Non-flammable materials

[jseiler]

I am looking for non-flammable materials I can use for making a fireplace mantle. I had originally planned this in wood for a condo refurb, but I found out that due to the fact its a multifamily building, all the commercial codes apply, not the less restrictive residential codes. I thought I would post here in case anyone had any ideas on what one might produce a carved fireplace surround/mantle out of that could be vcarved nicely.

thanks,
John

[Brady Watson]

It might not be cheap to do, but soapstone carves nicely...and holds heat and is fire-prrof.

-B

[Gary Campbell]

John..
Cut your piece out of inexpensive wood and mold it into plaster. Holds the details, inexpensive and paints or faux finishes well. Of course, the mold should be split to get 3 sided details.
Gary

[bleeth]

John: Depending on local codes you may be able to use a flame retardent on your wood after it is machined. You may want to check that out. I have done many commercial installations with fire-retard treated panels. It is a spray applied product that goes on like water and does not inhibit finishing.

[billp]

John,
Another option is to check out the fire rated "faux panels" from Texture Plus (www.textureplus.com (http://www.textureplus.com)) They are VERY well made, and the finished product is cheaper than it would cost you to buy the foam itself in may cases.

[bleeth]

Bill:
What a great product find-I love it. I'll be forwarding this on to some designers I know. Have you priced out the Class A panels?

[billp]

Dave,
The link originally came from Jerry Hicks here on the Forum. I sent for their sample pack and have been showing them at all of the recent Camps and everyone is really impressed!
Generally speaking their 2'by 4'panels run about $65 each So this translates to $260 per 4'by 8'sheet. They charge something like $10 extra for the fire ratings.They also make them in "interlocking panels"if you want to do a full wall, etc. AND they have color matched "glop"for each panel which is reasonably priced...
When you figure that on the average a 1"thick sheet of HDU is about $200 then you need to have software that can DO the patterns, then you have to CARVE the patterns, and finally you have to PAINT the foam, this solution is a no brainer!
It's also the easiest way to make a textured sign out there! Just get your panels, do an "area clear"in the shape of the fonts you want to use, using the same vectors cut the letters out of a different piece of material, and drop them in the area cleared "sockets"with a drop of silicone...
By the way they also have a great "wood grain"panel as well. I have followed the other threads where people are searching for an effect similar to "real" wood, and these panels look more realistic than sand blasted signs to me....
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[Brady Watson]

Looks great! Thanks for the pics, Bill.

Personally, I'd rather buy it already done than have to machine it, especially at that price...but that's just me. You can machine it yourself...but how much is your time worth?

-B

[jseiler]

I've decided to stick with flammable materials and meet the building code for offset distance. I thought the original surround looked funny (1x6's mitered around the outside), but they did that to meet the minimum distance to flammables requirement. I think I'm going to do an celtic knot from maple in embed it into dark walnut just to spiff it up. thanks for all the suggestions, but I was really hoping for "fireproof wood". (apparently fire retardant doesn't cut it according to the building inspector I talked to).

thanks again...
John

[Gary Campbell]

John..
Isn't the code and its definitions a blast? If I remember right, the code requires a setback for "combustible materials". No amount of flame retardant can make a combustible into a non combustible.

As far as "fireproof" goes, while arguing a similar piont of view as yours, I was given the EXACT definition by a commercial high rise engineer: Steel, encased in concrete, submerged in water.
Then he smiled and explained "fire resistive".
Gary

[jimmyk1]

Hey John,

I do a lot of business with two companies which you might be interested in.

When clients ask me for mantles or beams I usually go to http://www.FauxWoodBeams.com. Depending on the project i choose either between their faux mantles or real wood mantles - both very easy to work with.

Other projects involving Simulated stone / brick / wood paneling i usually visit their sister site http://www.FauxPanels.com. They always have a great selection, and also offer class A fire rating on many of their panels.

Here are some pics from some recent installs:



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[sailfl]

There is a fire retardant plywood called PopLite. I believe that Dixie Plywood is one of the distributors. I visited the PopLite offices yesterday and saw samples of all of their material. I don't know what it cost but they some some interesting material.

They also have a line that provides sound proofing capabilities.



www.poplite.com (http://www.poplite.com)

[robert_a]

www.poplitewood.com (http://www.poplitewood.com)