The use of decorative wood in public buildings in France is restricted by fire regulations, according to which most wood treated with fire resistant paints or varnishes does not reach the required standard. Under these regulations, the fire resistance of materials is tested using treated samples of 10 millimeters thick silver fir. However, the materials used in public buildings are usually thicker panels of hardwoods. Experiments showed that if samples 20 millimeters thick were used, many paints and varnishes would reach the required standard. -- AATA