Fire retardant additive? - Deck Stain Questions and Answers

RE: Fire retardant additive?

MojoMike — Tue, 29 Sep 2020 17:00:50 +0000

"how flammable is a 20-year old heart redwood deck with a good coat of fully-cured sealer?" -MM "We have no idea how flammable wood is and why would it matter?" -DSH It matters because I have built a lot of decks around my home, and I have been told they are a fire hazard, and want to seal them in a way to minimize that risk. Sorry if I was unclear on that. If I am asking questions that are off-topic for the deck stain forum please redirect me. It seems intuitive that a well-sealed wood deck would be less prone to ignition from blowing embers in a wildland fire than a dry, weathered deck. I'm not sure how much less susceptible. That's what I asked. The X-factor is redwood, which has an inherent degree of fire resistance. I'm not sure how much, if any, of that is retained over time, UVs and weather. Perhaps the additives in high-quality deck stains rejuvenate redwood's inherent fire resistance. if anyone out there has any knowledge or experience on this matter, or any experience with flame retardant additives I'd love to hear about it. Thanks.

RE: Fire retardant additive?

Scott Paul ~ Restoring Wood & Decks Since 1993 — Sat, 26 Sep 2020 13:53:37 +0000

We have no idea how flammable wood is and why would it matter? The deck is already there. The stain does not increase the flammability once dried.

RE: Fire retardant additive?

MojoMike — Fri, 25 Sep 2020 18:53:20 +0000

Thanks. Sorry to be dumb, but how flammable is a 20-year old heart redwood deck with a good coat of fully-cured sealer? Its dry right now and its been 5+ years since it was sealed, so I assume it's a fire hazard now. Sorry to labor this point, but we have lost our fire insurance, got temporary replacement policy ($$) and now are under consideration by State Farm for a conventional policy at a decent rate. But there will be an inspection... So I gotta' get it sealed pronto. Complication is that the additive is only hitting the market this week... literally. I spoke with the guy and he has tested it with A&C to class "B" flame resistance. His website should go live tomorrow. Will post it here if and when that happens. Thanks again for your help.

RE: Fire retardant additive?

Scott Paul ~ Restoring Wood & Decks Since 1993 — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 18:49:17 +0000

Once the stain has cured, not any different than if unstained.

RE: Fire retardant additive?

MojoMike — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 18:43:27 +0000

I guess the related question is "How flammable is properly sealed redwood deck?" Probably not very would be my guess... and if the fire is hot enough to blow up a newly sealed deck the house is a lost cause.... but I may be looking for a good excuse not to spend an additional $42/gallon!

RE: Fire retardant additive?

Scott Paul ~ Restoring Wood & Decks Since 1993 — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 15:04:17 +0000

AC I believe does not contain a fire retardant anymore and we have no experience with using them.

Fire retardant additive?

MojoMike — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 14:57:42 +0000

Any experience or insight out there on fire retardant additives? Here in smoky California where fire insurance is becoming an endangered species we are doing all sorts of crazy things to our houses in the name of fire safety. But I'm not giving up my redwood deck. I am, however, resealing it. And considering spending as much for a fire retardant additive ($42/gal) than on the sealer product itself... likely Armstrong Clark, a local product I've used before. Crazy, right?