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Here we provide an introductory guide to ZENOVA FP fire protection paint, a water based intumescent paint that prevents the ignition and spread of fire.
ZENOVA FP fire protection paint is a water based intumescent paint which provides passive fire protection to the surfaces and substrates on which it is applied.
ZENOVA FP can be applied to a variety of building materials and substrates to protect them from fire and help them comply with fire safety and building regulations.
To demonstrate how effective ZENOVA FP fire protection paint is at preventing the ignition and spread of fire, in our media gallery you can see how ZENOVA FP even protects highly flammable materials such as cardboard and plywood.
ZENOVA FP fire protection paint is a low odour, water based fire protection paint and can be applied to most substrates and surfaces to provide or improve fire protection. This includes structural steel, wood, and polyurethane foam.
ZENOVA FP fire protection paint only requires a thin coat, and is quick and easy to apply by brush, roller, or airless sprayer, This means that using ZENOVA FP fire protection paint can help reduce cost and limit disruption when you are looking to improve fire safety through the use of passive fire protection methods.
Also known as intumescent or thermofoaming paint, ZENOVA FP is a heat-resistant water-based paint that prevents the ignition and spread of fire.
Zenova FP high temp test
B&TT carried out a real-world test of the Zenova WB and FP products. 2 identical scaled sets were built, each set then had a fire set inside them and left to propagate.
A side by side demonstration on how Zenova FP protects even polystyrene a highly combustable material as demonstrated in this short video
Two kitchens were set on fire. The walls and ceiling of one kitchen were painted with Zenova FP fire protection paint. The benefits are clear.
A like for like test with a large global brand of fire retardent paint clearly shows a significant differance in performance.
Zenova FP Fire Protection Paint test, showing treated versus untreated timber
See how our Intumescent Paint swells and creates protects the covered surface
This side-by-side demonstration clearly shows the effectiveness of our Zenova FP Fire Protection Paint when applied on any substrate.
This side-by-side demonstration clearly shows the effectiveness of our Zenova FP Fire Protection Paint when applied on any substrate.
ZENOVA FP fire protection paint is an intumescent, or thermofoaming, paint. When ZENOVA FP fire protection paint is exposed to heat, it expands and creates a solid foam-like crust which will not burn. This solid foam-like crust insulates the surface it is painted on which prevents the surfaces below the paint, the substrate, from catching fire and stops fire spreading.
Intumescent or thermofoaming paints are not a new product. In fact, intumescent coatings were first being patented in the 1940s. However, ZENOVA FP fire protection paint has several unique characteristics, including its ease of application, thin application thickness and quick drying time.
These, along with the scope and transparency of Zenova’s testing programme, help set ZENOVA FP fire protection paint apart from other products in the market.
ZENOVA FP Fire protection paint has been rigorously tested by third party independent testing laboratories in the USA, Canada, and the UK. Zenova has also undertaken practical demonstration tests of its ZENOVA FP fire protection paint to illustrate its effectiveness at preventing the ignition and spread of fire on flammable substrates such as cardboard and plywood. Videos of these tests can be viewed in Zenova’s media gallery above.
At Zenova we are continually identifying further tests and safety classifications for ZENOVA FP fire protection paint to ensure it remains at the forefront of safety and performance.
Of particular note, is that ZENOVA FP fire protection paint has been awarded the most stringent fire safety classifications there are, including the latest BS EN 13501-1 classification, which means it can be used in construction as a fire protection paint on a variety of substrates to improve fire safety.
BS EN 13501-1 has been adopted by building regulators in Europe and the UK and is now the primary recognised fire safety standard in the UK construction industry. It supersedes the now outdated, and massively inferior, BS 476 Class 0 classification which a lot of fire protection paints currently have.
The process for achieving BS EN 13501-1 classification is extensive. A product, such as ZENOVA FP fire protection paint, is subjected to a combination of tests which are designed to assess characteristics including combustibility, heat levels, flame spread and smoke release.
Once tested, the product receives an official classification of its fire rating. By contrast, the now defunct BS 476 Class 0 classification which many fire protection paints have, was based on two, small-scale, tests on individual products or materials which only focused on the spread of flames over its surface and has often been achieved using non-flammable substrates.
