Fire can quickly consume a home and burn it to the ground. Moments after a fire starts an entire room can become engulfed in smoke as the flames spread and burn everything in the path of the fire. In as little as 2 minutes a room can be swallowed up in smoke and flames that is so dense that there is little chance for survival.

Built from lumber that allows the flames to burn quickly many homeowners are unaware of just how dangerous a fire can be and how quickly it can pass from room to room destroying everything it comes in contact with. Yet, there are some builders that have taken the added precaution to apply a flame retardant spray to the lumber that they use in construction to prevent the flame of a fire from burning and spreading throughout a home. Slowing the speed at which fire burns by preventing the support framing from catching fire, the fire retardant coatings are making new building projects safer for the individuals that are living in the home.

By fireproofing wood that is being used to build the framing and walls of a house, builders that are concerned about the safety of their constructions are able to offer their buyers the additional protection of a home that has been safeguarded against the possible threat of fire. After hearing how fast a house can be consumed in flames and knowing that in many instances the fire department will not be able to save a home that is caught up in smoke and flame, some people are concerned that if their house should accidentally have a fire that they would lose everything. Working to control the spread of a fire and contain the area of the house where the flames are destroying everything in their path, the teams of firefighters are more concerned about putting a fire out once it has done its worst rather than saving a home that will be condemned by the city if it is saved.

Used to protect the outer and inner wooden framing of a house and the associated fencing, patio and free standing structures that are near the house, the application of flame retardant spray to any wooden structure can slow the spread of fire and save other homes in the neighborhood from being included in the spread of flames that can move from one house to another in rapid succession. Using pretreated lumber for framing that has been given an application of fire retardant coatings, homes throughout the country are better safeguarded against the possibility of fire that can burn a home to the ground under 20 minutes.

by Art Gibb, freelance writer on behalfof Fire Retardant Coatings of Texas