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As the weather warms and the human population peaks out from quarantine, some make the mad dash for the beach. And bars and restaurants and swimming pools and other coastal businesses often have tiki huts, bamboo walls and thatch roofs, all of which can catch fire pretty easily. The fire marshals are there to make sure that doesn't happen, bless their hearts. RDR offers several fire retardants specifically for exterior natural materials like thatch. Since thatch is naturally water resistant …

Right now there is a building boom going on, and a corresponding lumber shortage. That translates into prices that are triple what they were a year ago. It also creates a shortage of Fire Retardant-Treated Lumber (FRT) - plywood and dimensional lumber that is pressure-impregnated with flame retardant, so it meets fire code right from the start.What can you do if you can't get FRT? In many cases, you can treat regular lumber on-site, and it will pass code. After all, they use exactly the same che …

After more than a decade in the fire retardant industry, it's become painfully obvious that nobody really pays attention to fire code until the inspector comes by and either a) shuts you down, or b) won't let you open. It's always the week before a grand opening or something equally important. It's a time delay and an unbudgeted-for expense. That's where we can help.People in this situation typically google "fire retardant" and a few other key words, cross their fingers and hope for the best. If …

If you have recently installed spray foam insulation in your house, shop or business, chances are pretty good you will need to coat it with fire retardant paint. The fire marshal is usually happy to explain that to you, and not let you back in the building until it is painted.We get a lot of business from people who didn't know they had to paint their foam. I love those folks.There are really just two standards - a 5 minute ignition barrier (for inaccessible crawl spaces), and a 15 minute therma …

Every year, we get calls from restaurants and retailers (usually fast food restaurants) wanting to put a retardant on their landscape mulch. Because here's what happens - customers come in, eat, and the first thing they do when they leave is fire up a cigarette. Then they flick the still-smoldering butt into the landscape mulch that surrounds the building, and sometimes it starts a small fire. We usually recommend Lumber Guard XT, a clear Class A retardant for exterior use. It is non-t …