FAQ - door upgrades
Will it change the look of my doors?
Most often, not. The fire protective – intumescent – paint comes in white or as a clear varnish. Even if your doors are stripped you can have invisible fire protection, as long as no part of the door is thinner than 8 mm. Since every door is unique, ring us and we will tell you exactly what you need!
Can I do the work myself?
Yes, we supply the materials, you apply it. Once we have checked it has been done according to instructions we issue a Certificate of Supply, stating your door’s new status.
What does intumescent mean?
Intumescent material is graphite particles that expand in response to excessive heat. The graphite particles in the paint are so small they are not visible to the naked eye. In case of a fire, they expand to form a crust on the door, protecting the wood from burning.
Why do you need to know the thickness of the panels?
In order to achieve fire rated status (normally 30 minutes) your doors have to be comparable to the tests performed. Since we can’t test every door we help to upgrade, your doors have to be of the same kind as the ones we have had tested.
How thin doors can you protect?
It depends on what your door looks like. A standard 4-panelled door can have panels as thin as 6 mm and still reach 30 minutes fire protection. We have an intumescent card you can cut to shape and glue to the panels, and once painted you can’t see it.
For friendly advice, please ring us! 01932 268440
Why do you need a topcoat?
A door is opened and shut maybe hundreds of times per day, often people do this by actually touching the paintwork. In order to not wear the fire protection out, all intumescent paint needs to have a top coat. The good news is that the fire protection is there for life, even if you need to redo the topcoat after maybe ten years.
Can I come and pick the fire proofing paint up?
In order to keep costs down we deal straight with the factory. Therefore you will have the fire protection products delivered to your door. The cost for delivery is £16 for overnight or £12 for a three day delivery (plus VAT).
Does the paint protect from smoke?
No, the paint does not react to smoke. We do fire and smoke seals that go into the door frame. They have a brush that would stop smoke from moving between rooms. It also has an intumescent strip that in case of fire would seal the gap between door and doorframe. It is up to the fire consultant in your region whether these seals are required.
What side of the door do I paint?
It is the room side of the door that needs fire protection. The theory is that you want to stop the fire from spreading out into the escape route, ie the hallway and staircase.
I have red doors. Do you do red fire paint?
The intumescent paint comes in white or as a clear varnish. Both types need a topcoat, so the topcoat can absolutely be red!
For friendly advice, please ring us! 01932 268440
I need to upgrade my bedroom door. Can I sleep in the room the same night as I paint?
The fire protective paints we do are all water based. They dry quickly, they don’t smell as bad as solvent based paint and they are easier to clean off the brush afterwards. So unless you are very sensitive, yes, you can sleep in the bedroom after painting it on! Please do remember to add a topcoat to the fire protective paint.
How can I prove that my doors are upgraded?
Once the fire protective products are in place, contact us again. When we have made sure it has been done according to instructions we can issue a Certificate of Supply, stating the new status of your doors. On the certificate there will be references to the fire tests performed on doors like yours. We also check that the work done is possible when compared to the materials delivered. The certificate is issued to the building concerned.
My fire consultant talks about Class 0, Class 1…
Class 0 and Class 1 are “surface spread of flame” standards, as described in BS 476 part 6. It is a standard normally used on walls and ceilings in escape routes (for example in public buildings). We do a fire retardant paint that meets these requirements. Ring us to get more information!
What is the difference between “fire protective” and “flame retardant”?
Our fire protective systems have intumescent particles in the paint that protects the substrate from fire. Our flame retardant system is a type of paint that won’t ignite easily. Please remember; all fire protection only works for a while. What we can help you achieve is time to get out of your house safely, and hopefully, time for the fire brigade to get to work before the fire has spread.
For friendly advice, please ring us! 01932 268440
