Unvented attics with exposed foam
The most common case. Foam at the roof deck, nothing over it, and a thermal barrier required before the space can be signed off.
Fire-protective coating
Intumescent Coatings
Code-compliant fire protection sprayed over exposed foam — so the attic, crawl space or garage passes inspection without hanging drywall over it.
Why it matters
It is the difference between passing inspection and hanging drywall in your attic.
Huntsman’s intumescent coatings have completed NFPA 286 testing and are approved as an interior finish system in accordance with the IRC and IBC, which omits the code’s prescriptive thermal barrier requirement.
Here is what that means if you own the building. Exposed spray foam normally has to be separated from the occupied space by a prescriptive thermal barrier — in practice, half-inch gypsum board. That is fine in a finished room. It is a real problem in an attic, a crawl space or an unfinished garage, where framing drywall around every rafter and joist is slow, awkward and expensive, and sometimes not physically possible.
An approved intumescent coating satisfies the code through the interior finish path instead. The foam stays exposed, the coating goes over it, and the assembly complies. That is the entire commercial case for the product.
What it is
A non-flammable coating that starves a fire of oxygen.
These non-flammable coatings are approved for use on top of a number of Huntsman’s spray foam insulation products.
Intumescent coatings starve a fire, preventing oxygen from reaching the spray foam insulation. The coating is 100% non-toxic, drain-safe, and non-fuming, and is designed for walls, attics, and crawlspaces.
Product benefits
What the coating gives you.
- Non-toxic, drain safe and non-fuming
- Entirely non-flammable
- Meets LEED, AQMD, and EPA VOC requirements
- Designed for attics, crawl space and walls
Where we use it
The spaces that need it across South Texas.
Crawl spaces
Encapsulated crawl spaces where drywall is impractical and the foam has to stay exposed to stay serviceable.
Unfinished garages and utility rooms
Spaces that are insulated but never finished out, where the owner does not want to pay to drywall a room they use for storage.
Metal buildings and warehouses
Commercial and industrial buildings where the foam is sprayed to the underside of the deck and stays exposed permanently.
Anywhere an inspector calls for it
Any assembly where a thermal barrier or ignition barrier is required over foam. Different assemblies carry different requirements — Premium Icynene Ultra 50, for instance, is ignition-barrier-free in unventilated attics, which is a separate question from a thermal barrier. We specify the correct one per job instead of coating everything by default.
Specifications & approvals
What the manufacturer publishes.
| Product type | Non-flammable intumescent fire-protective coating |
|---|---|
| Fire test | NFPA 286 testing completed |
| Code approval | Approved as an interior finish system in accordance with the IRC and IBC, which omits the prescriptive thermal barrier requirement |
| Applied over | Approved for use on top of a number of Huntsman’s spray foam insulation products |
| Mechanism | Starves a fire, preventing oxygen from reaching the spray foam insulation |
| Toxicity | 100% non-toxic, drain-safe and non-fuming |
| Emissions | Meets LEED, AQMD and EPA VOC requirements |
| Designed for | Walls, attics and crawlspaces |
| Documented systems | Blazelok TBX, DC315 and No Burn — see technical documents below |
Technical documents
Application guides and submittals.
Published by the manufacturer. Every link opens in a new tab.
Application guides
- DC315 — Technical Data & Application Guide (PDF)
- DC315 — Ventilation Guide (PDF)
- No Burn — Application Guide (PDF)
- Coatings Thickness Guide (PDF)
Brochure
Submittal sheets
For architects, builders and inspectors — the paperwork that gets an assembly approved. Bring these to plan review; we will supply the rest of the submittal package for your project.
Safety Data Sheets
Questions
What owners and builders ask us.
Building code normally requires exposed spray foam to be separated from the living space by a prescriptive thermal barrier, most commonly half-inch gypsum board. In an attic, crawl space or unfinished garage, hanging drywall is often impractical or expensive. An approved intumescent coating satisfies the code through the interior finish path instead, so the assembly passes without the drywall.
Intumescent coatings starve a fire, preventing oxygen from reaching the spray foam insulation. The coatings themselves are entirely non-flammable.
The coating is 100% non-toxic, drain-safe, and non-fuming, and it meets LEED, AQMD, and EPA VOC requirements. It is designed for walls, attics and crawlspaces.
Not necessarily. Premium Icynene Ultra 50 is ignition-barrier-free in unventilated attics, which is a different requirement from a thermal barrier and applies to a specific assembly. Different assemblies carry different requirements, and an inspector may call for a thermal barrier or an ignition barrier depending on the space. We specify the correct one per job rather than applying coating everywhere by default.
Inspector asking for a thermal barrier?
Tell us what the assembly is and what was called out. The estimate is free, it happens on site, and we will tell you straight whether you need coating or not.
Blazelok, Icynene, Heatlok, and Coatlok are trademarks of Huntsman Building Solutions. DC315 and No Burn are trademarks of their respective owners. Panda Insulation LLC is an independent applicator. Product data is published by the manufacturer and is provided here for reference.