ALBI™
Helpline 01342 332671
The word "intumescent" comes from the Latin verb "tumere" - to swell. In the event of a fire, intumescent coatings will swell to many times their original thickness to form an insulating char on the substrate. On wood, this char retards the spread of flame across the surface and on steel, it prolongs the time taken for the steel to reach the temperature (550°C) at which it loses its structural integrity.
To achieve Class 1, treated wood must comply with BS 476 : Part 7 for Surface Spread of Flame. To achieve Class 0, treated wood must comply with BS 476 : Part 7 for Surface Spread of Flame and BS 476 : Part 6 for Fire Propagation. Class 0, therefore, is the more demanding performance requirement.
ALBI MAX BASECOAT is water-borne (although it does contain a small amount of solvent). ALBI OVERCOAT is solvent-based. ALBI GUARD and ALBI STEEL - PLUS are water-borne emulsions.
No. All ALBI coatings are for use indoors only.
No. Doors cannot be upgraded for Fire Resistance performance by applying surface coatings.
ALBI MAX may be applied over wood stains with which it is chemically compatible. Only one light coat of the stain must be applied, otherwise the surface grain of the wood will become blocked and the ALBI MAX will not be absorbed. Refer to the ALBI leaflets for a list of some wood stains over which ALBI MAX may be applied.
ALBI MAX may not be applied over varnished surfaces, neither may varnishes be applied over ALBI MAX.
Yes. Please seek advice from a sprayer specialist on which equipment to use. We recommend that you consult Gray Campling Ltd, 91A Southcote Road, Bournemouth, BH1 3SN, whose TITAN Speedflow sprayers can be hired from hire centres. Tel 01202 291828.
One of the chemical constituents of ALBI MAX BASECOAT is hygroscopic. ALBI OVERCOAT forms a moistureproof seal over the basecoat, which prevents degradation of the system occurring due to the constant ingress and egress of atmospheric moisture. ALBI OVERCOAT does not have flame-retardant properties of its own and must be used in conjunction with ALBI MAX as part of the coating system.
Steel loses its structural integrity at 550 degrees C, at which point its ability to support its loads is compromised. In the event of a fire, ALBI STEEL - PLUS intumescent coating will swell to many times its original thickness to form an insulating char around the steel, thereby prolonging the time that it will take, e.g. 30 minutes or 60 minutes, for the steel to reach its integrity-failure temperature.
Yes, but special steps must be taken to protect the coatings from the effects of high levels of atmospheric humidity. Please seek our advice before embarking on such a project.
The Safety Data Sheets for ALBI coatings can be found under the "Health and Safety" link for each product. They are available as a downloadable PDF document.
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