Duraguard Protective Coating Solutions
Commercial & Industrial Concrete Floor Systems & polishing
Durapoxy Acid Guard — Novolac Epoxy Chemical Resistant Floor Coating
100% Solids Novolac Epoxy for Extreme Chemical and Acid Exposure
Standard epoxy coatings offer good chemical resistance. Novolac epoxy offers exceptional chemical resistance — and for facilities where floors face concentrated acids, aggressive solvents, and harsh industrial chemicals on a daily basis, the difference matters. Durapoxy Acid Guard is Duraguard’s 100% solids novolac epoxy floor coating, engineered for environments where chemical exposure is severe enough to degrade conventional epoxy systems. Applied at any required thickness to match the demands of the environment, Durapoxy Acid Guard creates a seamless, impermeable chemical barrier that protects concrete substrates from the acids, caustics, and solvents that destroy standard floor coatings. Installed by Duraguard Protective Coating Solutions throughout Wisconsin and Illinois since 1993, Durapoxy Acid Guard is the system of choice when chemical resistance is the primary performance requirement.
What Is Novolac Epoxy?
Not all epoxy is created equal. Standard epoxy resins are formulated for general-purpose performance — good adhesion, reasonable chemical resistance, and broad applicability across commercial and industrial environments. Novolac epoxy is a different class of resin chemistry, engineered specifically for maximum chemical resistance.
Novolac epoxy is produced through a different chemical process that creates a higher cross-link density in the cured film. This denser molecular structure is what gives novolac epoxy its superior resistance to acids, solvents, and aggressive chemicals that would penetrate and degrade a standard epoxy coating. The result is a cured surface that functions as a true chemical barrier — not just a coating that tolerates incidental chemical contact, but a system engineered to withstand continuous and concentrated chemical exposure.
For facilities where floors face acids, caustics, solvents, or aggressive industrial chemicals as a routine part of operations, novolac epoxy is the correct chemistry. Standard epoxy is not.
Why Durapoxy Acid Guard?
Novolac Chemistry — Maximum Chemical Resistance
Durapoxy Acid Guard’s novolac epoxy formulation delivers chemical resistance that standard epoxy systems cannot match. The higher cross-link density of the cured novolac film resists penetration by concentrated acids, organic solvents, caustic cleaning agents, and aggressive industrial chemicals that would degrade a conventional epoxy coating within months. For facilities where chemical exposure is severe and continuous, this is the defining performance characteristic.
100% Solids — Dense, Impermeable Barrier
Durapoxy Acid Guard is 100% solids — no solvents, no water, no evaporation during cure. The cured film is dense, continuous, and without the pinholes or thin spots that compromise chemical barrier performance in lower-solids systems. A 100% solids novolac film is as close to an impermeable chemical barrier as an epoxy floor coating delivers.
Applied at Any Required Thickness
Unlike standard coating systems with fixed application thicknesses, Durapoxy Acid Guard can be applied as thick as the environment demands. For secondary containment areas, chemical processing floors, and environments with extreme chemical exposure, greater film thickness means greater chemical resistance and longer service life. Duraguard specifies the correct application thickness based on the chemical exposure profile of each facility.
Seamless and Non-Porous
Durapoxy Acid Guard is installed as a seamless, monolithic surface with no joints, grout lines, or seams where chemicals can penetrate to the substrate. This seamless installation is critical in chemical environments — any joint or seam is a potential penetration point for aggressive chemicals that would otherwise be blocked by the coating itself.
Broad Chemical Resistance
Durapoxy Acid Guard resists a broad spectrum of aggressive chemicals including mineral acids, organic acids, caustic cleaning agents, industrial solvents, oils, and fuels. Specific chemical resistance should be confirmed for each application based on the chemicals present and their concentrations.
8 to 12 Hour Cure
Durapoxy Acid Guard cures in 8 to 12 hours under normal conditions, allowing facilities to return to service quickly after installation.
Where Durapoxy Acid Guard Is Used
Chemical Processing Facilities
Manufacturing and processing facilities that handle concentrated acids, caustics, or solvents require floor coatings that function as true chemical barriers. Durapoxy Acid Guard is the correct system for chemical processing floors where standard epoxy would fail under the chemical exposure present.
