Paint technology
Clever paint: beyond the decorative
Tom Price, national sector lead for healthcare, education and fitness at Brewers Decorator Centres, looks at the importance of cutting-edge paint technology in the care home environment, and explains why the protective and functional use of clever paints needs to be a key consideration for home managers, interior designers, and facilities teams
Paint and wall coverings play a key role in the design and finish of modern care home environments, with the choice of colour and pattern often being paramount to the final look of a care home. Paint is a primary tool used to transform a space aesthetically, and in the care sector, colour and design also combine to create spaces friendly to the users within them, using dementia- approved palettes and colour contrast to create a welcoming and functional space for residents. However, underneath the colour and aesthetic uses of paint there is an entire world of clever, cutting-edge technology that goes far beyond its decorative uses. Technology from smart phones to smart homes has developed rapidly in front of our eyes, but many of us do not know about the innovative chemistry and nanoscience already in paints applied all around us.
Without intumescent coating
Fire protective technology Government statistics show there were 498 fires in UK care homes across the most recent year on record (2022–2023). With increased risk factors and vulnerable populations, fire prevention in the care industry is obviously of a critical nature. But if fire does start in this environment, products and measures that can limit the spread and reduce the production of smoke can – and will – save lives. A paint that is designed to protect against the damage caused by fire is classed as an intumescent and is a specialized fire- resistant coating designed to expand when exposed to high temperatures, forming a protective layer. Intumescent paint has become an integral part of any fire risk assessment after The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in England & Wales, which outlines the hazardous nature of
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Intumescent paint offers invaluable fire protection benefits
painted surfaces and flame spread. When subjected to temperatures
exceeding 120°C, the paint will intumesce (swell up to fifty times the thickness of the paint) and form a carbon layer (Char) which thermally insulates the given substrate. For some substrates this can mean thermal insulation for a specified period of time: 30, 60, 90, or 120 minutes.
Updates to building regulations mean
they also now take into account toxic smoke levels in the event of fire and require a ‘Class B’ upgrade to walls where other measures such as sprinklers are not in place (HM
With intumescent coating
Government, The Building Regulations 2010, Fire Safety Approved Document B, 2019 edition, incorporating 2020 and 2022 amendments). Escape routes must be a particular area of consideration for care home operators in regard to upgrading to this standard of fire protective coating. Thermoguard is a gold standard intumescent paint and an example of a product that meets the Class B regulations. It is further classified as S1, D0. This means it produces the lowest amount of smoke possible within the classification system and is also certified as producing no flaming droplets. Previous ‘Class 0’ certifications (prior to the building regulation amendments) meant paints could still meet regulations but that increased levels of smoke and flaming droplets were created by the paint on exposure to fire.
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com March 2024
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