Sealants

When fire proofing your home there is more to think about than smoke alarms, fire extinguishers and fire blankets. Many paints, plasterboards and sealants can be bought that have fire protection built in and when used together all these items can dramatically slow down, and sometimes stop, the progression of a fire. Fire sealant doesn't look any different to ordinary sealant. When used it can provide up to 4 hours fire protection while allowing around a 10% movement. Fire sealant is used by many professionals to bond drylining. It is a paste of medium viscosity that contains acrylic emulsion, fungicide and inert fillers. It has a tack time of no more than 60 minutes depending on the temperature it is being used in and is great for filling joints. Its usual colour is white which can be painted over but it can be bought in a range of other colours from specialist suppliers.

Heat resistant sealant is often bought as a cartridge meaning you can install it into a sealant gun for easy application. It looks and applies itself the same way as standard sealant but has fire protection qualities built into it making it a bit more expensive to purchase than a standard sealant or filler. Fire sealants can also be bought to protect steel surfaces and this is normally painted on to the necessary surfaces filling any joints as it is applied. These sealants will provide 30 minute or 60 minute fire protection to the surface meaning you or the fire brigade has time to extinguish the fire before any structural damage can occur.

When fire sealants are used in conjunction with fire proof plasterboard and fire paint along with fire proof mortar the combined effect is a room that is structurally protected from fire damage for a period of time depending on the heat of the fire. This period of time is often enough for the fire brigade to be contacted and for work to start on extinguishing the fire before structural damage occurs. It can mean the difference between simple fire damage and the complete rebuild of part of your home.