Secondary Containment Areas
Secondary containment areas around chemical storage tanks, drum storage, and chemical handling stations must contain spills of concentrated chemicals without allowing penetration to the substrate or beyond the containment boundary. Durapoxy Acid Guard’s novolac chemistry and variable application thickness make it the right system for secondary containment specifications.
Wastewater Treatment Facilities
Wastewater treatment environments expose floors to a combination of organic acids, hydrogen sulfide, caustic cleaning chemicals, and biological agents that aggressively degrade standard coating systems. Durapoxy Acid Guard’s novolac chemistry handles the chemical profile of wastewater treatment environments where conventional epoxy fails prematurely.
Food and Beverage Processing
Certain food and beverage processing environments — particularly those with high organic acid concentrations such as citric acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, and similar compounds — benefit from the enhanced acid resistance of novolac chemistry over standard epoxy. Breweries, dairy facilities, and fermentation operations with aggressive organic acid exposure are candidates for Acid Guard over standard epoxy systems.
Pharmaceutical and Laboratory Facilities
Pharmaceutical manufacturing and laboratory environments handling aggressive solvents and chemicals require floor coatings with the chemical resistance to maintain their integrity under continuous solvent and chemical exposure. Durapoxy Acid Guard provides the novolac chemistry these environments demand.
Industrial Manufacturing With Solvent Exposure
Any manufacturing environment where floors are routinely exposed to industrial solvents, degreasers, or aggressive cleaning chemicals benefits from novolac epoxy chemistry over standard epoxy formulations.
Durapoxy Acid Guard vs. Standard Epoxy — Why Chemistry Matters
Facility managers sometimes ask whether standard epoxy with good chemical resistance ratings is sufficient for their environment. The answer depends on what chemicals are present, at what concentrations, and how frequently exposure occurs.
Standard epoxy performs well under incidental chemical contact and moderate chemical exposure. Under continuous exposure to concentrated acids and solvents, standard epoxy degrades — the chemical penetrates the coating film, softening it, causing blistering, and eventually destroying the bond to the substrate.
Novolac epoxy’s higher cross-link density physically resists this penetration. The denser molecular structure of the cured film blocks the chemical pathways that allow acids and solvents to degrade standard epoxy. For facilities where chemical exposure is severe, the difference between standard epoxy and novolac epoxy is the difference between a floor that lasts and one that fails.
Duraguard evaluates the chemical exposure profile of every facility before specifying a coating system. When the chemicals present and their concentrations warrant novolac chemistry, Durapoxy Acid Guard is specified. When standard epoxy is sufficient, we say so.
The Duraguard Installation Process
Durapoxy Acid Guard requires thorough surface preparation — diamond grinding or shot blasting to open the concrete surface profile and remove any existing coatings, oils, or contaminants before application. Application thickness is determined based on the chemical exposure profile of the facility and specified in writing before installation begins.
Duraguard’s installation crews are experienced in novolac epoxy application and understand the mixing ratios, application temperatures, and cure conditions required for Durapoxy Acid Guard to perform to its chemical resistance specification.
We work around your production schedule, including nights and weekends, to minimize downtime during installation.
Service Area
Duraguard installs Durapoxy Acid Guard novolac epoxy floor coating systems throughout southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois including Racine, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Waukesha, Waukegan, Gurnee, Libertyville, and surrounding areas.
Get a Free Floor Assessment
If your facility handles aggressive chemicals, acids, or solvents — or if your current floor coating is failing under chemical exposure — contact Duraguard today for a free on-site assessment. We will evaluate your chemical exposure profile, review your floor condition, and provide a detailed written proposal at no charge.
Call us at (833) 387-2482 or use our contact form to request your free evaluation.
Duraguard Protective Coating Solutions is proud to align with leading industry organizations that set the standard for flooring excellence and business integrity. We follow the guidelines and technical standards established by the International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI), ensuring every project meets rigorous industry benchmarks. As an accredited member of the Better Business Bureau (BBB), we are committed to transparency, trust, and customer satisfaction. Duraguard is also recognized through Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC), reflecting our dedication to Wisconsin’s manufacturing and business community.