ECOBuilder-Specifiers Journal spring2018

For use on: Conference Hall
Fire & Surface Contamination Protection for Wood & Painted Walls
Safety & Environmental
Protection made Reality
Fire Safety Order 2005
Since 2005 it has been mandatory to meet
current fire and other safety standards
in existing buildings as well as new
construction.
Priority areas for protection were corridors,
stairs, landings and common areas.
The Risks
Flammable Surfaces
Wood is universally recognised as a
contributor to flamespread, smoke and
fire intensity.
UKAS Fire Tests have demonstrated that
non-combustible surfaces can create
flamespread, smoke & flaming droplet
risks if coated with multiple layers of
various paints.
Other Risk Surfaces
Board and Artex containing Asbestos
fibres were regrettably common in the
20 th Century. Flame Retardant paint
based upon Antimony - a heavy metal
which emitted a toxic gas to suppress
flamespread - was widely applied before
Antimony was omitted a few years ago.
Painted woodchip and textured wallpaper
have both been widely used, while
anti-graffiti paints resistant to future
paints adhering are applied to surfaces
impossible to abrade.
Fire Standards
Required Fire Standards
Current minimum compliant standards for
corridors, stairways, landings & common
areas are BS 476 Class O and the new BS
EN Class B.
Old & New British Standard Explained
Old BS 476 Class O combines control of
flamespread with fire intensity.
BS EN Class B combines control of
flamespread & fire intensity. The BS EN
standard add protection from smoke - safe
standards s1 & s2, plus flaming droplets -
safe standard dO.
Impediments to Safety with Fire
Protection Products
Compatibility of Finish to Fire
Treatment
All too often fire protection is compromised
by overlaying with unprotected wood
veneers or untested paints, varnish,
woodstain or - even worse - oils.
EITHER - finished surface veneers or
coatings should have passed fire tests to
Class O or B - ideally to s1 or s2, dO in
conjunction with any pre-treatment - OR -
a fire protective coating be applied from a
manufacturer prepared to Certify the final
specification to these standards.
Complicated, Confusing or Demanding
Fire Protection Products
Many systems depend upon specifiers or
contractors to know a surface’s coating
history or otherwise assess surfaces’
flamespread risk.
Other systems commonly depend on
application of 4+ coats. Seldom are all
coats applied.
30, 60, 90, 120 mins Fire Resistance
Increasing Fire Resistance on wood, wood-based boards, plasterboard, cement board or concrete is notably less straightforward
than flamespread protection. Each affected project’s relevant surfaces and construction need to be assessed individually.
In consequence, in addition to information sheets, Thermoguard stress the need for expert advice from Thermoguard’s Technical
dept., available free of charge to property owners and managers, Architects, Surveyors and Contractors.
Designers have wanted to combine different visual effects with
fire protection. To meet this need, Thermoguard developed
a range of colour strengths, ranging from a “mist” through
various degrees of translucence, through to opaque, based
upon any BS, RAL or Woodstain colour.
The photo shows an award-winning chapel project protected to
Class B s2 dO by Thermoguard clear fire protection with Mist
white overcoat seal.
Protection made simple by Thermoguard
To enable fire protection to be achieved in the real-world,
22 years ago Thermoguard concluded the following were needed.
UKAS - tested finishes to apply over any basecoat or penetrating
fluid requiring a finish.
Products to provide Class O - and when BS EN arrived Class
B s1/s2 dO on wood, wood-based or building boards, whether
bare, wallpapered, coated with decorative paints & varnishes or
contaminated with asbestos.
Simple and economical 2 coat systems
comprising 1 coat basecoat & 1 coat finish
readily distinguished from one another to
avoid coat omission.
Certificate of Supply
No.
Thermoguard Fire Protection Coatings
Kirkby Street, Hull, HU2 0HE
This is to certify that: Responsible Decorators
Of Unit 20 , Industrial Estate ,
Anytown, AT6 4ZZ
Has purchased sufficient: Thermoguard Timbercoat & SFR
To treat: 200 sq m Internal Softwood Partitions
To achieve compliance with: Class B s1 dO
The owners of historic Feering Bury
barn required Class O protection for
Grand Designs. The owners wanted
and English Heritage required the
wood to retain it’s natural look, so
Thermoguard Fire Varnish Matt was
used in an award-winning project.
Packaging in 20 or 25 sq m and 80 or 100 sq
m cans to avoid errors ordering or applying.
A robust Fire Certification process for
individual projects to give confidence to
clients, specifiers and Authorities.
Entirely water-based, ultra-low or zero VoC
environmentally - friendly products.
Point House
York
Date: 13 Feb 2018 Signed:
Contractor’s Statement
I / We certify that I / We have applied the products listed above in accordance
with the manufacturer’s written specification and technical data sheet.
Date: Signed:
For and on behalf of:
Maintenance
1. Maintenance should only be carried out using an overcoat approved by
Thermoguard UK Ltd in accordance with Thermoguard UK instructions.
2. Small areas of damage are self-sealing in the event of a fire but should be
repaired as soon as possible.
Thermoguard Fire Protection Paints, Varnish & Penetrating Fluid are available from Decorators’ Merchants
throughout the British Isles.
www.thermoguard.co.uk technical@thermoguard.co.uk 01142 768008
46 ECOBUILDER - THE SPECIFIER SPRING 2018