You should always get the corner guard that matches the radius of the wall corner for three reasons.
First, aesthetics. The designer of the building designed rounded corners as part of the aesthetic of the whole interior and will want that aesthetic to remain.
Second, superior damage protection. When a corner guard matches the shape of a corner, any impact will be distributed across the whole corner guard because it is both rigid and flat against the wall corner.
If you put a square corner guard on a rounded corner, damage will be focused on screws/nails and not distributed throughout the whole corner guard. That is, there is a concentration of force in one spot as opposed to distributed and thus weaker and harmless.
Third, installation. If you have a rounded wall corner and install a square corner guard, it is easy to get a corner guard that is too small for your corner. This is because a rounded corner has a corner bead that is larger, due to the round radius, and thus the area where you should screw into is farther out on the corner bead. If you get a corner guard that is too small you will screw into the corner bead itself and the screw will go through the void between the rounded corner and the corner guard.
If there is one wall guard mounted near the floor it will normally be around 12" off the finished floor (measured to the center of the wall guard/crash rail). This can vary a few inches depending on the height of the baseboard and width of the wall guard that you are using.
If you are using two wall guards/crash rails, the first one will be around 12" off the finished floor and the second will be around 36". Again, this will depend on the width of the wall guard as well as what types of things you are looking to protect your wall from.
]]>Corner guards with an aluminum retainer needs end caps for both aesthetic and practical purposes.
Aesthetically, it is more elegant to have one surface from the cover that curves over the top and meets the wall instead of having a void at the top and bottom between the cover and the wall.
Practically, if there wasn't an end cap there would be a space that dust and debris could accumulate in as well as an exposed edge.
All corner guards with an aluminum retainer come with two end caps and do not need to be sold separately.
]]>How much adhesive you need will depend on how much you use on each corner guard. In a normal application one 10.5 oz tube of adhesive will cover two 8' corner guards.
Keep in mind that construction adhesive is permanent so if you need to remove the corner guard after the adhesive has cured you will damage the wall.
]]>Most things that cause damage to your corners are below 4ft (e.g. carts, luggage, wheelchairs). If there is anything above 4ft that will cause damage to your corners then you would of course want to use an 8ft corner guard.
There are three aesthetic considerations when deciding between 4th and 8ft.
First, if you already have corner guards, what height are they? You want to keep a similar aesthetic throughout your building and having a consistent height helps to provide a cohesive interior design.
Second, often there will be wall sheet or wall coverings that goes from the floor to 4ft. And to match that aesthetic change with a corner guard is an elegant solution.
Third, do you like it? Some owners simply like the look of a continuous color from floor to ceiling. Also every interior color palette will have multiple colors and selecting a complementary color to the wall color from the palette is an beautiful option.
]]>If you paint vinyl or polycarbonate ("Lexan") corner guards their glossy finish will not allow paint to adhere to them and thus chip easily.
Paintable Corner Guards are made from a different type of plastic that provide a surface that is designed to take paint exceptionally well and avoid chipping.
Paintable Corner Guards allow you to not only exactly match your paint but also match your finish texture (e.g. Eggshell, Satin).
]]>$2.17 | $5.98 | $10.72 | $3.10 | Pricing N/A | |
$10.20 | N/A | N/A | $15.59 | N/A | |
$7.73 | N/A | $25.47 | $11.00 | $23.69 | |
$22.81 | N/A | $50.14 | $11.00 | $23.69 |
Lexan and Polycarbonate are the same thing. Lexan is a brand name and Polycarbonate is the chemical Name.
Polycarbonate was developed separately by Bayer and General Electric (became GE Plastics and then sold to Sabic). They both filed for patents in 1955. Bayer sold it under the name "Makrolon" and GE under the name "Lexan". Because of the success of the products the quality of the material name "Lexan" became tightly identified with products like "Tissue" or "Band-Aid."
