This is the first I've heard of it, and as much as I do business directly with Dal's own local warehouse, I'm kind of surprised that I haven't heard of it before this.

Without more information, though, it reminds me alot of that Granite Shield crap-- just another reason to reach into your pockets by way of a fancy "warranty" that could have a thousand different loopholes, and take out some more of your hard earned money. Rather than pay a couple of hundred dollars for the warm and fuzzy feeling a warranty gives you, how about spending 20-30.00 on a bottle of penetrating sealer, and wipe on/ wipe off yourself? Not only is it not rocket science, but it's so simple.......

A CAVEMAN COULD DO IT!

:-)

From a sheer health standpoint, I don't personally think I'd want counters with a pesticide (triclosan, aka microban) embedded in them. I'm by no means an alarmist but there have been a number of studies that call the safety of this additive into question. I definitely wouldn't want that substance where I'll be preparing food.

Thanks for the follow ups gentlemen.. I agree it sounds like a scam, I'm always leery of warranties because in my experience everyone tries to avoid paying out on them.

Hi - I just saw your post. I'm the PR person for Daltile and wanted to let you know that the ProAdvanced Protection Program is a real thing. We just "officially" launched it this week, but some slab fabricators have already been talking about it.

I'm including a link to our press release on the warranty program. Let me know if you'd like to be connected with someone to learn more.

Thanks!

Cooper Smith
PR Rep for Daltile
cooper@coopersmithagency.com

Here is a link that might be useful: Press Release about ProAdvanced Protection Program Launch

"In a recent independent study by Protect Plus Surfaces, three primary concerns were identified by female homeowners when considering stone countertops versus alternative surfaces: stains, bacteria and maintenance/cleaning. Daltiles PROADVANCED Protection Program helps prevent all three, ultimately offering peace of mind to homeowners," said Lori Kirk-Rolley, senior marketing director at Daltile.

I have three questions. First, does this product protect at all against etching? Secondly, does it specify any kind of professional maintenence schedule during the course of that warranty period? Third, are there any substances that could adversely affect the sealer, the way that basic compounds can with most normal sealers?

Cooper Smith-- I'm sorry to be a skeptic. I've seen too many snake oil sales men when it comes to sealers in this industry, and this sounds too much like another one that we've had a history with in here, and that's Granite Shield.

I am more aligned with the comment about safety. And don't worry on this about being an alarmist, pesticides are reason for alarm. Microban AKA Triclosan or whatever they are using is of concern to many. The facts are we don't know enough about what is in Microban because they don't disclose it in their literature or on any product labeling. The main active ingredient in Microban is banned in many countries and the inventor Ciba has withdraw production this year. Do you really want poisons and biocides that MUST leach to work on your countertop? I read that women who work from home are 54% more likely to get cancer than those who work outside the home, and it's linked to household chemicals. (Toronto Indoor Air Commission report)
Dal-Tile Launched Outstand Microban Tile recently and it uses leaching Silver Ion technology. And again much is in print over concerns about Silver and how safe it is. USFS study done back in 1997 has shown concern over the use of heavy metals such as silver.
Want more info go to enviroblog.org and type in Triclosan or Microban. Also the link for household chemical article is: http://www.ecoviva.com/Household_Chemicals_-_Toxic_effects.pdf

It's so easy even BV could do it! {{gwi:1763802}}

The question is WOULD I.

Bill...I was just joshing you with the caveman because they always pop up and act offended when the statement you made is said on the commercial. I'm not really following the comment you made so I'm unsure if I offended you or not. Seriously...it was just all in fun. I was referring to the wipe on sealer that was so easy...not the dalite product. Sorry if I offended.

Storklady-- I wasn't sure, but regardless my comment is valid. It may BE easy. But I still don't know that I'd use it without more info on the product. I'm kind of surprised that a publicist for the product wouldn't come back with follow-up. He just joined yesterday, presumably to comment on this one thread.

He made his comment and Pffft he was gone! The thing that bothers me is this is a company I do quite a bit of business with, and for the most part, I promote very heavily in here, and to be in the position of being the skeptic for one of their products isn't something I'm very used to. I would LOVE the chance to find out more about this.

