Written by ICP Group

New Product Adds Grip to Slippery Surfaces Without Sacrificing the Aesthetic

Clear Traction Coating from STAIN-PROOF® is for stone, concrete, ceramic and so much more.

Andover, Mass. – August 11, 2022 – Hard surfaces such as natural stone, porcelain and vinyl can add a beautiful look to floors around bathrooms, stairs, decks and pool areas; however, these surfaces can be slippery. With new Clear Traction Coating from STAIN-PROOF®, part of the ICP brand family, contractors and remodelers can get a firm grip on floors that still look natural and stunning without any blotchy, hazy spots.

A Clear Difference

Some protective texture coatings that increase the coefficient of friction (C.O.F.) of a surface can penetrate into the substrate, which can alter its appearance. Clear Traction is a topical sealer that works differently. Specially formulated with hard particles that rise to the top of the surface, this long-lasting, easy-to-apply clear sealer adds traction without sacrificing the beauty of granite, limestone, marble, concrete, porcelain, ceramic, vinyl or wood floors inside or outside.

“Clear Traction adds texture to surfaces but in clear form, so there is minimal appearance change,” said Scott Higginbotham, Director of Global Sales, STAIN-PROOF. “Some products make patterns hazy or change their appearance, but this coating prevents stains, makes cleaning a cinch, improves grip and eliminates worry about things like muting a floor’s color and shine. Unique sealing technology sets STAIN-PROOF apart, and Clear Traction is formulated to distance itself from the competition.”

See More Benefits

Suitable for residential and commercial buildings and structures, Clear Traction coats and protects in public areas, hotels, swimming pool surrounds, bathroom and shower floors, decks, patios, stairways, garage floors, hospitality and kitchen floors, and anywhere where surfaces become slippery when wet.

Highly resistant to water, abrasion, household oils and etching from mild acids, this UV-stable formula comes ready to use as a convenient one-coat application. Clear Traction dries to the touch in four hours, allowing for light foot traffic within eight hours and heavy traffic after 48 hours.

Clear Traction also meets ANSI Standard Test Method A326.3 for measuring the dynamic C.O.F. of hard surface flooring materials greater than 5% (slip resistance C.O.F. > 0.5). It cures to a UV-resistant film that adheres to the substrate through chemical bonding and offers other strong benefits, including:

  • Abrasion resistance: 20 mg (excellent) Tabor Abrasion (1,000 gm load, 1,000 cycles, CS 17 wheel)
  • Chemical resistance: “Pass” on most common cleaners per ASTM 1308 Standard Test Method for Effect of Household Chemicals on Clear and Pigmented Organic Finishes
  • Acid and stain resistance: “Pass” on 1- and 2-hour exposures per ASTM C1378 for hot coffee, red wine, lemon Juice, water and olive oil
  • 12-month shelf life
  • Adhesion-grade 4 crosshatch and X-cut (1-5 scale)
  • Repairability pass sand and recoat (product will blend with itself)Available in 15-oz. and 1-quart sizes, Clear Traction is the latest surface care and maintenance solution from STAIN-PROOF that is constantly striving to translate advances in technology into more effective sealers and cleaners.

Learn more about Clear Traction and other world-leading performance sealers, enhancers and specialty cleaners from STAIN-PROOF at drytreat.com. Visitors can also head to icpgroup.com to see even more industrial coatings, adhesives and sealants for practically any building need.

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About STAIN-PROOF
STAIN-PROOF, the world-leading performance sealers, enhancers and specialty cleaners, is committed to the development of high-quality products, and to high-quality technical training for its customers. Since 1991, STAIN-PROOF sealers have been used to coat and protect countless historical and modern buildings, structures, and homes around the world. Visit drytreat.com to see exciting projects where STAIN-PROOF products delivered fantastic results.

About ICP
ICP is the foremost supplier of professional products and solutions for building envelope, cementitious and sports surface needs. Comprising dozens of industry-leading brands across numerous industries and applications, ICP offers the industry’s most comprehensive portfolios to building professionals all over the globe, all backed by its exclusive Masterworks training and education program.

 

Written by ICP Group

ICP Receives ASC Innovation Award for Spray Foam That Meets Changing Environmental Regulations

Products using HFO blowing agents are helping phase out high Global Warming Potential (GWP) counterparts; ICP is proud to engineer climate-friendly options that outperform.

Andover, MA – May 12, 2022 – ICP Building Solutions was named second runner-up in the 2022 Adhesive and Sealant Council (ASC) Innovation Awards Program. The award was recently presented at the 2022 World Adhesive and Sealant Conference in Chicago for the development of ICP’s Low-Pressure Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF).

ICP’s first-ever submission, “Novel Low-Pressure Spray Polyurethane Foam Blown with Hydrofluoroolefin Propellant,” was one of 34 submissions reviewed by a panel of industry specialists, including materials researchers, scientists and engineers. ICP’s low-pressure SPF was recognized for its new formulation, which uses a hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) blowing agent. This new formulation supports the continued phaseout of high Global Warming Potential (GWP) foam blowing agents under the EPA’s Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program. HFO blowing agents are replacing traditional hydrofluorocarbon (HFC)-based blowing agents, like HFC-134a, to improve climate stability.

“ICP is committed to developing foam chemistries with lower global warming impact and enhanced product performance,” said Dr. Andrew Shinko, Senior Scientist, Innovation, ICP. “This award cements us as an innovative leader in the insulation industry and underscores a tremendous body of work conducted by our lab and the entire ICP team. Everyone owns a part of this award and should feel good about what we are doing.”

