Finish and Furniture
It is important to understand the codes and
standards related to finishes and furniture because they contribute to the
spread of a fire. While codes will typically regulate decorative material and
trim, all items are considered to be part of the fuel load and potentially
contribute to the ignition and additional spread for a fire within a building.
This also makes it important to test building materials, however, finishes and
furniture focus on the potential of a material to contribute to an overall fire
and smoke growth or spread, while a building material concentrates on the
amount of time it can resist a fire.
Standards and Testing
Codes, in relation to finishes and furniture, reference
several standards from the NFPA, UL, and ASTM. Each of these standards set a
performance expectation for the finish, material, or furniture component that
are further referenced by the building codes, fire codes, and the Life Safety
Code. Each test is different and dependent upon whether the finish is used as a
wallcovering, drapery, upholstery, or other in correlation with the application
of the finish.
The Radiant Panel Test is used to rate interior
floor finishes, like carpet, resilient flooring, and hardwood flooring
assemblies. This test measures the floor covering’s tendency to spread a fire
and determines the minimum energy required to sustain flame on a floor
covering. This is done when a sample is secured to a substrate and placed at
the bottom of the test chamber (the finish sample should consist of the entire
floor covering system). The sample s then preheated by a radiant heat source
mounted at a 30-degree angle from the finish sample. Then it is exposed to a
gas burner where, if it begins to burn, the length of the burn marks and the
amount of radiant heat energy at the farthest part of the burned area is measured.
When both these measurements are compared to existing data, the critical radiant
flux (CRF) is determined.
Obtaining Test Results
For whatever test standard used, it is critical to
know the meaning behind the test results and whether the outcome of the test(s)
is a pass/fail grade, a specific class rating, or a ranking because the result
of the tests effects the ability to use a product within a certain application.
Manufacturers typically have products test before putting them on the market,
however, they are only tested according to the anticipated use of their product.
Most of these manufacturers – those who pretest their finishes and furniture – list
their labels or specifications for wallcoverings, floor coverings, ceiling
coverings, and additional finishes. Non-tested finishes or furniture, on the
other hand, are those without testing information and need to be tested or
fire-resistant treatments or other components added. This can be done through third-party
testing agencies who will perform the necessary tests to classify the material
appropriately.
Unfortunately, these instances can be very
expensive, so the alternative would be to have the finish treated so long as it
is compliant with the jurisdiction in which the material would be used. This
treatment can be done by a treatment company who will add fire retardant
coverings that are either a surface treatment or a fire-resistant coating applied
as a backing. These treatments and coverings usually upgrade a non-classified,
or non-tested, finish and raises the performance for some rated materials to a
higher class. It is important that the company in which you get treatment from
provides a Certificate of Flame Resistance specifying which tests the finish will
pass.
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