]]>There are three ways to protect your walls from chairs: polycarbonate/lexan chair rails, Rubstrips, and wall guards. Each of these will increase in cost and complexity and we'll walk through each option.
The least expensive option is a clear chair rail. The benefits of this product is that it's strong and inexpensive. The potential downsides are that you can see through the product so you won't be able to hide previous damage on the wall. Also, these are attached with screws (through predrilled holes) and some people would like to hide fasteners.
Vinyl rubstrips (also called "rub rail" or "crash rail") are thin vinyl strips that come in 4–8" widths. They are available in a variety of colors to match the wall and provide excellent protection against scratches and scuffs. It also has a texture that is often described as orange peel or haircell. The texture provides more matte finish and hides scratches.
With wall guard (also known as "bumper guard" or "crash rail") there is a significant step up in cost and protection. The wall guard is an assembly of an aluminum retainer, bumper, and cover as well as end caps to elegantly finish the product.
All of these three options for protecting your walls from damage from chairs will be excellent. The questions to consider are:
If you need help with any of these questions you can chat with us by clicking on the bubble on the bottom right of the screen or email us at support@commercialcornerguards.com.
]]>What height your corner guard should be depends on two questions:
Regarding the first question, how high your corner guard needs to be depends on how high things like baggage or carts are. That is, how high are the objects that will damage the wall.
Regarding the second question, if the only things that will damage the corner are less than 4 ft then you have the option to use a 4ft or 8ft corner guard. And you can make that decision based on what you think looks best in your space. Also, if you already have corner guards installed, you might want to match the height of those ones.
Quick note, standard heights of corner guards are 4' and 8'. You may cut vinyl (PVC) corner guards to custom heights but it is not recommended to cut polycarbonate.
The wing width of a corner guard is the distance between the corner and one of the wings.
What the right wing width is determined by what you want the corner guard to look like and how much protection you want. You will get most of the protect by simply having a corner guard. That is, the protection you gain from purchasing a larger wing width is minimal. It is largely an aesthetic decision.
Most corners are 90 degrees and thus most people should be purchasing standard or 90 degree corner guards. Another but less common standard is 135 degrees and we offer 135 degree corner guards.
For all other odd angles we offer Adjustable Angle Corner Guards.
]]>Wheelchairs damage walls in three places:
The damage from wheelchairs comes from three places on the wheelchair:
There are three ways to protect your walls and corners from wheelchairs.
To protect your wall you can use Rub Rail or Wall Guards.
You can protect your corners with corner guards.
]]>
If you're looking to purchase corner guards with tape we offer those in both vinyl and polycarbonate ("Lexan").
]]>If you need Commercial Corner Guard specification information for your project you can chat with us by clicking on the chat icon in the bottom right of the screen or contact us at projects@commercialcornerguards.com.
]]>Menards offers Trimaco clear corner guards in 4' length in a wing width of 5/8" and 1-1/8" and 8' length only in a wing width of 5/8". (The "wing width" is the distance between one edge of the corner guard to the corner.)
These are the available corner guards from Menards vs. Commercial Corner Guards.
|
3/4" |
5/8" |
1.125" |
1.5" |
2" |
2.5" Bull |
No Fastener |
||||||
Tape |
||||||
Nails |
||||||
Screws |
|
3/4" |
5/8" |
1.125" |
1.5" |
2" |
2.5" Bull |
No Fastener |
||||||
Tape |
||||||
Nails |
||||||
Screws |
|
3/4" |
5/8" |
1.125" |
1.5" |
2" |
2.5" Bull |
No Fastener |
||||||
Tape |
||||||
Nails |
||||||
Screws |
|
3/4" |
5/8" |
1.125" |
1.5" |
2" |
2.5" Bull |
No Fastener |
||||||
Tape |
||||||
Nails |
||||||
Screws |
Trimaco's corner guards are made from PETG (Polyethylene Terephthalates Glycol) while Commercial Corner Guards' corner guards are made from Polycarbonate ("Lexan"). While both materials provide good protection for low to medium impact, at high impact Polycarbonate far exceeds PETG.
