Straight Cut Intumescent's experienced and approved intumescent coatings applicators provide compliant passive fire protection for South Island buildings
Meeting the strict demands of the New Zealand Building Code can be a major challenge on any modern construction project. You need to ensure your building is completely safe, fully compliant, and ready for council sign-off without suffering from costly trade delays. Straight Cut Intumescent provides premium, owner-operated passive fire solutions across Christchurch and the wider South Island.
When you choose your passive fire partner, you deserve absolute certainty that the job will be done right the first time. As specialised intumescent paint applicators, the focus here is entirely on delivering high-durability fire protection coatings that satisfy both structural engineers and local building inspectors, ultimately protecting your building timeline, your cash flow, and your budget.
Get a higher standard of care with owner-operator Liam Lilly
At the heart of the business is Liam Lilly, a dedicated professional who takes a hands-on approach to every single contract. Unlike large commercial painting franchises, where your commercial or residential project gets passed down to unsupervised subcontractors or changing crews, you get direct accountability.
Liam leads an experienced, well-resourced team of specialist applicators while personally overseeing the quality control on every project. Having a good-sized team gives us the scale and capacity to handle large developments smoothly, ensuring strict environmental conditions, dry-film thickness levels, and manufacturer specifications are met to the letter. This direct setup means you completely avoid automated call centres and mismanaged handovers between sales staff and site crews. You get the manpower of an established team alongside direct access to the owner, who stands behind the quality of the finish and your official PS3 compliance documentation.
The business has evolved significantly over the years to meet the growing compliance demands of South Island builders, architects, and developers. Originally operating out of a dedicated home office, the company quickly built a strong reputation across Canterbury for reliable service, honesty, and deep technical expertise.
Today, while maintaining that same core commitment to local, personal service, operations have expanded into a dedicated, fully equipped commercial workshop based in Woolston. This growth reflects a long-term commitment to providing smarter, more flexible passive fire solutions for your builds. This modern Woolston facility allows for advanced off-site processing, giving you the ability to keep your building project moving forward even when winter weather conditions or on-site trade congestion threaten to stall your timeline.
Tailored application options for your structural steel and architectural timber
Your construction project benefits from targeted application methods designed around the specific materials in your architectural plans. Because different materials react differently to heat, specialised systems are provided to give you the most efficient coverage possible:
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On-site structural steel protection: High-volume mobile spray equipment is brought directly to your construction site to apply heavy-duty fire safety coatings to universal beams, columns, and portals. This process offers up to 120 minutes of certified fire resistance right where the steel stands, preventing transport damage.
- Off-site timber coating at the Woolston workshop: For smaller timber jobs, architectural slats, louvres, or external cladding, you can send your materials directly to the Woolston facility. This allows the protective layers to be prepped, sprayed, and cured in a controlled indoor environment before arriving on your site ready to install straight away. Please note that due to workshop space limits, this off-site service is strictly for timber components.
A product-neutral approach that guarantees pristine, code-compliant results
One of the biggest advantages you get when partnering with Straight Cut Intumescent is complete product neutrality. While many applicators in the past relied on a limited range of traditional fireshield coatings, the modern New Zealand market demands greater flexibility. You are never locked into a single manufacturer or forced to use an unsuitable product.
Instead, your independent fire report dictates the best solution for your asset. You get access to a wide variety of the latest fully compliant systems, including advanced FireZone coatings and high-performance Altex finishes.
Furthermore, if your project features architectural timber walls or ceilings, you receive a firm quality guarantee that your clear coats will never go milky, cloudy, or white. Specialised spraying techniques and rigorous moisture testing ensure your premium wood remains beautifully transparent, preserving the natural grain while achieving strict Group 1-S fire ratings.
Make a call to Straight Cut Intumescent Ltd to get the process started. We will need you to provide a copy of your building’s fire report and your building plan. We may need to visit your site if it's a more complex project.