# no-burn paint for wooden trusses



## bhiester (Oct 4, 2015)

Does anyone have any experience with "no-burn" paints. I need to apply "no-burn" paint to wooden trusses between a basement and first floor, in order to comply with local building codes. I'm specifically looking for a paint recommendation and experience with application. Thank you.


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## journeymanPainter (Feb 26, 2014)

What about an intumescent coating?


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

I wish I knew the product, and would also like to know, and also how often it needs re-coating.

A wall in the garage of our soon to be new home is the wall to the house and is clad in wood shingles. Actually, it's at second story height. The HO said it passed the fire code by being coated with fire retardant paint. 

I would like to know how often I will need to re-coat.


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## woodcoyote (Dec 30, 2012)

Sherwin has a coating. Called flame guard I think or something like that. 

Might try there first and see what you can drum up


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

bhiester said:


> Does anyone have any experience with "no-burn" paints. I need to apply "no-burn" paint to wooden trusses between a basement and first floor, in order to comply with local building codes. I'm specifically looking for a paint recommendation and experience with application. Thank you.


As Journeymanpainter posted, you're probably looking for an intumescent citing: ones that foam up and insulates the trusses to slow down the failure of the floor system.

Are theses wood/steel trusses, wood I-beams, lightweight wood trusses, or what? Are the building officials after a 1-hour rating, a 2-hour rating, or something else?

We've used a product from this outfit:

http://shieldindustries.com/fireguard_wp/

But that particular product is no longer made.


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## Stretch67 (Oct 7, 2013)

Intumescent paint. There r lots of different manufacturers. As far as application, its just like anything else but really thick heavy bodied material. Ive put it on plenty of structural steel both vertical and horizontal. Need a strong pump. I used our 1595 and make sure you have a good power supply. Some of them u can put on 80+ mils in one shot. For reference, 62.5 mils should equal 1/16", normal paint would take about 30 coats dft to reach that amount of build. It does dry slow tho at those thicknesses, like sometimes a week or two depending on the atmospheric conditions. And even then itll be somewhat soft for a while. Usually once theyre fully cured theyre hard as a rock.


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## Oden (Feb 8, 2012)

Yeh you got to tie down exactly what is to code there
Intumescent I was surprised upon googling that it may even be used on wood at all. Steel. Is what I know it to be used on, and it's not even paint really it's more akin to mud, I can't imagine a municipality to require that coating on wood joists in a residential 
Type application. It's possible but?
I've used paint that was fire retardant or whatever and was called out by code. But that is paint, you know, no real difference in application than any paint, and it may be all that is required. So?
You got to tie down for sure what coating is ur minimum to meet code there. And get ur inspector to approve it before you do anything else.


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

Oden said:


> Yeh you got to tie down exactly what is to code there
> Intumescent I was surprised upon googling that it may even be used on wood at all. Steel. Is what I know it to be used on, and it's not even paint really it's more akin to mud, I can't imagine a municipality to require that coating on wood joists in a residential
> Type application. It's possible but?
> I've used paint that was fire retardant or whatever and was called out by code. But that is paint, you know, no real difference in application than any paint, and it may be all that is required. So?
> You got to tie down for sure what coating is ur minimum to meet code there. And get ur inspector to approve it before you do anything else.


The intumescent coatings that we've used on wood were heavy-bodied clears. One job was commercial offices and one office had a functioning fireplace, so we tried out a sample. I think we were all impressed by the insulating effect and how it dramatically slowed the combustion of the wood.

Similar products are getting required more and more by municipalities concerned about the "burn-through-rate" of floor trusses, especially wood I-beams with OSB webs. That's why a number of the manufacturers have switched to fire-retardant treatment of the web material.


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## journeymanPainter (Feb 26, 2014)

I had to apply hundreds of gallons while at the convention centre. All on fire rated plywood


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

daArch said:


> I wish I knew the product, and would also like to know, and also how often it needs re-coating.
> 
> A wall in the garage of our soon to be new home is the wall to the house and is clad in wood shingles. Actually, it's at second story height. The HO said it passed the fire code by being coated with fire retardant paint.
> 
> I would like to know how often I will need to re-coat.


Recoat after any fires.


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

I painted a huge truck maintenance shop (20k Sq ft) in intumecent. Can't remember the name of the product it's been so long...don't remember it being hard to work with...


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

lilpaintchic said:


> I painted a huge truck maintenance shop (20k Sq ft) in intumecent. Can't remember the name of the product it's been so long...don't remember it being hard to work with...


The last job we did, the stuff needed to be warm to be workable at all. We kept the cans by a fire that we built from scrap wood.

That it was when there would be a pile of scrap to be burned at very construction site should give you an idea about just how long ago that was.


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

Either you were working in the boonies somewhere or its been a minute... it was summer when I did the work on that shop. Makes A LOT of sense to keep the product warm. I could definitely see it as being rediculious (may as well broad knife it in..lol) to spread at lower temps.


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

lilpaintchic said:


> Either you were working in the boonies somewhere or its been a minute... it was summer when I did the work on that shop. Makes A LOT of sense to keep the product warm. I could definitely see it as being rediculious (may as well broad knife it in..lol) to spread at lower temps.


Or both....

Let's put it this way, I got called off that job to meet K at the hospital because she was going into labor for the birth of our son. He's now a physics professor with 4 kids of his own.


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## DrakeB (Jun 6, 2011)

It's in national code now for I-joists between basement and first floor as I recall. It'll be picked up into local code (if it's not already) quickly. Manufacturers are now selling them precoated from the factory for this reason. Stuff from the factory doesn't look like you'd be able to apply it yourself without specialized equipment. It's more than 1/4" thick I'd say, and quite chunky. Looks like it probably has to be mixed constantly while using as well.

Check out your local code, or ask building inspector; they may have a recommendation for a specific product. Then you know you're covered. This is a pretty serious coating.


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## robladd (Nov 22, 2010)

Applied tons of it at MGM Grand & McCarren International. Caroline Fire Film it's for steel.
There is a Wood Product FireFree I never used but it has good reviews.


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