Images and text copyright © 2003-2015 by Matt Swan

Future is a water-soluble acrylic floor coating that was developed by S. C. Johnson Company in Racine, Wisconsin for linoleum flooring. In 2008 S.C. Johnson began a program to move all their floor care products under the Pledge marketing umbrella. For Future this meant a gradual change in labeling seemingly in an effort to gently bring long time users of the product into the new marketing scheme. At right you can see the evolution of the labeling and how the Future logo was made progressively smaller until in 2013 it vanished completely and the Pledge logo became dominant. The formula remains the same. In the Netherlands it is known as "Pronto Wax for wooden floors" with a brown cap or "Parket Plus". In the United Kingdom and New Zealand it is known as "Klear", "Krystal Klear" or "Johnson's One and All". During the 3rd quarter of 2008 the product "Klear" was discontinued, more on that in a moment. Pascoe's "long life self shining floor polish" is now marketed under the brand name "Holdfast" in New Zealand. It has a milky appearance in the bottle and a more powerful ammonia smell than Klear. In France and Belgium it is "Klir" and comes in a white plastic canister with a red square cap. In Belgium and the Netherlands Johnson's "Klir" is now being packaged under a new nametag - Johnson's "Sols Plus" and as "Vloer Plus" -- looks like some serious market share battles going on there. It is the same product just new labeling. In Germany you can find a substitute for this product under the name "Erdal Rex Glänzer" or "Aldi Stodil". In the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland you can find S.C. Johnson's "Pronto" in "Tesco" stores. Fellow Modeler Kevan in the Czech Republic tells us that in the Czech Republic and Slovakia modelers use a similar product called "Sidolux" produced by a company called Lakma. This product is also available in "Tesco" stores and behaves in a very similar manner to Future. In Portugal Future is sold under the "Pronto Cera Acrilica" which means literally "Pronto acrylic wax". This can be found in most mini markets and local grociery stores. Xtracolour is distributing a product marked as 'Acrylic Gloss Clear' that smells suspiciously like Future Floor Wax. In Japan and the Philippines it is known as "Johnson's Wipe and Shine". In Argentina it is GloCot.

        During the third quarter of 2008 S.C. Johnson distributors in the United Kingdom discontinued the product "Klear". In mid-2009 it appears that the UK S.C. Johnson has reissued a Future-like product called Pledge Multi-Surface Wax, (not to be confused with Pledge multi surface floor finish). The product I'm talking about is packaged in a white bottle with the Klear trademark on it stating that 'the improved formula Klear is now...Pledge multi-surface wax'. The product has a slightly milky color, similar to thinned Humbrol acrylic matt varnish. Fellow modeler Luke R. has began testing the product and reports that on his first attempts the finish was slightly uneven but the stuff dried crystal clear. Be sure to test this product before using it on a model you care about. There have been conflicting reports from U.K. Modelers about its effectiveness. It does seem to work well as a general gloss finish however does not give a good result when used on clear canopies.

        Trevor Stutely did some extensive testing of the product and these are his comments:
        "In my tests, applying the product neat onto 24 hr dry dark matte paint via a Paasche airbrush, I found that:
        (1) One medium coat of PMSW will gloss, then later fade to semi-gloss when dry leaving a a slighlly dimpled finish. Use of masking tape on this surface will later pull the paint when tape is removed.
        (2) Two medium coats allow for a smooth, gloss finish and paint will not peel when removing masking tape.
        (3) On applying decals to the double coat finish, using the Micro Sol/Set system, movement for placing is adequate, yet the decals will not conform properly to contours nor sit correctly in/on etched or raised panel lines. Any indentation or bump on the surface of the model will see a crease radiate out from the center of the decal and curl the edge. Further, any decals with a large amount of transparent film (modex, squadron and aircraft numbers etc) will show a silvering even greater than might be expected from even the worst decals. I used both kit decals (Hasegawa, Tamiya) and after market (Aeromaster) and the results were identical."

        In Israel fellow modeler A. Margalit has done some research for us. He tells us that you can buy Future from Vilenchik's store in Tel-Aviv. A substitute is also available - Sano Super Polish. This is not Future, but has many of the same qualities. It is white-ish when liquid, and becomes transparent when dry. You can use it in the same ways as Future (except it is not recommended for clear parts). Some people have reported some yellowing after many years. The shine it gives after drying is not as pronounced as Future's.

        Sadly Future is not readily available in Russia or the Ukraine however fellow modeler Josey has done some work with a product called Astonish made by The London Oil Refining Company Ltd., Astonish House. This stuff is marketed as a non slip floor polish and is of an acrylic base like Future. It is milky white out of the bottle and dries clear. You can remove it from a plastic surface with ammonia based cleaners however unlike Future it will not dissolve in itself. What I mean by this is should you have a bad piece with Future on it you can just put it into a cup of fresh Future and the old coat will melt away, Astonish will not do that you must remove the old coating with an ammonia based cleaner first then recoat. Astonish is available in some supermarkets in Ukraine and Russia. If you are in Russia and really want Future then you can acquire the product through this site Future in Russia.