Many ICP products, including adhesives, sealants, insulation and pour-in-place options, already make use of HFO blowing agents. Since 2016, numerous insulation, sealant and adhesive solutions have been converted or have launched as new products, with many championing improved performance and/or physical properties for unique applications.

Recipients of the 2022 ASC Innovation Awards were chosen based on demonstrated value propositions of novel chemistry and added value in a field application, or improvement in design and chemical processes. Shinko and ICP Scientist Anthony Taylor presented the innovation and accepted the award during a special educational session on April 27 at the 2022 World Adhesive and Sealant Conference.

Visit www.ICPGroup.com to learn more about world-class, award-winning industrial coatings, adhesives and sealants.

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About ICP
ICP is the foremost supplier of professional products and solutions for building envelope, cementitious and sports surface needs. Comprising dozens of industry-leading brands across numerous industries and applications, ICP offers the industry’s most comprehensive portfolios to building professionals all over the globe, all backed by its exclusive Masterworks training and education program. For more information, visit www.icpgroup.com.

 

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Written by ICP Group

Measuring Your Facility Disinfection Plans Successes & Gauging Future Pandemic Paths

Surface Hygiene: Epidemic & Pandemic (S.H.E.P.) Blog – Post 4 of 4

Blog Post 4 of a 4-part series. Click here to view Part 1: Protect Your People and Facilities: Before, During & Post-Pandemic, here to view Part 2: Addressing Hygiene Theatre & Microbial Surface Efficacy, and here to view Part 3: How To Build Your Facility Disinfection Plans

Now that you have a fundamental knowledge of S.H.E.P. and the current pandemic and you’ve built and implemented your facility disinfection plans, how do you know that they are accomplishing the goal of reduction of viral transmission? In a time where COVID-19 is ramping up again in pockets of communities, and the spread of variants as well as other viral pathogens is high, it may seem challenging to determine, understand, and quantify how our S.H.E.P. plans and mitigation efforts have been successful.

Continuing to implement and execute your facility disinfection plans is crucial just as much, if not more, now then when the pandemic first began in 2020. With new variants such as the Omicron, and BA.2 strains being incredibly prevalent as we enter the spring season, the need for ongoing disinfection, health screening, and personal protective equipment is still imperative in mitigating further transmission and community spread.

Stuart Ray, M.D. at Johns Hopkins Medicine stated, “New variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are detected every week. Most come and go — some persist, but don’t become more common; some increase in the population for a while, and then fizzle out. When a change in the infection pattern first pops up, it can be very hard to tell what’s driving the trend — changes to the virus, or changes in human behavior. It is worrisome that similar changes to the spike protein are arising independently on multiple continents.”

The ongoing infections of COVID-19 viruses, as well as typical seasonal influenzas, common colds, Norovirus, Rhinovirus, etc. reminds us that despite our fatigue with “pandemic thinking”, keeping up a regimented cleaning and disinfecting program and measuring its success needs to be a topic that is consistently front of mind.

Ray reaffirms the continued need to maintain a layered mitigation strategy even now. “…We also need to reemphasize basic public health measures. We have tools at hand that enable individuals to manage risk, including wearing high-quality masks or respirators. Those rated FFP2 or FFP3 are more protective than cloth masks, and often easier to wear. Hand-washing and avoiding large indoor gatherings, especially with unmasked people, are other ways to mitigate the risk of infection.” Ray states that “New variants are a reminder that we should be using multiple tools for the safety of ourselves and those for whom we care.”

As mentioned, it may seem challenging to determine, understand, and quantify how the plans and mitigation efforts established have been successful. A main indicator that your S.H.E.P. plans have been successful is a decrease in the number of active cases being reported in your facility. A lower rate of transmission and a smaller number of sick customers and staff, while hard to track, does indicate that your facility’s cleaning and disinfecting efforts have been paying off.

Other key indicators of a successful deployment of S.H.E.P. plans include:

  • layered mitigation happening successfully and implemented by employees, visitors, and customers (masking, hand hygiene, policies, social distancing, etc.)
  • open lines of communication between internal safety team and external organizations
  • staff engagement in regular health and safety training sessions
  • clearly marked instructions for patrons/guests/customers and employees who enter your facility on display and enforced (i.e., social distancing markers, directional arrows for traffic flow, maximum reduced occupancy signage, health screening questions)
  • a plan that is implemented when infection rates or caseloads surge to increase frequency of cleaning and disinfecting, and reduce the number of individuals accessing the facility
  • an increase in online/eCommerce sales, as customers transition to an online versus an in-person dependent shopping experience

Finally, measuring against the key performance indicators you established when building your S.H.E.P. plans will help gauge how successful the implementation has been and will also identify areas of review and improvement.

Unfortunately, whether it is another strain of COVID-19, or another new pathogen, there will always be new viruses to protect our built environments against. Building these plans to be versatile and address all types of pandemics, epidemics, endemics, or outbreak situations, will ensure that our buildings are protected against one of the many potential future global health challenges.

At ICP, we want to help you build your plans. Do you have some plans started but have questions? Not sure if your plan covers all infection control considerations? Not sure how to set key performance indicators or measure them? Our team is here to help you specify products for your facility based on your needs, and work with you to build your comprehensive plans. Reach out to Cole Stanton, our Director of Education and AED Specification for ICP. He can be contacted via specifications@icpgroup.com.

 

Resources

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/a-new-strain-of-coronavirus-what-you-should-know

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