Texas children’s hospital relies on non-toxic coating for shower stall repairs

Children’s Hospital is a 189-bed pediatric tertiary care center with more than 30 medical and surgical specialties offering care throughout South Texas ─ including Corpus Christi, the Rio Grande Valley, Victoria, and Laredo.

Driscoll Children’s Hospital opened in 1953 and remains the only free-standing children’s hospital in South Texas.

Many patient-room shower stalls were in need of repair. Water was leaking through discolored grout lines. Grout was chipped and missing in some instances. It was apparent that a makeover was much needed. 

Eddie Naro, owner of the local Corpus Christi Miracle Method franchise, was brought in to make the repairs.

 “It’s a two-step cleaning process,” Naro said. “The walls needed to be thoroughly cleaned, we had to regrout the tiles to make it even and filled. Now it looks like brand new tile.”

First, he needed to set up ventilation system. Then he had to apply bonding agent to tile. Most contractors rely on a mechanical bond. Chemical bonding reacts to the tile. The biggest difference is that with a mechanical bonding, water can get in. 

The process begins with an Armorguard primer color. Then Miracle Method’s Natural Accents gives it color and, finally, an Armorguard clear coat on top of that to seal it.  The shower area can be down anywhere from 24-48 hours depending on necessity.

Armorguard is the first water-based system to finish and refurbish tile without the need for acid-etch, bonds or epoxies.

Miracle Method had used other systems to reglaze tiles. But the hospital staff specifically requested a “low odor” product, which the Armorguard from Seagrave Coatings provides.

Hygiene is of paramount importance in hospitals. Pathogens can easily spread from surfaces to patients. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), there were more than 700,000 healthcare-associated infections in 2011.

Miracle Method had used other systems to reglaze tiles. But the hospital staff specifically requested a “low odor” product, which the Armorguard from Seagrave Coatings provides.