But not only is Polycarbonate stronger but when PETG breaks it shatters, creating dangerous shards for people nearby. We created a video demonstrating this behaviour:
]]>
Most corners are 90° which is why most corner guards are 90°. But there are are walls of other angles and the most common are 135° and 45°.
Corners that are 45° especially need protection given that there is less material on the corner due to its small angle.
]]>Corners that are 45° especially need protection given that there is less material on the corner due to its small angle. This is why we designed our adjustable angle corner guard.
The additional benefit of using a corner guard with an adjustable angle is that it is able to conform to the wall even if there are slight variations in the angle (e.g. 43 degrees or 47 degrees) due to the construction or movement of the building over time.
]]>Use a putty knife and scrape between the tape or adhesive and the wall from the top to the bottom of the corner guard and on each side.
There will probably be tape/adhesive remaining on the wall so you can use the putty knife or fine grit sandpaper (200 grit) to remove the remain bits.
Corner Guards with nails can simply be pried out by sliding the back of a hammer close to each nail and pulling them out. In order to protect the drywall, you can put a piece of wood or shim between the hammer and the wall so that the pressure against the wall is not concentrated in one spot.
If you damage the wall it can be repaired like normal drywall repair.
]]>In order to protect the corner, it should be protected by a bullnose corner guard. Using a corner guard designed to conform to a rounded corner both retains the rounded aesthetic and provides the best protection against dents and scratches.
There are two different types of measurements with bullnose corner guards:
Use a framing square or two rulers and measure from the top of the bullnose curve to the inside corner that the square or rulers form.
When selecting a bullnose corner guard you will need to select a width, and the width is different from the radius.
The width is measured from the end of one wing of the corner guard to the surface of the other wing.
We sell bullnose corner guards in vinyl and polycarbonate:
]]>While we don't know the exact type of plastic material of Miller's corner guards we do know it is not polycarbonate (also known as Lexan), the material out of which our corner guards are made. And we know this because we tested their material strength and when a force is applied to Lowe's corner guards they shatter and this is not the material characteristic of polycarbonate.
Polycarbonate is an extremely strong material that is used in fighter jet windows and is almost impossible to break. And when it breaks it does not shatter and is thus safer for building inhabitants.
You can see the material/strength comparison here:
Lowe's only sells clear corner guards. The benefit of clear corner guards is that your can see the color or pattern of the wall through them. The potential problem is that you will always see the adhesives (whether tape or nails). Even clear tape is visible because walls have texture and the tape does not perfectly conform to that texture.
If you need colored corner guards there are two options: polycarbonate and vinyl. Polycarbonate corner guards are smooth and shiny and vinyl corner guards have an orange peel texture and are thus not as shiny.
If you're installing corner guards in places with neither a lot of traffic nor objects like carts, gurneys, wheelchairs or luggage, then Lowe's corner guards will be sufficient. In short, Lowe's will be fine for residential applications but for commercial facilities like hotel and hospitality, use commercial corner guards.
]]>
There are three main options for buying corner guards:
Home Depot and Lowes carry corner guards and if you are looking for minimal protection (e.g. protecting some corners in your home against cats) and minimum quantity they will be fine. But if you need higher protection and you're in a commercial facility (e.g. healthcare or hotel) you should look to the other two options.
Home Centers will also stock only 1 or 2 kinds of corner guards. Their color, material, height, and width options will be extremely minimal.
The corner guards sold at large home centers are made from a different kind of material and are made thinner and are therefore weaker. We studied and outlined the differences between Home Depot, Lowe's, and our corner guards here: Home Depot vs Lowes vs Commercial Corner Guards.
Purchasing corner guards from distributors improves both the quality and the available options. They will source their products from higher quality manufacturers and typically stock more colors, widths, heights, and types.