The BS EN 13501-1 classification ZENOVA FP fire protection paint has achieved is a result of completing current, far superior, combustibility tests as per BS EN 13823:2020 and BS EN ISO 11925-2:2020. Zenova commissioned Warrington Fire to undertake the testing of its ZENOVA FP fire protection paint to ascertain its classification in accordance with BS EN 13501-1:2018.
For the BS EN 135001-1 classification tests, a 0.5mm coat of ZENOVA FP fire protection paint was applied to a 9mm thick sheet of standard non-fire-retardant plywood. It was then exposed to fire in accordance with the appropriate classification testing criteria.
The tests concluded that ZENOVA FP fire protection paint achieved an outstanding reaction to fire rating of B – s2, d0 in relation to its BS EN 13501-1 classification, which means it can be used in construction, on a variety of substrates, to improve fire safety.
In achieving BS EN 13501-1 classification, ZENOVA FP fire protection paint becomes one of just a few fire protection paints available which have achieved this highest standard of safety classification.
In addition, Zenova has also had testing carried out on several flammable substrates, such as plywood to reflect the paint’s use in real life situations.
At Zenova we feel it is important to publish our test data on our website so that our customers have full knowledge of the testing our ZENOVA FP fire protection paint has undergone, including the substrates used, and the results they have achieved. We are always happy to answer any testing related questions you may have and for you to undertake your own tests on our ZENOVA FP fire protection paint.
The door reached 55 minutes without penetration of flame or excessive heat. This concluded that the additional paint applied improved the longevity and integrity of the door thus increasing its fire resistance performance.
This concluded that the addition of ZENOVA FP made the plywood fire resistant.
This concluded that the addition of ZENOVA FP stops flame spread. Most modern homes are filled with furniture and fixtures made from materials that enhance flame spread.
ZENOVA FP was applied in both tests at a thickness of just 0.75mm on highly combustible plywood to achieve the outstanding Reaction to fire classification: B – s2, d0.
This concluded that the addition of ZENOVA FP stops flame spread and does not contribute significantly to smoke development. Most modern homes are filled with furniture and fixtures made from materials that enhance flame spread.
This concluded that the addition of ZENOVA FP stops flame spread and does not contribute significantly to smoke development. Most modern homes are filled with furniture and fixtures made from materials that enhance flame spread.
Kitchen BurnOne example of our commitment to testing was a “kitchen fire burn” undertaken in February 2022 by the University of Exeter’s wildFIRE laboratory and Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service at its West Moors training centre in Dorset.
For the demonstration, two identical kitchens were constructed and the walls and ceiling of the first kitchen were painted with a standard emulsion paint, whilst ZENOVA FP fire protection paint was used to paint the walls and ceiling of the second.
Thermocouples were also installed throughout both kitchens by Professor Claire M. Belcher and her team from the wildFIRE Lab, University of Exeter, to record and analyse the flame spread, burn severity and damage in each test kitchen setup.
Each kitchen was subsequently ignited by way of an unattended cooking appliance, the cause of most fires in homes, and filmed using both conventional and thermal cameras.
Videos of the test in action can be found in our media gallery, but the real-world kitchen fire demonstration concluded that the kitchen prepared using ZENOVA FP fire protection paint emitted significantly less heat during the fire, had reduced damage to wall and ceiling substrates with lower levels of charring on the walls, experienced reduced flame spread as the materials beneath the ZENOVA FP fire protection paint used to construct the wall and ceiling did not burn, had significantly reduced fire damage below kitchen counter level, had a reduced heat signature and different fire behavior, delayed fire spread which would have provided more time for fire service to respond and would have proved much less dangerous to life. The kitchen prepared using ZENOVA FP fire protection paint also required approximately 75% less water to extinguish the fire.
Composite DoorsAnother test Zenova undertook to illustrate the effectiveness of ZENOVA FP fire protection paint was undertaken by Warrington Fire at the request
of a Local Authority.
The Local Authority wanted to ascertain whether the fire rating of existing plastic composite doors in residential properties could be improved by applying ZENOVA FP fire protection paint to the surfaces of the doors.
The doors in question should have a 30-minute fire rating, but tests had previously found that the doors used by the Local Authority failed after just 14 minutes.
For the test, a 1.3mm coat of ZENOVA FP fire protection paint was applied to two second- hand plastic composite doors of the type used by the local authority. In laboratory conditions they were exposed to intense heat to simulate a fire outside the front door of a residential building, in a hallway
or communal area.
