While demand for timber treatments seems to mirror the fortunes of the building industry, the fire retardants (FR) sector continues to go from strength to strength with most product manufacturers and specialist treaters reporting good levels of business.
“We’re getting enquiries for HR Prof from all over the world,” said Chris Dilks, from Fire Retardant UK, which imports the water-based, organic treatment. “Demand is growing apace, even through the recession. More than anything, it is because there is growing awareness of the brand and it’s being recognised by the building industry as a product that does what it says it does. It’s incredibly easy to apply and non-toxic.”
Neil Ryan, managing director at PTG Treatments, which uses Osmose’s FirePro, agrees. “This side of the business serves commercial and public sector construction, which does not appear to have been affected by the current economic climate."
There are a number of new products on the market – and several apparently in the innovation pipeline. Wolman is offering a new fire retardant (high pressure process) called Firestop, which, says the company, combines a good performance with aesthetic advantages including a lower “blooming” or marking effect. “We have had a good response in Europe after the market introduction and are launching in the UK this year,” said Peter Fitzsimons.
Meanwhile, Osmose’s Andy Hodge confirmed that the company is currently looking at – and testing – a range of new products for the market. “Demand is growing,” he said, “particularly for products like cladding market, decking, and in local authority buildings: we are seeing an increase in requests for FR treated timber.
“This has led us to look for new products, to examine where we have gaps in our technology – and to try and fill them. It’s possible you will see something new from Osmose in the near future: of all those tested, it’s a product we have the most confidence in.”
There’s no doubt that fire itself is a highly emotive subject – fire retardant (FR) treatments are concerned with allowing extra time for building occupants to escape in a fire. However, smoke is one of the biggest killers when a fire takes hold, and therefore the reaction of the FR product in terms of smoke generation and toxicity are also key factors to address.
“Any FR must be tried and tested in both its credentials and application to support confidence in its specification,” said David Law of Arch, who says the performance of his company’s fire products, like Dricon and Non-Com Exterior allow the creative use of timber in buildings that, under current Building Regulations, would not otherwise be possible. “Specifiers also need to be sure that FR treatments are aligned with the environmental credentials of using timber in buildings, and this is a key driver in the continuing popularity of FRs,” he added.
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Requests for FR-treated timber are growing, especially from local authorities and in the decking and cladding markets |
