If you decide to build a house with your own hands, then you need to think in advance how to process the wood. Many people remember this when, after a few years, they begin to notice traces of the hard work of wood-boring bugs or become eyewitnesses of how their creation turns into ashes eaten by the tongues of flame.
But all this can be avoided if you think in advance how best to protect the wood from all factors. Currently, there are such products, for example, fire protection for wood. Let's see what kind of composition it is, what it is used for and what advantages it has.
What is fire protection?
Experts who study the properties of a tree believe that it is best to use protection that will protect against several negative factors. Such compositions are now commercially available - this is the so-called wood impregnation (fire protection), which performs several tasks at once:
- Special components of the composition impregnate the tree and reduce its ability to burn.
- Substances with antiseptic properties prevent decay processes and do not allow insects to infect the material.
It should be noted that processing wood with fire protection is not able to protect 100%, but even such an effect significantly prolongs the life of a wooden structure.
Variety of fire protection
To reliably protect wood from the effects of negative external factors, it is not enough to know the rules for choosing compounds. Of great importance is the knowledge of the properties and features of use. Fire protection for wood is available in two forms:
- In the form of fire retardant impregnation.
- Sheeting in the form of paste, enamel, varnish.
The difference between the two is in the aesthetic quality of the treated wooden surface. If you use impregnation, it practically does not change the texture of the tree and its smell, but the coating in the form of paste or putty worsens the appearance and gives a certain smell. Because of this, most often such compounds are used in places that will be subjected to additional decoration.
Fire protection for wood is distinguished by its ability to dissolve, therefore, they distinguish:
- Water soluble.
- Organically soluble.
The first category is safer, so it is often used for processing wooden structures.
Varieties: base composition
If we consider the chemical formulas of fire protection, the unit is as follows:
The second variety began to be used much earlier. It is based on salts of carbonic, phosphoric and boric acids. It has some advantages:
- Does not change the appearance of the tree.
- Provides reliable adhesion to wood fibers.
- It has a high degree of protection.
- It is possible to paint on top.
- Such a composition retains properties for more than 10 years.
Many believe that this is the best fire protection for wood, as it does not have toxic properties and is completely safe for humans.
Salt formulations have a lower cost, but have their drawbacks:
- Shelf life is short.
- Not very high degree of protection.
- A large amount of surface treatment composition is required.
- There is no way to color.
- Easy to wash with water.
All these disadvantages force the use of such a composition indoors.
Fire Protection Resists Fire
If we consider such an ability of fire protection, as resistance to fire, then such compositions are divided into two groups:
- The first includes agents that poorly support the combustion process (up to 9% of the mass can be lost).
- The second group includes funds that, in the event of a fire, will lose up to 30% of the mass of wood material.
Nature of processing
Different fire protection for wood implies a different nature of processing.
- Sequential protection is the impregnation of wood with flame retardants, and only then with antiseptic compounds.
- Combined processing is a new method that can reduce time and increase efficiency, as the tree is immediately impregnated with protection, which acts in combination.
It should also be noted that now manufacturers produce such compounds that not only protect the tree from the negative effects, but also extend the service life and maintain an attractive appearance for a longer time. For example, the fire protection of the Senezh tree meets all the requirements of sanitation and ecology, therefore it can be used for any wooden structures both indoors and outdoors.
The need for comprehensive fire protection
There are situations when it is simply necessary to use compounds with a complex effect. Such protection is required:
- When building buildings, it doesn’t matter, commercial or residential.
- For processing buildings with a high degree of fire.
- Such protection is necessary for barges, ships, ships, railway cars.
- Restoration work also requires the use of comprehensive protection.
Comprehensive fire protection for wood, reviews confirm this, reduces the risk of ignition several times. Even if a fire occurs, the active substances of the protective composition greatly slow down this process. Buyers claim that protective impregnation can extend the life of the facility by more than 20 years.