The doors, which untreated should have a 30-minute fire rating, but generally failed in less than half that time, reached 55 minutes without penetration of flame or excessive heat as a result of the application of ZENOVA FP fire protection paint. The test was only terminated when the fire caused the door sills and letter box to fail.
The results of this test concluded that the application of ZENOVA FP fire protection paint improves the longevity and integrity of the doors in a fire
situation and increased their fire resistance performance dramatically.
The test also highlighted that using ZENOVA FP fire protection paint to improve the fire rating of plastic composite doors, could provide a rapid, effective, and efficient solution to improving fire safety in residential buildings as doors could have ZENOVA FP fire protection paint applied to upgrade their fire protection performance, rather than doors having to be replaced.
Zenova is in the process of finalising testing of its ZENOVA FP fire protection paint for use in protecting structural steel.
Whilst, to the uninitiated, it may seem a strange concept to protect steel from fire, the reality is that despite being a strong construction material, it is susceptible to intense heat.
At around 300ºC, steel begins to experience strength loss, and this increases rapidly after 400ºC. Around 550ºC is considered to be the failure
temperature for most structural steel.
With property fires frequently reaching more than these temperatures, it is therefore essential that structural steel is provided with passive fire protection, such as that provided by ZENOVA FP fire protection paint, to help protect the structural steel and delay the collapse of the structure by insulating/protecting the structural steel columns and beams that support the building fabric and achieve specified fire resistance in terms of time.
In fact, the objectives under the Building Regulations for Fire Protection – Approved Document B are to prevent a building collapse to allow time for safe evacuation of people from the building, and to make the building safer for the emergency services to carry out any rescue work and tackle the fire upon arrival.
As a result, Zenova is currently finalising testing of its ZENOVA FP fire protection paint for use in providing passive fire protection for structural steel and believes that its water based fire protection paint is highly suited for this role.
The benefits of a product such as ZENOVA FP fire protection paint is that it is highly suited to internal and external applications, can also be used in semi-exposed environments, emits no solvent odours, has a fast drying time to accommodate shorter building schedules and is low cost compared to alternative materials and passive fire solutions. ZENOVA FP fire protection paint is also easy to apply using a brush, roller, or airless spray system, meaning it can be applied both during a building’s construction and as a retrofit fire protection solution.
The results of Zenova’s ZENOVA FP fire protection paint testing will be published later in the year.
Zenova Group PLC is pleased to update the market on the continued successful outperformance of its sector-leading products in sponsored demonstrations conducted by and for fire prevention professionals and consumer groups.
Zenova Group is pleased to affirm the continued success of its recently announced B2B strategy in the signing of another European distribution agreement, this time in Romania, with a partner attracted by the Company's certification standards across its paints and extinguisher products.
Zenova Group PLC (AIM: ZED), the innovative fire suppression and interdiction solutions Company, is pleased to announce expansion into Spain, Portugal, and Central and South America markets through the signing of a sales and distribution agreement for its entire range of heat management and fire safety solutions with E-Z International.
Zenova Group PLC (AIM: ZED) is pleased to announce that the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea placed an inaugural order for Zenova FP fire protection paints.
Zenova Group PLC (AIM: ZED), a provider of proprietary fire safety and heat management solutions with applications across housing, industrial, and commercial sectors, today is pleased to announce an inaugural order in Greece for its proprietary fire-retardant intumescent Zenova FP paint
Zenova is pleased to announce the first shipment of 7,500 units of Zenova FX500 aerosol fire extinguishers to Clastrom, our German sub-distributor.
Zenova announce Viridis Group Ltd (“Virdis”) as a Zenova sub-distributor for Poland
Omnis and partners Zenova Group Plc will exhibit life-saving fire and thermal coatings at The Heat & Fire Expo in Anaheim, CA on November 9-10, 2022.
Located at Stand 485 in Hall D (West of the networking area 477,) Omnis will introduce ZENOVA's fire and heat technologies through live demonstrations.
Zenova showcased their independently tested heat management and fire safety solutions at Robert Price's Sustainable Energy Centre.
Zenova is pleased to announce that it's Zenova FP Paint will be supplied to the NHS for the 3Ts redevelopment project at the Royal Sussex County Site.
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