My experience with DuraCoat's product for concrete stairs.
In May 2008, I contacted DuraCoat AB and asked them to recommend a craftsman who could repair my ugly concrete stairs with Duratrapp. They recommended a company in Stockholm which carried out the repair, and the stairs looked very nice. After the first winter, cracks began to appear in the Duratrapp, so I contacted the contractor to address the defects. Several times during 2009, I called the contractor who promised to come and inspect. Nothing happened. By spring 2010, the damage was much larger, and parts of Duratrapp had started to detach from the concrete. Even that year, the contractor did not bother to check the damages, even though I called many times. In 2011, the stairs were ruined and still no contractor.
Now in 2013, the stairs are so damaged that large sections need to be removed and re-cast.
The problems with the Duratrapp product are that it does not hold the stones that are supposed to form the surface, and the Duratrapp cracks and lets in moisture. The moisture then stays and freezes, destroying the concrete of the stairs. An untreated stair normally dries, but when Duratrapp is applied, the product traps moisture, and damage occurs.
I have contacted DuraCoat and offered them the opportunity to comment on this text, but they have refrained from responding. That alone says a lot about the quality of the company and the product.
The following five pictures show the problems and should probably deter most from using the product.
Image 1. The large visible damages on the stairs.
Image 2. Cracks and stone detachment from Duratrapp
Image 3. Large hole in the stairs due to frost damage (Could not upload because of duplicate of image 1. Please attach image 3 again so I can include it here. Stefan, Moderator)
Image 4. Cracks as well as Duratrapp detaching from the substrate
Image 5. The surface stones have detached from Duratrapp, but Duratrapp is otherwise intact.
Honestly, do you have to paste the same long text in 6 (at least) threads? What do you get out of that except some kind of personal vendetta? Revenge is sweet? I think one thread would have been enough.
Well, maybe a bit exaggerated. But I think it would be a shame if more people fell into this trap.
It’s not a matter of slander. I was in contact with Duracoat a couple of weeks ago to ask for a comment on my text. They chose not to respond.
What I write are facts. The pictures speak for themselves. Where is the slander?
I thought it looked a bit strange that a new user suddenly creates an account and posts the same negative text about a product and a company in several threads on the forum. This seems a bit suspicious to me, like a competitor is trying to discredit the company in question.
Then, I think it's bad that you haven't been able to get either the craftsmen or the company in question to comment or assess your staircase in 4 years to determine if the fault lies with the product or the installation.
Sure, I can agree with you. Byggahus.se is welcome to call me to verify my information. I would really like someone independent to look at the staircase.
And it is very poorly managed. Every time I've called, the contractor (the same person every time) has seemed completely surprised, taken the information, and promised to get back to me. It has never happened. Now I've had enough and want others to see how badly this product is handled.
The company DuraCoat wants to respond to TS as follows:
"We manufacture the product and sell DuraTrapp through our retailers and on our website. We only operate in Skåne, and can only refer to our retailers.
1. We have not been contacted to comment on the text on this page.
2. We have recommended the contractor in Stockholm, as he has purchased a lot of material over the years and received mostly positive references.
After we heard that he did not address this complaint, we have stopped recommending him. We regret the mishap that has affected you, and we can also inform you that the contractor in question has no connection to our company. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for their work.
3. DuraTrapp is a well-proven product that we have been manufacturing for about 20 years. The important thing, as with all other products, is that the preparation work is done correctly and that the work description accompanying DuraTrapp is followed.
4. The damage to your stairs is due to the preparation work not being done correctly. The reason why the stone is coming loose from the filler could be due to various factors. The stairs were not dry when they were coated, which is very important as the filler will not adhere if the substrate is wet. In this case, it looks like it was too hot, so the filler began to cure before the stone was applied.
Attached is a picture of what DuraTrapp looks like when executed correctly.
My experience with protective coating on stairs (different brand) is that you should avoid, or completely refrain from, coating the risers. Apply the coating only on the treads, and let the stairs "breathe" through the risers. This has worked for me in the west coast climate since the 1980s.
I don't know why you deleted my post where I asked DuraCoat if they would compensate TS or arrange a new contractor for them. But what emerged from their response was NO, they will not arrange a new contractor for TS despite the one they recommended doing a subpar job.
"2. We have recommended the contractor in Stockholm,
...
at the same time we can inform that the contractor in question has not had, nor has, any connection to our company."
Nice contradiction there, they have no connection at all to a contractor they themselves recommended. So bad!
One thing we know for sure now, a contractor recommended by DuraCoat is not to be trusted, thus DuraCoat is also not to be trusted. Harsh, but true.
Then, a lot of questions arise about TS's actions. How has it been claimed, has there even been any ARN complaint? Why has TS allowed the deterioration to continue for four years without taking action to save the stairs?
Of course, it is the seller of the product and the one who installed on TS's behalf who are responsible to TS. This "contractor" (read shady builder) should be exposed just as much as DuraCoat.
That DuraCoat then does not take action and ensure that a contractor they recommended corrects a wrongly installed product is poor. That DuraCoat in such a case cannot even consider providing new material for repair is even worse.
I think you're being a bit harsh. Should Weber be responsible for all poor castings done with their product "cement" just because people don't follow the instructions.....
Sure, DC could sponsor with some material as goodwill because someone recommended someone who doesn't correct a mistake, but mainly the flamethrower should be aimed at the builder who doesn't seem to have used the product correctly.
Then perhaps one should consider what "recommend" means.
The supplier may have recommended contacting one of the buyers and users of their products.
However, it's not the same as recommending a particular company over all other companies because the recommended one is somehow better and more excellent in craftsmanship.
If I ask a manufacturer for a recommendation of a contractor who can do a job for me with their products, I definitely expect that "the recommended one is somehow better and more excellent in their craftsmanship," and also serious. That's kind of the whole point of asking for a recommendation.
If I recommend an industry colleague to a company, and that colleague does a bad job, I would definitely not feel good about it and would do what I could to regain my trust with that company and others involved. Nothing strange about that, regardless of what the law says.
But Thomas, surely one should be able to expect that this recommendation from a product supplier is reliable, but even the sun has spots and obviously something went wrong this time in a way that reportedly doesn't usually happen. Recommending someone can reasonably not mean taking on an extended warranty responsibility.
Vi vill skicka notiser för ämnen du bevakar och händelser som berör dig.
