Specialist coating approved for concrete

A specialist fire resistance coating has been approved for use with concrete structures, offering advances in safety and time of construction projects.

Specifically developed by Sherwin-Williams to allow easy and fast airless spray application on structural steel, Firetex FX5120 is a water-based intumescent coating, which now brings major benefits to contractors needing to protect concrete.

Experts at the Sherwin-Williams Protective and Marine Coatings division developed FX5120 to offer substantial cost and time savings, with the advantage of not causing or releasing dust and fibres, while in service as the product’s paint coating is bound with an acrylic resin. With substantial weight and space savings, the coating offers approval under EN 13381 Part 3 for concrete structures. Tests show that 1.5mm of FX5120 can increase the fire resistance of a concrete structure by as much as 35mm of concrete.