Truscon Laboratories

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Truscon Laboratories was the research and development arm of the Trussed Concrete Steel Company in Detroit. It created liquid chemical coatings that waterproof and damp-proof cement, plaster, and concrete to protect buildings and steel from water and air damage.

Waterproofing protects underground parts like foundations, water tanks, pipes, tunnels, and other hydrostatic structures. Damp-proofing keeps moisture out of above-ground walls. The idea evolved into integral waterproofing, which adds a waterproofing element into the wet cement during construction to make surfaces highly impermeable.

Water in masonry can cause damage by solvent action and by freezing and expanding. Wet walls can absorb water like a sponge, leading to damp, unhealthy conditions. While preventing water damage was the main goal, the process also improved hygiene and durability.

Products included Por-Seal, Stone-Tex, Stone-Backing, Plaster Bond, and Water Proofing Paste (used in stucco, cement, and plaster). Water Proofed Cement Stucco was another coating. The lab’s coatings were used in homes, apartment buildings, offices, hotels, hospitals, and factories, often providing a dustless, washable surface. Their slogan was Waterproof is Weatherproof.

Brand names included Asepticote, Sno-Wite, Industrial Enamel, Hospital Enamel, Dairy Enamel, Floor Finish, Edelweiss, and Alkali-Proof Wall Size. Asepticote offered a clean, eye-pleasing finish for houses, hospitals, and hotels. Water Proofing Paste was mixed into cement to waterproof walls and floors. Granatex Floor Varnish was a clear, stain-resistant waterproof coating for concrete and wood floors. Agatex was a liquid that hardened cement floors to a hard, dustless surface. Stone-Tex protected exterior masonry walls and made buildings look nicer.

Users ranged from newspapers and tobacco companies to railroads, mills, hospitals, and military sites, including the Cincinnati Enquirer, American Tobacco, Dow Chemical, the United States Military Academy, and several Detroit buildings such as Packard Plant, Highland Park Ford, Fisher Building, and Majestic Theater. For protecting iron and steel, Truscon sold coatings to prime structural frames, bridges, boilers, and other equipment. These products, often sold as Bar-Ox, came in numbers for specific uses (example: Bar-Ox No. 7 for exposed steel, Bar-Ox No. 28 for acid-proofing, Bar-Ox No. 49 for gas tanks).

Detroit-area workers at the plant were organized under District 50 of the United Mine Workers.