Funny thing is I was just down at my local Daltile warehouse the other day, and they had nothing about this up there.

Sorry for the delayed response here - I thought that this forum would email me when others post to it.

I'm forwarding your conversation to someone at Daltile who knows much more about the specifics than I do.

Regarding maintenance, as we state in the press release, there are no maintenance requirements once the granite or marble is sealed.

I'm told that it does protect against etching, but I'll let the experts weigh in on that specifically.

To all:

I am with Protect Plus Surfaces. We are partnered with Daltile to assist and underwrite the warranty with this program, as well as the exclusive DuPont Licensee for sealed stone products. The kit includes 3 items: a 1/2 gal of exclusive sealer and 2 current DuPont StoneTech products that are very successful in the marketplace, and for good reason - they work very well. The sealer is water based and does include Microban - but not Triclosan. Microban has several different antimicrobials available to them based on the product they are going to protect. Due to public concerns with triclosan, this product was not used. The antimicrobial in the sealer is 100% natural. It is actually the same form of antimicrobial used in DuPont Water Filtration products. These have undergone rigorous tests following NSF guidelines by the Water Quality Association (WQA) to prove that water is safe to drink after passing through the filtration device. That is how safe the Microban in the sealer is. The other 2 products are the DuPont StoneTech Revitalizer Cleaner and Protector and the DuPont StoneTech Polish.

We are the warranty underwriter of the program and handle the customer service for all warranty claims. Rest assured, this is the strongest warranty available in the market today. There are not loopholes and exclusions in the warranty that are commonplace in the market today. This program was put together to truly protect your important purchase for the full 15 years. Here are a few differentiating items about the program:
1) The warranty includes all granite and marble - yes it covers marble. But it does not cover etching on the marble. This is nearly impossible to do with a penetrating sealer that doesn't alter the look or feel of the marble. Many consumers are now choosing a finish other than polished, which makes etching much more difficult to see.
2) The warranty needs to be applied only 1 time - and the warranty lasts for 15 years
3) There are no specific care guidelines that must be followed to make sure the warranty is in effect
4) The warranty is fully transferable for the full 15 years - your home could sell 15 times and it will still be valid
5) The warranty covers the full cost of replacement product if a stain cannot be removed
6) If a replacement is required, we cover the costs of the labor as well - no other warranty in the industry covers this!
7) All chemicals are from DuPont - the most effective and safest natural stone sealers on that market today
8) Microban antimicrobial technology truly does work for the entire length of the warranty - and we chose a natural ingredient for your safety. Imagine raw chicken on your countertop - microbes double every 20 minutes and you don't want to see that spot under a microscopre after 24 hours. Microban inhibits this growth and after 24 hours you can hardly tell it was there. Here is more information about it. http://www.microban.com/partnersites/proadvanced
9) Daltile does have this program on their website at www.daltilestone.com/proadvanced

This program has been rolled out specifically to Daltile's Stone Centers located all over the country. The program has just been announced to the entire Daltile sales team and is gaining momentum all over the country now. If you have more questions, feel free to contact me directly at andyfay@protectplus.com

Andy, thank you for that. I have to say, though-- I was just at the Dal warehouse in Portland, Maine this morning, and there wasn't even a hint that this stuff existed. If it's everything you say it is, and I have to say I'm still skeptical, it's about as revolutionary in the industry as Ditra, and you'd think every Dal warehouse would be showing this off!

Bill,

Portland Maine is a sales center that focuses on Daltile tile products, and not specifically slab countertops. There are about 38 stone centers across the country for Daltile that really focus on this. It's like going to a Wal-Mart without a grocery store and expecting to see their great new promotion on Angus Beef. However, they are getting more signage at these locations to discuss it more and direct customers to the stone centers. I have pasted a link that shows the locations of just the stone centers.

The Manchester NH center-- is that at the same location as the tile warehouse?

Also, I'm surprised that the Portland store isn't working with it, anyway. Their biggest customer (PGW) also happens to have the biggest fabrication shop in the state, as well, and I'm sure he'd be interested in offering this as a service if it's as good as you say.

I am getting granite countertops and my fabricator mentioned this product. I am curious if any pros have a recommendation one way or the other now that this has been available for a bit longer.