Floor protection isn’t a glamorous part of any project, and for years it had been a bit of an afterthought for many installers and architects – but not for David Harris. Driven by a desire to find that “just right” solution to his persistent jobsite floor protection challenges, he and David Forren created Goldilox, a patented floor protection covering.
Harris and Forren have been in the industry for over 20 years as the owners of Riverbed Concrete, a Texas-based company specializing in large commercial polished floor installations. Harris says that as concrete flooring contractors, they recognized an unmet need within the industry and began to develop a solution.
“For 21 years we’ve been in pre-construction meetings with general contractors and a recurring theme was that while polished concrete is excellent, protecting it during the production phase was too difficult,” he said. “As an industry, we largely shrugged our shoulders. We truly understood that if we didn’t innovate and improve this process, that architects were going to grow increasingly frustrated with polished concrete as a viable flooring solution.”
Previous floor protection options, Harris says, were either prohibitively expensive or weren’t durable enough to withstand all the heavy equipment and constant traffic inherent to a construction site. This often led to damaged slabs, costly repairs and significant project delays.
“Goldilox was truly born out of a need and from people actively demanding a better solution,” he says.
Durable, Temporary Floor Protection
At its core, Goldilox is a perforated, industrial woven fabric that is rolled onto a slab by hand and secured with a temporary adhesive. Because the adhesive is applied on top of the fabric, Harris says Goldilox becomes one cohesive composite material, which reduces the chances of adhesive residue getting left behind and avoids lap lines that can occur with other temporary floor protection products. Goldilox can be applied as soon as 10 days after a slab is poured and can remain in place for up to two years.
“You’re really getting comprehensive protection from the very beginning of the project right through to the end,” Harris says. “It stays firmly in place and effectively shields the slab from all the potential damage and debris that various trades can subject it to.”
Steve Parker, President of Applied Flooring, was one of the first installers to use Goldilox. He convinced a general contractor to put down a sample to try it out.
“I told the general contractor to give the adhesive 48 – 72 hours to cure. They literally had a forklift doing circles on it within 18 hours of placing it. The adhesive had just cured, but it was simply leaving tire marks on the Goldilox. However, it ripped the other type of floor protection we had put down,” Parker says. “The project manager was sold.”
Now Parker has used it on over a dozen projects with good success.
“It’s pretty cool stuff,” he says. “Goldilox has found a niche.”
Jayson Grainger, Vice President at CR Concrete in Spokane, Wash. agrees. His team found out about Goldilox after reading about it in a trade publication and thought it may be the alternative floor protection solution they were looking for. He was right, and now they use it almost exclusively.
“Goldilox is really a leader, and for us, the best option that’s readily available for specifically polished concrete. It’s breathable and allows that vapor to exit the floor protection but at the same time to protect the slab,” Grainger says.
Floor Protection and Savings Rolled into One
Everybody noted that one of the key advantages of Goldilox is its ability to allow concrete slabs to be cut and polished before any internal walls go up. That translates to faster work completion and a cost savings for the builder.
“As an industry, we genuinely believe those are incredibly significant advantages that directly impact project timelines and budgets,” Harris says. “By enabling earlier finishing of the concrete floor, Goldilox helps streamline workflows, reduce scheduling conflicts between trades, and ultimately delivers projects more efficiently.”
Parker and Grainger both said their teams will do an initial polish prior to covering with Goldilox. Then, once the project is nearly finished, they simply go back and peel up a corner of the floor protector and finish polishing to the final specifications. Parker noted it’s been particularly beneficial in school builds, where they can get in quickly to expose the aggregate and cover the slab, so the other trades can continue with their work.
“You really get one chance with concrete,” Grainger noted. “If it gets damaged, it’s damaged. Goldilox is a great insurance policy.”
Protecting the Future of Polished Concrete Flooring
While Goldilox is still relatively new to the market, it’s already made a big mark on the industry and won a Most Innovative Product award for 2025 at the World of Concrete.
Parker and Grainger say part of that success is due to the willingness of Harris and Forren to provide top-notch customer service.
“They’re very responsive,” Grainger notes. “You actually get to talk with a technical team that speaks your same language. Since they’re also contractors, they really understand your challenges.”
Impressively, Harris notes that most of their initial success has been driven by word-of-mouth referrals. Now they’re working on expanding a European market as well as setting up distributorships state side. A key focus for the company is also engaging directly with architects, encouraging them to specify Goldilox for upcoming projects and integrate the protection into standard construction practices.
All in all, it seems that Goldilox has been a welcomed and embraced solution for polished concrete floor protection.
“We strived to create the most effective product,” Harris says. “Goldilox truly is the just right solution at the just right price.”