The effectiveness of protective compounds
If, when choosing a protective compound, the question is which fire protection for the tree is better, then the first thing to do is pay attention to the efficiency group, it must be indicated on the label.
Depending on the purpose of use, it is worth choosing between the first group and the second. If it is necessary to make wood non-flammable, then you can choose class 2, first-class drugs will make the wood hard to burn.
By the way, if you choose the means for the impregnation of wooden structures inside the building, then fire regulations allow only the first class to be used.
If there is a composition of the second group, then by applying several layers, you can strengthen the degree of protection and obtain resistance to fire at the level of 1 group. You can do the opposite, if instead of two layers, apply one layer of class 1 impregnation, then we get 2 group of fire resistance of the tree.
This fact must be taken into account in order for fire protection to produce the desired effect.
How to calculate the amount of fire protection?
If we consider the economic indicator, it is important to consider the consumption of impregnation per square meter. This fact will affect the total cost of the composition required for processing.
For example, if you use the Senezh salt composition, then about 600 g of impregnation is required per square meter to apply 6 layers, then 1 protection class will be achieved.
Non-salt impregnation of an expensive brand will provide reliable protection with a consumption of only 250 grams per square meter.
When buying, it is also worth considering the depth to which penetration can penetrate. There are two categories of formulations:
- Superficial, the composition penetrates no more than 6 mm.
- Impregnation of deep penetration will protect the tree to a depth of more than 12 mm.
If we talk about ease of use, then surface treatment wins, since it can be applied with any tool, it does not affect the strength of the tree. The appearance of wooden structures will depend on the coloring ability of the composition. It is better to choose colorless, then the aesthetic characteristics of the tree will not suffer.
Application of fire protection
In order for the protection to give the desired effect, it is necessary to follow a number of recommendations for its application:
- Almost everyone knows how to apply fire protection to a tree, but one must keep in mind that this must be done only on the treated surface.
- The moisture content of the wood to be treated should not exceed 30%.
- For quality protection, the surface of the tree should be cleaned of dust, oil stains and other contaminants.
- It is best to apply protective coatings at positive temperature. In frosty weather, water frozen in the capillaries of the tree will not allow the impregnation to penetrate inside.
- Rainy weather is also not the right time for wood processing.
If you follow all the rules of application, then wooden structures will be protected reliably and for a long time.
It is also necessary to correctly apply the compounds on wooden structures. Typically, spray guns, rollers or brushes are used for these purposes. To strengthen the protection, it is necessary to apply several layers with an interval of 30 minutes. The desired effect will not work if before this the tree was treated with water-repellent or film-forming compounds.
Famous brands of fire protection
Choosing fire protection for a tree, you should not focus only on the brand name. This does not always guarantee excellent quality and reliable protection. The manufacturing technology of such formulations is almost the same for all manufacturers, but the quality may suffer due to the use of low-quality components.
If it is important for the manufacturer to maintain his good reputation, then all the components comply with fire and environmental standards, that is, they are absolutely safe for the environment and humans.
Among the salt impregnations, the following well-known brands can be named:
- Senezh
- Neomid
- Phenylax;
- Talezh.
Their cost is low, up to about 70 rubles per kilogram.
If you recommend non-salt formulations, then the following are popular:
- Impregnation of the second generation "Pirilaks";
- Neomid.
Their price is already much higher and reaches 320 rubles per kilogram.
Where can I use fire protection
Antiseptic, fire protection of a tree can be used to process only constructed objects, it is also possible to impregnate wooden structures that were previously subjected to antiseptic treatment.
This category may include:
- Agricultural farms.
- Walls and beams.
- Sawn and planed structures.
- Residential buildings.
- Production facilities.
Modern compositions not only protect the tree from molds, woodworm beetles, but also allow you to maintain an attractive appearance for a long time, protecting it from cracking.
Currently, there is a good opportunity, while building your own home, to make sure that wooden structures are not damaged by bugs, mold and remain attractive for a long time. It is only necessary to acquire the necessary impregnation and carefully process the material.