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Abrasive blasting is suitable for a range of commercial and industrial cleaning and surface preparation needs. In the right hands and using the right materials and methods, it can do everything from stripping away layers of paint or greasy buildup to cleaning sensitive areas like labs or machinery. Blasting can prepare most any surface to meet your specifications and enable maximum coating adhesion.
How and when to use abrasive blasting
- Stripping old and peeling paint and coatings.
- Removing rust and other signs of corrosion.
- Concrete cleaning and surface prepping, including floors, walkways, parking areas, and tilt-up construction walls.
- Degreasing and removing grime, old coatings, and contaminants from industrial machinery and equipment.
- Mold cleaning and remediation.
- Prior to application of industrial paint and other coatings for proper adhesion and optimal performance.
Importance of blasting skill and safety
When it comes to shooting sand and other tiny, abrasive objects at interior or exterior surfaces at a very high velocity, skill and safety cannot be overemphasized. Just think of what something that can strip paint off a wall could do to people, machinery, landscaping, and facility contents.
With over four decades of experience in commercial and industrial painting, Painters USA is a safe, trustworthy provider of sandblasting and other abrasive cleaning and surface treatment services.
- Deep understanding of blasting media and the different properties for hardness, sharpness, and abrasiveness to choose the right option for every project.
- Safe and skilled use of well-maintained blasting equipment—machinery that is poorly maintained can be messy and destructive, especially in less capable hands.
- NACE-certified coatings inspectors with extensive training in proper surface preparation, a major component of certification.
As a company, we take every precaution to protect the safety of our crews, as well as the safety of your people and your capital assets. Our workers are covered from head to toe in personal protective equipment, and no blasting begins until the surrounding areas are covered or shielded. Blasting can be scheduled when nobody else is in the facility, including overnight, weekends, and scheduled downtime.
Vapor-assisted blasting
One of the many ways Painters USA can mitigate some of the hazards of abrasive blasting is through vapor-assisted blasting, which offers some important benefits over old-school sandblasting:
- Uses 10% of the blasting media
- Faster cleanup since containment is easier and there is less residual waste
No matter what blasting method or materials are needed for your cleaning / surface prep specifications, when you hire Painters USA, only experienced, well-trained crews will do the work. We meet any priority, from safety to environmental protection to meeting tight timelines and budgets.
Sandblasting and more
Sandblasting is a common term used to describe any type of abrasive blasting, as it dates back well over a century. It was patented in 1870 by soldier Benjamin Chew Tilghman, who allegedly got the idea by seeing the effect of windblown sand on windows during his time in the military.
Today, Painters USA has a wide range of blasting media to choose from, depending on the scope of your project, financial considerations, and other criteria. We can smooth a rough surface, rough up surfaces that are too smooth for proper coating adhesion, and even reshape some surfaces.
| Abrasive medium | Typical application |
|---|---|
| Baking soda | Delicate peening, mold remediation, historical restoration. |
| Blastox® calcium silicate | Stabilizing lead in industrial paints. |
| Ceramic beads | Engine rebuilding, coatings removal, surface preparation. |
| Corn cob grit | Biodegradable option useful for wood cleaning and stripping. |
| Dry ice | Mold cleaning, specialized industrial cleaning. |
| Garnet | Outdoor blasting, metal, aluminum. |
| Glass beads | Engine rebuilding, coatings removal, surface preparation. |
| Jetmag | Outdoor blasting, rust removal from metal surfaces. |
| Plastic | Paint stripping, deburring, cleaning. |
| Sponge | Sensitive cleaning environments, like historical restoration. |
| Starblast® staurolite sands | Coarse and fine mix for removing rust, mill scale, and weathered coatings. |
| Steel grit | Blast rooms, cleaning, heavy scale removal. |
| Steel shot | Cleaning, peening, airless blasters, wheel machines. |
| Superoxalloy | Profiling, corrosion and coating removal, degreasing. |
| Walnut shells | Environmentally-friendly option good for sheet metal and engine cleaning. |
| Zirconia silica beads | Designed for high quality, cost-efficient surface treatments. |
No traces left behind
Painters USA is diligent about keeping a safe, orderly job site for the duration of every project we do. That includes projects that involve abrasive blasting. It’s ironic that this industrial cleaning method can be very messy and leave lingering residue of all kinds. We will never leave your facility without proper clean-up and safe removal of all residual waste, in compliance with applicable regulations and environmental concerns.
Other industrial cleaning services
Along with general cleaning of machinery, equipment, or industrial facilities, Painters USA Offers additional industrial cleaning services for specific needs and circumstances:
Combustible Dust Cleaning
Machinery and equipment cleaning
Mold and microbial growth remediation
Graffiti Removal and Anti-Graffiti Coatings
Rust removal and control
Regional and national coverage
We offer national account support for convenience, accountability, and consistent results for all your locations. No job is too big to handle. We’ll keep all your facilities in working order and restore high-traffic, high-use areas to make them good as new.
Plus we’re a certified woman-owned business for vendor diversity programs and goals.
OSHA safety standards
At Painters USA, we take pride in staying abreast of OSHA standards and other regulations that apply to our clients. We will help you comply with MSDS regulations, chemical handling, exposure control, and other safety requirements.
Abrasive blasting safety and efficacy
Sandblasting and other forms of abrasive blasting are best left to skilled crews and companies with all the necessary equipment, insurance, and experience. Painters USA will handle any industrial cleaning projects in a detailed and efficient manner, completing the work on time and on budget. We’re happy to answer your questions and provide a free estimate for any needs or budget.