The main drawback of purchasing from a distributor is price. As the middleman, the distributor purchases the corner guards from the manufacturer and then marks up the price in order to cover their costs. This is direct-to-consumer (DTC) has become so popular in the last 10 years. It is better for both the manufacturer and consumer to purchase directly from the manufacturer.
Often distributors will try to hide or at least not explicitly say whether they are the manufacturer or not because then the consumer could find the manufacturer and buy directly from them. You can find out whether they themself manufacture the product by asking them:
The best option is to purchase corner guards directly from the manufacturer. This is because you get the highest quality, the most options, and the lowest price. Manufacturers don't have the additional markup that distributors do.
The only negative of purchasing from the manufacturer is some manufacturers don't sell directly to consumer.
Commercial Corner Guards manufacturers corner guards in-house, in Illinois.
]]>
UPS and FedEx do not have the conveyors and equipment that can handle large packages. Every large package has to be manually transported throughout their facilities.
But if they have never been able to easily handle large packages, why increase the prices now? With Amazon taking so much of their business and offering free shipping, UPS and FedEx could no longer internalize that cost. Large packages have always cost them more but they had not charged the customer the actual cost until now.
We are getting around this additional charge by cutting down our 8’ corner guards (and all 8’ products) to 92”. We are doing this because most people are already cutting down corner guards at the time of installation. It is not often that you need a full 8’ corner guard. Most common installations have the corner guard sit on top of the baseboard, reducing the overall height needed.
Additionally, corner guard height is typically measured AFF ("Above Finished Floor").
What is AFF ("Above Finished Floor")?
AFF is a common architectural term that means "Above Finished Floor". It's used to measure the full height of products from the finished floor to the top of the product. In the case of corner guards, this measurement would include the baseboard height. For example, a 92" corner guard installed on top of a 4" baseboard would have an AFF height of 96".
By providing our 8’ corner guards a few inches shorter we are avoiding the additional shipping charges, and providing a product more suited to most common installations. If you still need 8’ parts, you can chat with us at the bottom right of any page on the website.
]]>
Clear corner guards are the most versatile wall protection for commercial buildings. Our complete guide covers dimensions, pros and cons, cost, and more.
]]>Traditionally, clear corner guards come in a variety of widths, including .75”, 1.125”, 1.5”, 2”, 2.5”, and 3”. Most manufacturers also make corner protectors for unconventional corners such as rounded bullnose corners and wide 135° corners. The standard heights for clear corner guards are 4’ and 8’. If you buy directly from the manufacturer, you may be able to request custom heights. Although it is possible, we do not recommend cutting down clear corner guards. The corner guard material (polycarbonate, also commonly known by the brand name “Lexan”) when cut with a power saw can cause the saw to kick back and injure the operator.
Screws are the most secure attachment to the wall followed by nails then tape. If your wall is textured or uneven, double-sided tape may not effectively adhere to the wall. This is because the corner guard is 90° and if the walls are not 90° then one of the corner guard wings will not touch the wall as much as the other. With screws or nails, the surface of the wall does not affect the quality of adhesion. Read below to learn how to install clear corner guards with each of these methods.
To demonstrate the superiority of polycarbonate, we produced a short video where we tested the strength of clear corner guards from Commercial Corner Guards to that of corner guards from Home Depot and Lowe’s. We found that the clear corner guards from both Home Depot and Lowe’s (not manufactured from polycarbonate) shattered upon impact. Our clear polycarbonate corner guards retained their shape upon impact. Besides durability, we also discovered that our product exceeded our competitors in packaging, clarity, thickness, and price.
Perhaps the most significant benefit of clear corner guards is their transparency. The ability to see the color or pattern of the wall through the corner guard provides an aesthetic appearance without clashing against the building’s interior design.
The primary downside of clear corner guards is that their transparency allows you to subtly see the tape, screws, or nails through the corner guard.
