With hand on heart, we can make a promise: reliable fire prevention

Fire prevention is almost always a key area of focus when it comes to building with wood: in public buildings such as administration offices, educational institutions and healthcare facilities; for emergency escape routes and firestops; in stations and airports, in the construction of trade fair stands and retail units or in theatres. ADLER's coating system Pyrolan Expand offers the ideal solution for many of these areas of application. The coating is straightforward to use and very versatile, and allows you to either retain the natural look of the wood surface or to change it to one of the countless shades on offer. The coating system is also completely water-based and free from formaldehyde, as well as from biocides, heavy metals and halogens – this means that, in the case of a fire, no toxic substances such as formaldehyde will be released. And the most important point: Pyrolan Expand has achieved B-s1, d0, the best possible fire prevention class in accordance with EN 13501-1 that can be awarded to combustible building materials such as timber and timber-based materials.

Innovative technology

The coating achieves this excellent fire prevention rating through the innovative combination of raw materials that the primer Pyrolan Expand Base contains. At high temperatures – around 300 degrees Celsius – a carbon foam is produced which forms a protective layer over the wood and shields it from the flames. This means that items are much slower to catch fire, and the spread of fire is also significantly slowed down. "In the case of a fire, time is the decisive factor," explains Stefan Frumlacher, who is part of the team responsible for the development of the new product in the ADLER laboratory. "The longer the wood is protected, the greater the time window for evacuation, rescue operations and fighting the fire. And it is also essential for the statics of a wooden building that supporting constructions are protected against fire to as great an extent as possible."

Efficient application

As well as performing well in terms of functionality, Pyrolan Expand has a further plus point – it can be applied in a variety of ways. The coating can be sprayed on or applied with a brush or roller. With spray application, only two steps are required: firstly a coat of Pyrolan Expand Base as a primer, and then Pyrolan Expand Top as a topcoat. The topcoat ensures that the fire prevention function is retained long-term, and at the same time protects the wood from damage and dirty marks. You can also use it to coat timber elements that have already been installed as a way of improving their fire prevention properties. Pyrolan Expand also gives you lots of scope for different design ideas: "In the transparent version, we have optimised the colour of the coating for countless common types of wood, such as spruce or fir, to make sure that the natural appearance of the wood is retained. And we can also offer Pyrolan Expand in a wide range of opaque colours," explains Stefan Frumlacher.

Effective fire prevention

Bernhard Schiffthaler, ADLER Key Account Manager for Timber Construction in Austria, sees huge potential in the new coating system: "At the current time, effective fire prevention is usually only possible through the use of complicated technical solutions. The alternative is often to clad timber surfaces with gypsum plaster board, for example, which means that the natural appearance of the wood is lost. By contrast, Pyrolan Expand enables efficient fire prevention whilst at the same time preserving the natural look of wooden surfaces." Reliable fire prevention, a sophisticated look and efficient application: with these properties, Pyrolan Expand is opening up countless new possibilities to today's timber construction sector.

ADLER – paint runs through our veins

With 720 employees, ADLER is Austria's leading manufacturer of varnishes, paints and wood preservatives. Founded in 1934 by Johann Berghofer, this family business is now managed by a member of the third generation, Andrea Berghofer. Every year, 21,000 tonnes of paint leave the Schwaz plant and are delivered to customers in more than 30 countries worldwide. ADLER has sales subsidiaries in Germany, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia; their sole production site is the ADLER-Werk Lackfabrik in Schwaz, Tyrol (Austria). ADLER was one of the first companies in its sector to be 100% climate-neutral (since 2018). The company has been able to reduce its carbon footprint to a minimum through a wide range of measures. ADLER offsets any unavoidable residual emissions through the purchase of recognised climate protection certificates, thereby helping to finance new climate protection projects