Rank: Forum user 
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We are planning on some minor improvements, basically replacing carpets and a lick of paint.
One area that we are looking to improve is the main staircase between the ground floor and first floor, which is also a compartmentalised fire escape route.
The stairwell has fire doors top and bottom, there is an aluminium final exit door within it and it is a concrete staircase. Currently the stairs are covered by a carpet, (with metal anti-slip nosing), which was fitted by the previous occupiers.
I have been asked by the MD to advise on "a suitable replacement floor covering for the stairs, that will comply with any regulations that might apply and it must be a carpet to keep the noise levels down".
I'm aware of different levels of fire retardant carpets being available, but are there any regulations that specify a level of resistance to fire for floor coverings used in fire escape stairwells ?
I've looked in the obvious places but can find no reference. Are there any regs that relate to this or is it simply down to Risk Assessment to justify the decisions made ?
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Rank: Forum user 
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I await correction but I understood that floors were not covered(pun alert) in BS 476 and it's relevant sections on surface spread of flame but walls and ceilings are. Those walls and ceilings that form a means of escape should be class 0 (being the least likely to sustain fire allow its spread or develop heat.) Sorry do not have a copy cannot be more detailed, just going from memory.
Could be wrong but I'll run that one up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes it.
Jeff
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Rank: Forum user
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Make sure the paint is not oil based or in the prepping of the walls you undo 5 layers of "we've never had it so good "emulsion to find 50 years of oil based paint which now gets a single skim of "mid recession one molecule thin" emulsion.
Experience from projects in schools
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Rank: Super forum user 
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As far as I am aware there is no standard for fire-retardancy for floor coverings; certainly the Health Technical Memoranda don't stipulate any requirement for floors (though infection control standards favour anything but carpet). My understanding, though I am sure that people with more direct fire experience will correct me if I'm wrong, is that carpets, being dense and flat, don't support combustion too welll, so don't really need to be considered in the spread of fire,
John
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Rank: Forum user
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Hi jfw
The bsi standard for floor coverings are BS 5287 and Specification for assessment and labelling of textile floor covering tested to BS 4790.
Cheers
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Rank: Forum user
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firesafetybod wrote:Hi jfw
The bsi standard for floor coverings are BS 5287 and Specification for assessment and labelling of textile floor covering tested to BS 4790.
Cheers
Does that man they do need to be fire retardant firesafetybod? I don't want someone reading my post and missing yours, if it means that carpets do indeed need to be special or treated. Just for completeness. Cheers Jeff
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Rank: Forum user
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Bs1037?
I think gives the different categories of carpet.
Looking myself at carpet for a new build project
Have a spec due to under floor heat, so tog rating and class of carpet need to be looked at.
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