Fireproof Paint: What Is It and How Does It Help With Facility Operations?

Facil­i­ties with­in all indus­tries face var­i­ous safe­ty haz­ards, and fires are among the most dan­ger­ous and destruc­tive. A fire can start in any num­ber of ways, too, whether due to elec­tri­cal errors, gas leaks, neglect, and more. To pro­tect their peo­ple and assets, busi­ness­es of all kinds must take fire safe­ty seri­ous­ly. Fire­proof­ing your prop­er­ty is an impor­tant step in mit­i­gat­ing fires and pre­vent­ing seri­ous injury and dev­as­ta­tion. A com­mon form of fire­proof­ing comes in the form of paint. But what is fire­proof paint, exact­ly, and how does it help with facil­i­ty oper­a­tions on the whole? Let’s discuss.

What Is Fire­proof Paint?

Fire­proof paint (also called fire/​flame retar­dant paint or fire/​flame resistive/​resistant paint) is a spe­cial­ized coat­ing that looks like typ­i­cal paint while also con­tain­ing fire­proof­ing prop­er­ties. In oth­er words, these coat­ings are both dec­o­ra­tive and pro­tec­tive. Gen­er­al­ly speak­ing, fire­proof paint is designed to slow the heat-trans­fer to the under­ly­ing sub­strate with­in a build­ing for about a half hour to two hours (depend­ing on the product’s com­po­si­tion and more) in the event of a fire. When func­tion­ing as intend­ed, fire­proof paint allows occu­pants more time to escape the build­ing and for fire­fight­ers to enter the scene and quench the flames.

Dif­fer­ent Types of Fire Retar­dant Paint

There are mul­ti­ple fire­proof paint prod­ucts on the mar­ket, but they all fall into two major cat­e­gories: intu­mes­cent fire­proof­ing and cemen­ti­tious fire­proof­ing. Both types of paint look sim­i­lar in a nor­mal con­text, but the for­mer type (intu­mes­cent) acti­vates when exposed to high heat, trans­form­ing into a char­coal-like foam sub­stance via chem­i­cal process­es and fur­ther insu­lat­ing the sur­faces it pro­tects. Cemen­ti­tious paint, on the oth­er hand, retains its struc­ture when a fire occurs, still pro­vid­ing a thick lay­er of fire pro­tec­tion (espe­cial­ly in dry envi­ron­ments). Despite the acti­vat­ed nature of intu­mes­cent coat­ings, both types of fire­proof paint are con­sid­ered pas­sive fire pro­tec­tion (PFP) (and not active fire pro­tec­tion or AFP) because they’re set in place before­hand to mit­i­gate the neg­a­tive effects of a fire.

How Fire­proof­ing Paint Helps with Facil­i­ty Operations

The most impor­tant aim of fire­proof paint (and all fire pro­tec­tion meth­ods) is to ensure the safe­ty of all occu­pants. Beyond this pri­ma­ry goal, how­ev­er, fire­proof paint offers addi­tion­al ben­e­fits that help your facil­i­ty oper­a­tions at large. 

For starters, since fire­proof paint slows the spread and reduces the inten­si­ty of flames, it reduces the risk of severe asset dam­age and destruc­tion. As a result, you won’t have to wor­ry as much about invest­ing in cost­ly repairs and replace­ments should a fire start in your build­ing. Fire­proof paint is also eas­i­ly applied to a wide range of sur­faces (espe­cial­ly when spray-applied rather than brushed or rolled on), so an expe­ri­enced fire­proof­ing con­trac­tor can pro­tect your facil­i­ty quick­ly and with­out inter­fer­ing with your oper­a­tions. The same con­trac­tors can also eas­i­ly patch any fire­proof coat­ings that have been dam­aged or worn down over time. Seal­ing your inte­ri­or sur­faces with fire retar­dant paint also helps you remain com­pli­ant with any and all rel­e­vant fire codes, pro­tect­ing you from fines and oth­er penal­ties. And, last but not least, fire­proof paint comes in a range of aes­thet­ic options, so you can enhance your facility’s atmos­phere while shield­ing it from flames at the same time.

Improve Your Oper­a­tions While Pro­tect­ing Your Facil­i­ty from Fire

While fire­proof paint isn’t guar­an­teed to pro­tect every inch of your facil­i­ty from flames, it’s an impor­tant invest­ment that props up your facility’s over­all fire pro­tec­tion pro­to­cols. More­over, fire­proof paint instal­la­tion won’t put a bur­den on your oper­a­tions when per­formed by pro­fes­sion­als like Kaloutas. And when we’re done coat­ing your facil­i­ty with fire­proof paint, you’ll enjoy the peace of mind that comes with hav­ing a reli­able part­ner in your cor­ner to keep your build­ing safe and compliant.

To learn more about us and all that we do, con­tact us online or give us a call at 978−532−1414 today.