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Interior design should never come at the expense of safety, especially in a highly regulated country like Canada. That’s why PPanel, a fire-spread-rated interior decorating wall panel, has a lot to offer commercial and residential developers across the country, including an exceptional performance on the CAN/ULC S102.2 test for fire spread, which allows its use in almost any construction project.
Whether upgrading the office, adding design flare to your home, or developing a condominium from scratch, utilizing a fire-spread-rated interior decorating wall panel that adds aesthetic appeal – and many other benefits – is an excellent opportunity to make your project shine.
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Real estate developers know just how important it is to use materials that ensure a safer environment for building occupants. High-traffic areas such as elevators, stairwells, and exit routes must utilize materials that minimize the spread of flames during a fire — mandated by law.
That’s where CAN/ULC S102 testing comes in. Developed by UL and the Standards Council of Canada, the test is designated by various provincial and federal codes to evaluate the flame-spread characteristics of interior building surfaces such as flooring, walls, and ceilings.
Before architects use a material like PPanel in a construction project, it must have met the standards for flame spread set forth by the CAN/ULC S102.2.
• PPanel Fire-Spread & Smoke Development Certification
Safety: Fire-spread-rated materials make it safer for building occupants to escape from a fire inside a building.
Aesthetics: New construction projects need a sleek modern finish while also adhering to all safety code requirements; products like PPanel, a fire-spread-rated interior wall panel, come in handy.
Durability: Fire-rated interior wall panels are often made of a highly durable, long-lasting material that ages timelessly; for PPanel, that is the case.
Other Benefits: PPanel, for example, is fire-spread rated but also has many other benefits that include water/mould resistance, thermal and sound-proofing qualities, and more!
Legal Compliance: There is a legal requirement to use fire-spread rates for interior decorating wall materials for new construction projects in Canada; depending on the location of installation, a higher or lower fire-spread-rating may be required.
CAN/ULC S102.2 is a standardized testing method to determine the surface burning characteristics of flooring, floor coverings, wall coverings, and miscellaneous materials and assemblies. [1]
The Standards Council of Canada uses the test to determine the comparative burning characteristics of a material or assembly by evaluating the speed of flame spread over its surface when exposed to a test fire. This helps establish a basis on what the surface burning characteristics are of any material put through the standard test.
CAN/ULC S102.2 establishes two important parameters for building materials, including:
• Smoke Development (SD)
• Flame Spread (FS)
If a particular material does not get a low enough score on these tests, it may be illegal to use in residential and commercial construction projects.
Thankfully, PPanel’s CAN/ULC S102.2 test score allows it to be used in almost any type of development. Contact us to learn more!
• Paints and coatings
• Wallpaper
• Flooring
• Ceiling tiles
• Insulation
• Wood panels
• Fibre panels
• Acoustic panels
• Form boards
• Honeycomb panels
• Caulking and sealants
• Adhesives
• Piping and tubing
• Tape
According to the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC), the maximum fire-spread rating for interior finish of walls and ceilings is 150. This requirement applies to residential, business and personal services, mercantile and industrial occupancies.
With a score of 90, PPanel is well below the maximum required for use as an interior decorating wall panel in commercial and residential projects across Canada.
Fire spread is a term used in standardized tests that measures how quickly a flame travels across the exposed side of a material when compared to another.
Canada has several test facilities where CAN/ULC S102.2 flame-spread testing is performed. We received our test scores from a Vancouver-based firm.
A flame tube, or Steiner Tunnel, uses a platform inside to expose the test material to a standardized flame strength for ten minutes. The flame’s propagation along the material’s exposed surface is observed and a flame spread value is calculated. Additionally, a light and a photoelectric cell records smoke obscuration during the test to determine its smoke development rating. [2]
Please find PPanel’s fire-spread and smoke development rating on our Certifications page.
Yes, there is no special installation requirements for PPanel because the fire rating is built into the material itself.
With PPanel, the sky is the limit with respect to design, as our interior decorating wall panel comes in dozens of different finishes ranging from stone and marble to fabric and woven patterns.
If you’d like to know more about how PPanel could fit into your next commercial or residential construction project in Canada, please call us anytime at 403-667-3535 or email us at [email protected], and we will be happy to assist you!
Sources:
1 – https://scc-ccn.ca
2 – https://canada.ul.com
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