        In Australia the Future's past is long and convoluted. Originally it went under the name "Stride Right" or "Super Stride" then the name was changed to "Shine Magic" or "Super Shine". Then, in January 2002 the product was discontinued! Through inquiries to the S.C. Johnson distributor in N.S.W. I have learned of another product that is very similar to Future called "Pledge One Go". Peter Johnstone (a helpful Aussie modeler) has tested this product and reports that it works very well on clear parts and seems to be compatible with model paints and acrylics. He also reports that it demonstrates the wonderful self leveling properties that we see in Future and dries fairly quickly. Another option in Australia is "Pascoe's Long Life" which is an ammonia based produce that behaves in a similar fashion to Future. "Pascoe's" was originally marketed under the name "Rekkit's" and can still be found under this name in the country areas. This product can cause acrylic paints to run if applied too heavily so it will be important to keep this in mind while reading the rest of this article.

        In South Africa look for "Mr. Muscle" in a pink plastic bottle with the "Future" logo on the bottom of the label or Johnsons "One Step" which is chemically identical to "Future". In the United States and Sweden there is a product called Mr. Muscle that is an oven cleaner and is no relation to the Mr. Muscle found in South Africa. The US and Swedish product is an excellent paint REMOVER. The South African product bears the Future logo on the bottle and is advertised as an acrylic floor polish, not an oven cleaner. Please do not get the two confused.

        In Norway it can be found under the "Clear" name-tag. Thanks to fellow modeler Reggie, I can tell you that in Singapore Future can be found in Handyman DIY stores in Shaw Center under the name "Krystal Kleer." In Malaysia it's available in ACE Hardware stores.

       Some members of IPMS Stockholm have been using a product from S.C. Johnson Sweden, called Pledge Klar Polish. It can be bought in ICA and COOP Supermarkets. Dan the Droid Building Viking reported this information for our use - thanks Dan.

        Now let's talk about Latin America. In Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama but NOT Mexico you can find Future's cousin under the name "Klaro". For this information we need to thank Andres M.. There are two versions of Klaro, one commonly marketed for red tile floors and has a red tint and one without the red tint both with very similar packaging so read the label carefully that you DO NOT buy the red version. Also in Honduras Future is now availible under its own name tag. Juan M. reports that in Argentina the Johnson Company sells the equivalent of "Future Floor Wax" as "Blem brillo acrílico incoloro".

        In Taiwan Johnson's Future is known as "Bi-Fu-le (must-rich-happy)" but oddly enough in China it is "Future" and can be found in Wal Mart stores (yes, they exist in China). In Taiwan "Bi-Fu-Le" can be purchased in "Geant" stores in Taichung and Taipei.

       At long last (6/4/04) an internet model distribution company has decided to repackage Future Floor Polish and sell it world wide! Great Models Web Store now has Future Floor Polish available in .75 ounce, 3 ounce and 4 ounce bottles for shipment world wide. The larger quantities come in airbrush ready bottles that just plug into your brush and you're ready to go - is that convenient or what? If you want to purchase the product from them go to their website and search for "Acrylic Wax" or follow this link to the product.

        Even more important than 'what it is' is 'where can I get it?' Here is a short list of different retail outlets around the world that have been known to carry Future or it's cousins:
      Australia - Coles Supermarkets, Woolworth's, Supa Valu, Newmart, Bunnings.
      Belgium - Delhaize Supermarkets, Colruyt Supermarkets.
      Canada - Loblaws, No-Frills, Sobeys, Canadian Tire, Wal-Mart, Valu-Mart.
      China - Wal Mart
      France - Auchan, Leclerc, Intermarche, Atac, Castorama, Carrefour, Monoprix.
      Germany - in DroMarkt or Muller stores, Marktkauf and Drogeriemarkt Muller.

      ATTENTION GERMAN MODELERS! There is a source for the REAL FUTURE in Germany. A small company is making and selling the product in large bottles and you can contact them directly at this website ..... www.Modellbaufarben.de
      Malasia - Ace Hardware
      Netherlands - In superstore's like Edah and C-1000. Also look in "Super de Boer" and 'Albert Heijn' which is locally referred to as 'AH'.
      New Zealand - Woolworth's, Pricecutter, 4Square, Pak-n-Save, The Warehouse, Countdown, Bunning's Warehouse.
      Philippines - Available at Ace Hardware, Home Hardware, the DIY Store, and grocery stores like SM Super/Hypermart and Rustans.
      Singapore - Handyman DIY and at a hardware store called Home-Fix in Tampines One Shopping Mall
      Spain - Bosque Verde floor wax "Cera". Not exactly the same but very similar in properties.
      Taiwan - Geant
      United Kingdom/Ireland - Sainsbury's, Safeway, Tesco's.
      USA - Wal-Mart, Giant Foods, K-Mart, Kroger, Winn-Dixie, Food Lion.

       If all else fails take a look at US Army/Air Forces Exchanges Services stores (AAFES) and in some large area commissaries or you can call S.C. Johnson direct at 800-848-2588 and ask for the Pledge "Premium Floor Finish with Future" Shine and they will ship some to you. This is a service they offer for customers who cannot find one of their products.

       One final note on product availability, if you just have to have the original USA Future you can always order by mail from Amazon.com.