Concrete is everywhere we look, from apartment balconies to basement floors and commercial buildings of all sorts. It’s so common that most of us don’t stop to even think about it. But there is a reason that we use concrete to build so many things, and that’s fire safety.
Concrete: The Fire-Retardant Advantage
Concrete is one of the safest options you can get when it comes to building materials, which makes fire-retardant concrete floors vital for multifamily and commercial construction. It’s made of non-combustible materials, which means it won’t burn or emit toxic fumes.
Fire-retardant concrete floors are often a mix of specialized natural materials and engineered additives, such as:
- Gypsum-based materials, often used in drywall and concrete underlays. These materials contain water, which releases as steam when exposed to high heat. This slows the movement of heat through the structure during a fire.
- Lightweight aggregates such as expanded clay, pumice, perlite and vermiculite. These materials are great for thermal insulation, slowing the movement of heat.
- Fiber reinforcements, with synthetic microfibers that melt at high temperatures, creating routes for steam to escape. This lowers the risk of fracturing or detachment of the concrete due to thermal stress, a process called explosive spalling.
- Intumescent coatings, made of special fire protection material that expands when exposed to a high degree of heat.
Want to know more about your options for fire-retardant concrete floors? With over 80 years in business, you can rely on our expertise. Give us a call today to learn more.