This Old House names QUIKRETE® Q-MAX Pro concrete to list of the 100 best new home products of 2015

Words: Chad CorleyTime Inc.’s This Old House named QUIKRETE® Q-MAX Pro concrete to its fifth annual “This Old House Top 100” a list of the 100 best new home products of the year. Each year, the editors spend months scouting, testing, and culling countless new products for the home to identify the most distinctive, useful, and innovative in seven categories: Kitchen, Bath, Tools, Home Tech, Building Products, Outdoor Living, and Finishing Touches. QUIKRETE® Q-MAX Pro was recognized in the Building Products category.

“After considering feedback from hundreds of customers, we realized there was an unmet demand for a pre-mixed concrete that sets fast, but still provides the necessary working time to get a job done right,” said Frank Owens, Vice President Marketing for The QUIKRETE® Companies. “QUIKRETE® Q-MAX Pro fulfills that demand with the perfect combination of rapid strength gain, working time and long-term structural integrity. Being recognized by This Old House is real validation that QUIKRETE® Q-MAX Pro is not only a great product, but one that will make a difference for contractors and homeowners alike.”

The first and only concrete mix that delivers one-hour working time, three-hour walk-on time and 6,500 PSI compressive strength with crack, freeze-thaw and corrosion resistance, QUIKRETE® Q-MAX Pro enables contractors to complete projects quickly while meeting the necessary structural construction and/or repair requirements. Applied at a minimum thickness of 2”, QUIKRETE® Q-MAX Pro reaches 1,000 PSI in three hours, 3,000 PSI in 24 hours and 6,500 PSI in 28 days. QUIKRETE® Q-MAX Pro, which meets ASTM C387/C387M specifications for packaged, dry, combined materials for concrete and high strength mortar, is available in 80-pound bags for less than $10.

“Home companies release thousands of new products every year, and our job is to highlight the ones with staying power–those that are in some way brilliant and will make our readers’ lives better,” says Editor Scott Omelianuk. “We saw a shift this year toward smart home technology. The market has exploded since we introduced the Top 100 five years ago, and we have a record number of smart home products on the list. Smart home technology has found its way into every room of the house, not to mention the garage and the yard.”

A full list of the honorees featured in the November/December issue can be found at www.thisoldhouse.com/top100.
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