Lowe's sells corner guards manufactured by Miller LLC. And while we are certainly biased given that we manufacture corner guards, that also gives us expertise. And with this expertise we can outline the main differences between corner guard's from Lowe's and us.
Material & Strength of Lowe's Corner Guards
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:
Color Options: Clear vs Colored
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.
Should You Buy Lowe's Corner Guards?
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.
Leave a comment: