Can I Paint FP cables?
Prysmian recommends: Do not paint fire performance (FP) cables.
Summary
Fire performance cables are tested and certified in their original manufactured condition. Applying paint may affect long-term cable performance, obscure important identification markings and make future inspection and traceability more difficult. While water-based paints may be less aggressive than solvent-based alternatives, Prysmian cannot guarantee the continued fire performance characteristics of a cable once it has been painted. Where aesthetics are important, bespoke sheath colours may be available to special order.
Let's be clear at the outset: painting fire performance (FP) cables is not recommended.
While it might be tempting for an occupier to paint a fire performance cable to match a wall or ceiling colour, or to contrast with some other interior finish, by applying paint to the cable they could be painting the building's occupants into danger.
Our fire performance cables which have been painted will not be in the same condition as when they were tested. As a result, we cannot guarantee the longer-term fire resistance properties regardless of whether or not the paint will have any material reaction with the sheath, either short or long term.
Why Does This Matter?
Fire performance cables are used in life safety systems such as:
Fire alarm systems
Emergency lighting
Voice evacuation systems
Smoke control systems
Firefighting equipment supplies
These systems are designed to continue operating during a fire to support safe evacuation and emergency response. As a result, any modification to a cable after manufacutre and testing should be considered carefully, particularly where the cable forms part of a critical fire safety installation.
This is especially important as the construction industry continues to place greater emphasis on product traceability, specification accuracy and demonstrating compliance throughout a building’s lifecycle.
Intumescent Paints
Intumescent paints should provide improved fire performance compared to normal paint, however the previous statements still apply. It should also be noted that intumescent paints can be either water or oil/organic solvent based and may include chlorine-containing compounds.
The oil/organic solvent based intumescent paints are not recommended for use with our LSOH cables.
Even where a paint is marketed as a fire-protection product, applying it to an FP cable does not mean the cable has been tested or approved in that painted state.
Other Precautions & Considerations
Ensure that pools of paint do not collect where they are in contact with the cable.
Ventilate the space thoroughly so that the paint may dry as quickly as possible.
Avoid applying standard paint too thickly on the cable.
It is also worth considering that the marking on the cable sheath, which contains information such as the manufacturer, cable standard, size, voltage, 3rd party approvals and so on, would most likely be obscured should it be painted over – especially if it is printed on rather than embossed.
If it is absolutely necessary to paint the cable, then this information should be reliably recorded for traceability purposes.
Alternative Options
Rather than painting installed cables, users may wish to consider alternative solutions:
Selecting cable routes where the installation is less visually prominent
Using containment systems where appropriate
Specifying cable colours that better suit the installation environment
Discussing bespoke sheath colour availability with Prysmian for larger projects
These options help preserve the cable in its tested condition while meeting project aesthetic requirements.
Sheath Colours
Standard FP cable sheath colours are white and red, which are suitable for most applications. However, if you really do want to get creative then bespoke colours are available from Prysmian to special order.