How does a Fire Retardant Paint function ?
A. Ordinary paints are combustible and add to the fuel of fire. Fire Retardant Paints are like normal decorative paints, do not allow the spread of the fire along the surface of the material. The FR Paints contain ingredients, which increase the Limiting Oxygen Index i.e. LOI. The atmosphere contains approximately 21% Oxygen and any material, which requires less than or equal to 21% Oxygen, is easily ignitable. With FR paints, the Oxygen requirement is increased between 30-40%, which is not available in atmosphere, thus making them very difficult to ignite. In laymen terms, a plywood with FR paint, fixed on the partition acts like a wet cloth. Small fires emanating from electrical short circuit, burning of waste material are not able to ignite the wooden material and extinguished by itself in short term. In case the fire is severe in nature, it provides sufficient lead time to fight and control the fire. Similarly, fire retardant chemicals for fabrics are clear solutions, which make th