Generally the most inexpensive types of corner guards, the cost of clear corner guards ranges from a few dollars to upwards of $50 depending on the height and corner. Starting at $1.35, Commercial Corner Guards offers the most cost effective clear corner guards on the market. We manufacture our own corner guards, which allows us to avoid many of the added expenses of corner guards sold by suppliers.
Three installation methods exist for clear corner guards. Before beginning installation, thoroughly clean and dry the corners of the walls to ensure secure attachment. Remove the clear film from the corner guard if applicable.
The corner guard comes with pre-drilled and countersunk holes and self-tapping screws. Hold the corner guard against the wall and screw in.
The corner guard comes with nails. Hold the corner guard against the wall and nail in. Use three nails per side for every 4 feet of corner guard.
Thickness listed on Home Depot’s website can be confusing, as there are multiple numbers provided. The thickness give in the description, and the thickness as tested is around 0.047”. By comparison, clear corner guards from Commercial Corner Guards are 0.075” thick.
Home Depot advertises two styles of corner guards, Commercial and Residential. The corner guards marketed as “commercial” options are slightly wider than the small “residential” options. The residential corner guards are also extremely thin, at 0.038”.
]]>There are a couple different options if you don't want to choose paintable corner guards. First, you could purchase a vinyl or plastic corner guard that is a similar color.
A second option is choosing an accent color. For instance, if you have a blue wall you could select a yellow corner guard, a complementary color on the color wheel.
The final option is a custom color match. This will be the most expensive option and is normal only selected when there is a high quantity of corner guards.
If you have questions about selecting the right corner guard, leave a comment below or chat with us using the chat box in the bottom right corner.
]]>The two most important dimensions of any corner guard are its width and its length or height. It is helpful to think of the length as the installed height. Standard heights are 48” and 96”, but most manufacturers will also produce custom lengths for any building need.
The width of a corner guard is measured from one outside edge to the corner. In this way, the width will always be the same measurement on each side of the corner guard. See the drawing below for an example of this measurement.
There are many sizes of corner guards available to meet a variety of needs, but some sizes make more sense in certain building types and use cases. A good example of this is the hotel and hospitality industry. Because hotels have a high amount of foot traffic and light damage caused by luggage, corner guards are a necessity in almost every area. However, hotels do not require heavy duty protection like you might find in a hospital or healthcare facility. In a hotel the most common sizes chosen are 1 ⅛” and 1 ½”, while hospitals commonly utilize 2” or 3” corner guards. The key here is matching the level and type of damage most common in your building to the corner guard size that also fits into your buildings budget.
]]>If you need help installing or selecting a wall guard, chat with us in the box in the bottom right of the screen.
]]>Plastic sheet is commonly manufactured and sold in 4′ x 8′ sheets in thicknesses ranging from 1/32″ to 1″ or thicker. Depending on the thickness, size, and material of the sheet the price per piece can vary greatly. General sizes and types of plastic sheet are available for purchase through home centers, and hardware stores. If you have a specific application, such as wall protection, it would be better to source the material directly from the manufacturer whenever possible.
Below you will find a comparison of four common types of plastic sheet and their characteristics.
Acrylic Sheet |
Polycarbonate Sheet |
Vinyl Sheet |
Plastic Roll Sheeting |
|
Price |
$$$$ |
$$ |
$$$ |
$ |
Strength |
2 |
4 |
3 |
N/A |
Clear/Opaque |
Clear & Opaque |
Clear Only |
Color Only |
Clear or Colored |
Use cases |
Plexiglass, glass substitute, crafts, home projects |
Bulletproof panels, high-impact areas, safety guards |
Wall protection, commercial building design, sanitary wall covering |
Paint drop cloth, tarps |
Trade/brand names |
Plexiglass |
Lexan, Makrolon |
PVC Sheet, FRP |
Painters plastic, tarp |
]]>
The Acrovyn® brand is divided into three major product categories: Acrovyn® Wall Protection, Acrovyn® Wall Coverings and Panels, and Acrovyn® Doors. These three categories combine to make up a full wall protection line capable of outfitting any commercial building. These broad categories include products commonly associated with the Acrovyn® brand like corner guards, crash rails, handrails, wall sheet, wall panels, and doors and door guards. Below we will look at the major product categories, comparing Acrovyn® with other leading manufacturers.
