Intumescent Paint - What Is It?
Posted: Tuesday, April 05, 2011
by Stephen Rowell
Intumescent paint is completely unique. It can be applied to structural steel or wood and even walls, doors and other surfaces. It's unique action can dramatically slow down the progress of a fire.
Most of our life we have been told paneling is a major culprit when it comes to a fire, with wall paper being a close second. But, has anyone ever told us that the paint on the walls could also be a factor? There are chemicals in these paints along with varnishes which can be explosive and deadly. It just depends on the ingredients used to make the paint.
What makes it special and different than so called fire retardant paints that are on the market? The paint becomes foam as soon as there is a flame that touches it. Think of real bread rising or beer foam, but instantly fast. In the same way, the paint swells and swells without bursting. The
The intumescent paint acts like a protective blanket with tiny fire resistant, closed cells. There are millions of them and they become activated in a fire. Whatever is behind the paint, instantly becomes shielded from the heat of the fire.
When the paint swells it becomes upto an inch thick. Temperatures can reach up to 1700 degrees and the paint will fight for upto two hours. If a person paints their ceiling, which is extremely important, the roof will be saved along with the bottom of the second story floor.
This precious time lets the occupants escape and gives firefighters time to arrive so that damage is minimized. If the fire wasn't too big or burned way too long, then the walls and ceilings should be structurally intact. Just scrape off the charred foam paint and repaint like normal. This saves hundreds to thousands of dollars in repairs.
The best suggestion, as this intumescent paint is so new and maybe hard to find in your area, is to shop around online to find the authentic paint. If a person can't afford to paint the whole house, then start with the baby's nursery and the children's rooms first. This gives added protection and piece of mind. You can never know when a fire might break out.
Find out more about fire prevention and control methods for you home including intumescent paint and intumescent paint for timber.
This Article has been viewed 176 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.