Are Intumesent Paints / Coatings for doors acceptable to render them legally/practably/Safe to use on doors to make them suitable fire doors as per the regulations Please

My understanding of fire doors is that they are constructed to withstand the effect of flame for a given time span according to specification.

Intumescent paint / varnish merely gives a surface coating which limits surface spread of flame making it ideal for use as a wall covering for escape routes.

If you plan to use intumescent paint to make non specified doors fire retardent, ie an office door not on an escape route, it will do the job. It will also protect for a short time a properly constructed fire door from the effects of flame. In my view, It should not be used as a substitute for a properly constructed fire door as a money saver.

You could try this link (found through google) for more expert advice. http://www.warringtonfire.net

Hope this helps

Paul.

are you saying that you have ordinary internal doors and want to paint them to make them fire doors? If so then the answer is NO they will not become fire doors

It's not just the door that needs to be considered but moreover the whole door set, i.e. door, frame, furniture, locks, hinges, intumecent strips, smoke seals etc. All need to meet specific standards based on the situation that they are being used in. Doors for instance are available in minute ratings which they are designed to hold back a fire with FD60, FD30 and FD20 being the typical. I'm led to believe that FD30 doors are now available in 35mm thickness rather than the usual 42mm which may make retro-fitting easier.

There's no one size fits all solution so you're best checking part B of the building regulations and or consulting your local building control officer for your specific application.

http://www.planningporta...bcapproveddocumentslist/

Many Thanks everyone.

The building is a residential care home for young adults all physically abled most of the doors are in total compliance however 2 doors leading into the same room which is a games room on ground level have strips/ seals 3 compliant steel Hinges etc but the doors are not actually compliant it is in a low risk area (until a fire breaks out) personally I feel all so called fire doors should be 100% protective however the management of the homes are penny pinching and I am in disputes with them over the fact that lives are more valuable than money which to me is totally unacceptable. more so in an environment where people pay good money to ensure that the residents are in a safe and protected environment. to sum it up its down to the old scenario of trying to convince the purse holders to do the right thing.

with that said, Risk assessments are made, but difference of opinions to action required is and always will be conflicting from one persons opinion to another persons opinion depending on individual views to hazard and the likelihood of things going wrong but most people agree on the injury that may be caused.

Excellent Reply, Thanks; I will and I will post their reply on here

Hello everybody,

ah yes, all very well but what about a listed building with listed interior doors which because of the listing cannot be removed? In these circumstances we have used intumescent paint to give a certain degree of protection to sold wood doors (no fire rating but almost certainly pretty good) with cracked panels and gaps at panel edges. This arrangement has met with the approval of our local fire and rescue services.

A 200 year old hardwood door will hold a fire for a good stretch of time, especially with this kind of additional protection; we have usually got English Heritage to allow us to fit seals where necessary,

John

Yes! It was on my friends bird-feeder in Aberdeenshire in March 2008, he quite often gets them in his garden and since it was very cold he had loads of them at the time,

John