Company |
Product Series |
Availability |
AcrovynⓇ |
LG, VA Series |
Distributor only |
Commercial Corner Guards |
Online - Same-day shipping |
|
Inpro |
Clear/Tape-On |
Purchase/Quote Online |
Wallprotex |
WX1, WX2, WX3 Series |
Purchase Online |
Company |
Product Series |
Availability |
AcrovynⓇ |
SM-20N, SM-10N, etc. |
Online/Distributor |
Commercial Corner Guards |
Online - Same-day shipping |
|
Inpro |
150 & 160 Series, Blunose Series |
Purchase/Quote Online |
Wallprotex |
WX4 Series |
Purchase Online |
Company |
Product Series |
Availability |
AcrovynⓇ |
Crash Guards - SC40N - SCR80N |
Online/Distributor |
Commercial Corner Guards |
N/A |
N/A |
Inpro |
200 - 1800 Series Wall Guard |
Purchase/Quote Online |
Wallprotex |
WX6, WX15, WX17 Series |
Purchase Online |
]]>
While there are a variety of use cases where stainless steel corner guards are an acceptable substitute for plastic corner guards, they are most commonly found in food service areas and healthcare facilities. These types of facilities have very specific sanitary requirements and stainless steel is a perfect material to meet those needs. The FDA and the Department of Health and Human Services both regulate requirements for sanitation and cleanliness for the foodservice industry and the healthcare industry. These requirements specify that non-porous and rust resistant surfaces must be used in certain areas in order to mitigate the spread of bacteria, viruses, and food-borne illnesses. For example, the chart below, from the FDA, lists acceptable surface material options within food prep areas.
(source: https://www.fda.gov/downloads/food/guidanceregulation/ucm102738.pdf)
While stainless steel corner guards may be used to meet sanitary requirements, they are often chosen for their unique design as well. Depending on the building, the designer may choose to purchase corner guards to blend into the wall or they may select a corner guard with a finish that stands out. The metallic finish of a stainless steel corner guard is a popular choice because of its sleek and simple look. Choosing a stainless steel corner guard instead of plastic corner guards allows for more design options in your building.
]]>Commercial grade corner guards are often found in healthcare facilities, schools, office buildings, and other public buildings. Due to their high-traffic and frequent cleaning and maintenance, these type of buildings benefits from corner guards that are manufactured to provide maximum protection over the longest period of time. High-impact commercial grade corner guards consist of a heavy-duty aluminum retainer that is mounted directly to the drywall corner with a plastic cover that snaps over the aluminum retainer. This assembly is trimmed out with matching end caps to provide a finished look. Commercial corner guards are available in a wide variety of colors and sizes that allow integration into the buildings interior design. If your building experiences high amounts of corner damage, frequent maintenance, and requires specific design integration, commercial grade corner guards might be right for you.
Residential grade corner guards are generally placed in houses, hotels, and apartment buildings. These buildings typically see less traffic than commercial buildings but still require some protection that can be provided in a cost-effective manner. There are more size options available for residential buildings that provide the owner or maintenance staff greater flexibility in determining the most cost-effective option. Residential grade corner guards consist of a 1-piece assembly that is mounted directly to the surface of the wall. These corner guards also provide the buyer with a variety of installation methods to choose from such as double-sided tape, pre-drilled holes and screws, and construction adhesive. These products give you a wide variety of color choices while providing a lower cost option to commercial grade corner guards. If your building contains a high volume of corner that experience infrequent or light damage, the residential grade corner guard option might be right for you.
]]>