MARMOX FIREBOARD READY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS IN THE EDUCATION SECTOR

The renewed emphasis on fire protection following the introduction of the Building Safety Act is focusing specifiers’ minds on identifying insulation products which are fully certificated as non-combustible, as well as meeting practical challenges including buildability and long-term resistance to weathering and a UK based company is duly showcasing an A1 rated version of its very popular XPS board product at Education Business Live on March 19th.

Rigorous testing at the BRE has shown that Fireboard – featuring Marmox’s well proven polymer concrete coating on a mineral wool core – provides an ideal substrate for rendering and plasterwork: including being tested for EWI applications across elevations over 18 metres in height.  Such has been the new board’s impact that it has already gained recognition from one of the industry’s most respected manufacturers of proprietary render systems.  Crucially, Fireboard has passed the EN 1182 Non-Combustibility test, as well as EN 1716 and EN 13823 testing to offer full confidence for specifiers.

Fireboards are available in thicknesses of 20mm, 50mm and 100 mm, with the polymer modified honeycomb coating applied to both faces.  While the thinner boards require screw fixing with washers at 300mm centres, this widens to every 600mm for the 50 and 100mm options.  They can be utilised for wall linings or across ceilings to prevent fire spreading to the floor above, while they have also been demonstrated to provide a full one hour’s resistance when installed across SIPs panels.
The Marketing Manager for Marmox, Grant Terry, comments: “Much of the work completed so far using Fireboard has been in domestic retrofit situations, but the product is equally applicable for new build work, including the production of modular and other offsite systems: where the boards’ accuracy and high quality waterproof coating supports high standards of workmanship. The inherent ruggedness and loadbearing capacity of the boards will also be of value for environments such as schools, where robust usage can be expected.”  

Lightweight and simple to cut, the boards are easy to install while being fully resistant to moisture, and will also offer good levels of acoustic insulation, particularly against airborne sound.  Fireboard’s key benefits are covered in an A5 technical brochure which can be downloaded from Marmox’s website, where the manufacturer describes it as a “powerhouse product, designed to tackle fire hazards, intrusive noise and the biting cold.”