the initial spill and the onset of damage? Let’s just say minutes count.
There are products out there now that can help floors resist acidic spills. But they have their own problems. I’m referring to solvent-based treatments that are increasingly restricted or even prohibited in many states throughout the U.S. for environmental reasons.
Two-component epoxies and urethanes can also protect floors. But they have limited pot life which makes them hard to use, not to mention extremely pricey.
So PolishGuard set out to address that dull spot in the otherwise shiny reputation of polished concrete. It’s water-based and VOC-compliant in every state of the union. It’s fast and easy to apply. Its glossy finish even makes unpolished floors look shiny.
Most importantly, it stands up to acidic liquids — and other staining and soiling contaminants. Not forever, but long enough to give you a safety margin to clean up damaging spills in a reasonable amount of time. We know, because we tested it. Here’s the video — PolishGuard put to the test — which the judges of the Most Innovative Product competition at WOC also saw.
So that’s why we think PolishGuard is great, and why we entered it in the Most Innovative Products competition. Why did the competition judges select PolishGuard as the “Experts’ Choice?”
Here’s what I got from their spokesperson:
“We reach out to a wide-ranging group of industry practitioners to determine our Expert’s Choice Award in World of Concrete’s Most Innovative Product Award program,” said Rick Yelton, Editor at Large for Concrete Construction Product magazine, the award’s official sponsoring magazine. “Our experts provide an insider’s view on the products in the category in which their expertise lies. Thus the products who receive the Expert’s Choice Award present specific qualities, enhancements, or attributes that these experts believe will bring process improvement to the industry segment they represent,” said Yelton.
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