Slick Barrier is a revolutionary system designed to prevent crawling insects and rodents from entering your home. The barrier is a smooth, clear coating painted onto the home’s foundation that keeps those pests from climbing the exterior walls and getting inside.
Slick Barrier Before Shark Tank
The Arizona Bark Scorpion was the impetus for developing Slick Barrier. Aaron Gonzales and his family moved into a beautiful new home in Arizona only to find it infested with these scorpions, the most dangerous species in the world with their toxic venom. They are little, quick, nocturnal, slip into an opening as thin as a credit card and settle in dark, damp places. Aaron got stung and could not take a chance on his young son getting stung. It was either sell their dream home or find a solution. He had a place to start: He knew that scorpions and many other pests cannot climb a smooth, slick surface. Put one in a bathtub if you doubt that.
Not long after Aaron’s experience, his childhood friend Tony Gonzales ended up in the ER with his four-year-old son near death from a scorpion sting. Fortunately, the boy survived, and Tony joined Aaron in finding a solution to pests entering the home. Pesticides have their place: to kill or incapacitate pests once they are inside. But it’s better if they never got in!
The two friends worked with chemists and manufacturers, through many iterations, tweaking smoothness, thickness, and hardness and determining how much of home’s exterior needs to be coated until they had the exactly right formula for Slick Barrier.
Slick Barrier System
This technology is a one-time coating and nano film that is applied to the base of a structure. When dried, the surface becomes hard, durable, glasslike and impossible for insects and rodents to climb.
The system includes a water-based coating, Slick Barrier Water Base, and a solvent-based coating, Slick Barrier Ultra that protects 300 linear feet 4-5 inches high. (Slick Barrier Ultra requires breathing protection while being applied and should be used outdoors only.) Apply one or two coats of the water-based coating. Allow to dry for half an hour to an hour. Or let dry overnight. Then apply one coat of the solvent-based coating that dries into tile-like glaze in 2 hours and is fully cured in 72 hours for a hard, smooth, slick surface that keeps pests sliding off.
Touch-up is usually climate dependent. You may need to do a touch-up every year or two to keep the coating ultra smooth.
Slick Barrier Features
- Eco-friendly low VOC (under 90 g/l).
- Pesticide free, safe for use around children and pets.
- Easy to apply, no special equipment needed. Use a brush and other basic painting materials.
- Works on a variety of surfaces, including brick, concrete, and stucco.
- Protects anything from the sun and outdoor elements, such as outdoor furniture, signs, and boats and can be used as a clear finish on concrete and natural stone.
Slick Barrier can be used in tandem with pesticides. It will keep pests outside where the pesticides kill or incapacitate them.
Slick Barrier in the Shark Tank
| Company | Slick Barrier |
| Shark Tank Air Date | 01/27/2023 |
| Season | Season 14 Episode 13 |
| Entrepreneurs | Tony & Aaron Gonzales |
| Pitch | $500,000 for 10% equity |
| On-air Deal* | $500,000 for 15% equity |
| Shark | Lori Greiner |
| Website | slickbarrier.com |
Tony & Aaron Gonzales went into the Shark Tank seeking an investment of $500,000 for 10% equity in Slick Barrier. Despite this high business valuation of $5M, they got one offer from the Sharks.
Lori Greiner agreed to the $500,000 ask, but for 15% ownership of Slick Barrier. Importantly, she would only give them $100,000 of that free and clear, with the remaining $400,000 being a loan that Tony & Aaron would need to pay back.
Not the deal or business valuation the partners were hoping for, but with it being the only offer, they decided to accept and left the Shark Tank with the investment they needed.
