Trimethoxymethyl melamine (TMMM) and hexamethoxymethyl melamine (HMMM) were blended with the widely used acrylic medium, the copolymer of vinyl acetate and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (VAc-EHA), for preparing water-based blends having improved fire retardancy. The weight fraction of the VAc-EHA copolymer was varied from 40 to 95%, at the pH value of 7 and a solid content of 50% was kept in all cases. The limiting oxygen index (LOI) and char yield of the blends were evaluated and the surface morphology of TMMM, HMMM, and the VAc-EHA copolymer at room temperature and at 110, 340, and 550 degrees C was also studied to explain the improvement in the fire-retardancy behavior of the blends. The LOI and char yield of the VAc-EHA copolymer was found to improve substantially on incorporation of both TMMM and HMMM. But due to the limited stability of TMMM in aqueous medium, HMMM is more suitable for blending with VAc-EHA, to give a water-based coating having good fire-retardancy properties.