Across the United States there are currently 1200 Main Street projects involving over 100,000 historic structures. Many of these buildings are vacant or have restricted use due to current code requirements.
For the most part the buildings are made up of wood framing with a variety of finishes. For ceilings the 3 most common types of finishes include,
1. Embossed tin
2. Lath and plaster
3. Open wood joist with exposed wood flooring or exposed wood finished ceilings.
For walls the 2 most common types of finishes include,
1. Lath and plaster
2. Wood paneling or wainscotting.
Being able to meet current fire safety codes for these types of ceiling and wall finishes is a major issue currently restricting use of these existing multi storied buildings.
By current code standards, the repair to ceilings would require the following:
I. Embossed Tin
Removal of the existing embossed tin panels, installing 2 layers of 5/8” type X gypsum board for a one-hour fire rating and 4 layers of 5/8” type X gypsum board in conjunction with a metal hat channel and re-installation of the embossed tin panels to retain the historic finish at the ceiling.
The installation of up to 4 layers of gypsum board can result in major structural weight issues, not to mention the extensive increase in labor to recreate the embossed tin ceiling to meet code. This method of repair is impractical, costly and time consuming.
There is a better way. By simply coating the ceiling with the Firefree 88 fire resistant coating, a one- or two-hour fire rating can be achieved. Firefree Coatings has performed the necessary testing on both embossed tin ceiling as well as thin gauge metal and aluminum to validate the coating’s fire performance when used as part of a ceiling assembly.
The Firefree, FF88 coating provides a cost-effective means to provide the fire ratings required without the disruption of demolition of the existing panels, installation of multiple layers of gypsum board (plus the potential structural cost beyond installation of gypsum board) along with the reinstallation and painting of the embossed tin panels.
APPLICATIONS
The Firefree 88 coating has been used to provide one- and two-hour fire rations to embossed tin ceilings throughout numerous regions of the US. A partial list of projects includes the following:
- The Georgia State Fire Fighters Museum, Georgia.
- The Mitchel House, Macon, Georgia
- Commercial building, 408 West Cedar St., Rawlins, Wyoming
- Commercial building 121 Water St., Boyne, Michigan
- Commercial building 3103 Brereton St., Pittsburg, PA
- Austin Carte project, Marion, Ohio
- Locust Street Lofts, (5 floors), St. Louis, MO
- Commercial building, HSR Associates, La Crosse, WI
- Latrobe Properties, 335 Main Street Latrobe, PA
- VARE School Philadelphia, PA
- Kevin Rogers Coffee & Tea Restaurant Hot Springs, AR
- Kemper Project, Reynoldsburg, OH
III. Wood floor, roof ceiling and wood wall assemblies
A large number of existing buildings located within the Main Street projects have open wood floors and roof assemblies as well as wood wainscotting at walls.
Being able to meet current fire safety codes for these types of ceiling and wall finishes is a major issue currently restricting use of these existing multi storied buildings.
By current code standards, in order to bring these exposed wood assemblies up to code would require demolition of existing walls and would require the installation of 2 to 3 layers of 5/8” type X gypsum board in order to meet a one-hour or two-hour fire rating,
For ceilings it would mean losing the effect of an open wood ceiling or a wood finished ceiling as multiple layers of gypsum board would be installed to meet either a 1- or 2-hour fire rating. The multiple layers of gypsum board create a substantial increase in materials, labor and potential structural issues and would detract from the open, exposed wood that owners would like to retain as to maintaining the historical features of the building. The method of repair in adding multiple layers of gypsum board is impractical, costly and time consuming.
There is a better way. By simply coating the existing exposed wood ceiling or roof assemblies or wood wall areas with the Firefree 88 fire resistant coating, a one or two-hour fire rating can be achieved. Firefree Coatings has performed the necessary testing on wood assemblies and wood components to validate the coating’s fire performance when used as part of a wood ceiling or wall assembly.
The Firefree, FF88 coating provides a cost-effective means to provide the fire ratings required without the disruption and cost of demolition to the existing wood walls or multiple layers of gypsum board at the ceiling areas. In addition, because the coating is a water-based acrylic, the coating can be tinted to a wide range of colors and be the finished paint coating if a flat or low sheen finish is desired.
APPLICATIONS
The Firefree 88 coating has been used to provide one- and two-hour fire ratings to exposed wood floor and roof ceiling assemblies as well as wood wainscot wall areas throughout numerous regions of the US as well as Internationally. A partial list of projects includes the following:
- Disney Museum at the Presidio, San Francisco, CA
- The Spruce Goose hangar, Long Beach, CA
- Sussex Historic Building
- Jason Burton Commercial Bldg., Watertown, NY
- James P Heelan, NY
- Historical Bldg., Milwaukee, WI
- Commerce Center, Norwood, MA
- 8 Dialysis Centers throughout California
- John Lux project, Pontiac, MI
- Daniel Drum Project, Chagrin Falls, OH
TESTING/PERFORMANCE
The products developed by Firefree Coatings have a proven, tested history of providing a high level of protection from intense fires on numerous types of materials and assemblies. Firefree products are environmentally friendly, cost effective and have undergone extensive fire testing on a wide variety of material substrates including wood, thin gauge metal and lath and plaster. Based on the extensive testing performed, the Firefree coatings have proven the ability to contain fires to the point of origin, thus allowing extra time to escape and reducing the spread of fire and smoke while reducing the level of structural damage to a building.
With over 50 years of combines experience in the construction Industry and over 30 years of experience in fire testing of materials and assemblies, Firefree Coatings, Inc. is the leading developer and manufacturer of premier fire retardant and fire resistant intumescent coatings with more certified testing on a wide range of materials and assemblies than any other coating currently on the market, we provide quality assured fire resistant and fire retardant products that are fully tested through IAS/ICC and FM certified fire testing laboratories.
These products are recognized, inspected and certified by ICC www.iccsafe.org,. Firefree 88 is approved by FM Approvals www.fmapprovals. Firefree products are tested in accordance with ASTM www.astm.org test protocol and at third party accredited International Accreditation Service (IAS) fire laboratories. Firefree Coatings is a member of ICC, ASTM, and participating members of NFPA, ASTM E05 committees.
For further information, please contact the company directly info@firefree.com, (888-990-3388) (+1 415-459-6488), www.firefree.com.