Fire retardant paint for polystyrene ceiling tiles

Pennywise

I have a room with ceiling tiles and another room which has the polystyrene insulation roll on the ceiling instead of wallpaper. Both will be a few decades old.

Obviously, in view of recent events, I'll get the polystyrene removed and replaced as soon as possible, but that's going to be several weeks to get tradesmen sorted out.

In the meantime, I've been looking at fire retardant paint. The rooms are both fairly small and I've no problem paining the ceilings myself. I'm completely lost when I google for options. Several paints say they're fire retardant for plasterboard walls, doors, etc., but I can't find any that say they're retardant for polystyrene clad ceilings.

Anyone got any recommendations? Is the wood/plasterboard paint adequate for ceiling tiles?

EachPenny

If you are able to paint over them then would you be able to just remove them yourself? Obviously observing all the essential safety precautions.

lg13mza

Having worked in the fire industry, I doubt there is any paint that would be fire retardant for polystyrene.

Doozergirl

I should think that trying to make a piece of polystyrene fire retardant would be like trying to do the same to a piece of paper. It's not going to work. Any heat is going to change the shape of it immediately and render any coating useless.

You're best off keeping your doors closed in the house unless you're using them and having really good smoke alarms (and hard wiring them in). The Nest smart ones are superb and incorporate CO detection. Not cheap but they are incredibly reassuring and will have far better lasting value than painting something for a few weeks.

Le_Kirk

Would a polystyrene tile take a paint without "melting" I know they don't like certain adhesives.

-taff

Just take them off. It doesn't take long with a paint scraper.

firefox1956

And best of all 'Don't panic Mr Mainwaring' !!!!!

PasturesNew

No chance. Just strip them off. Even if you start/try and make a pig's ear of it at your first attempt... just get rid.

Mostly they're just up there with a couple of "dabs" of glue.... not fully spread on the back of all of them.

My dad used to LOVE those tiles... we had them in our bedrooms as we had no heating... and my bedroom also had sheets of polystyrene behind the wallpaper!

Geoff1963

If there's a fire, the air in the tiles will expand, and the polystyrene will soften. I'd have thought fire retardant paint would only work on something rigid.