Bramble Theater: 1 Hour Fire-Rated Ceiling Assembly Fire Protection for Wood

The Bramble Theater renovated a historic building in preparation for the grand opening of the Bramble Loft Art Space. The historic and charming venue is located in Chicago’s Anderson Village, known locally as the Capital Garage building. This building is characterized by its aesthetically pleasing exposed wood ceiling, fostering a historic atmosphere and aesthetically pleasing design.

When working on fireproofing a historical site it is important to avoid intensive alteration of the structure to preserve the older characteristics of the building. In the case of the Bramble Loft Art Space, the challenge lay in that exposed wood ceiling. FlameOFF Fire Barrier Paint, an intumescent coating, was implemented to achieve a 1 hour fire rated ceiling assembly.

Wood is an infamously combustible substrate in construction and poses extra challenges in the context of proper fireproofing. The Bramble Theater Group needed a one-hour fire rating on the wood ceiling per the requirement of the city.

FlameOFF Fire Barrier Paint is an intumescent fireproof coating that offers one-hour fire protection on wood. This innovative product was specified by an architect on the team to be incorporated into the Bramble Loft Art Space. Often, intumescent coatings are preferred for renovative works in historic buildings as they offer adequate and reliable fire protection without significantly altering the building’s structure.

This thick coating was applied to the exposed wood ceilings, offering an hour fire rating to the substrate. For this project, a top coat was also applied to prevent bleed-through on the wood and enhance the aesthetic appearance of the beams. However, a top coat is not required to achieve a proper fire rating.

The Bramble Theater group remarked that the fire rating process was made smoother due to FlameOFF’s responsive sales team, which supplied great customer service. The product itself was noted to be easy to work with regarding the application and the odor, which is not any stronger than that of an average house paint.

With the aid of FlameOF Fire Barrier Paint, an environmentally safe and easy-to-apply coating, this group reached the required one-hour fire rating on the exposed ceiling of this historic space. When asked if they would recommend our product to other professionals, the Bramble Theater group answered affirmatively.

Learn more about FlameOFF Coatings Fire Barrier Paint