Sandblasting Mistakes, Tips & DIY Guide (How to do it yourself?)
Cleaning brick stone siding with acids and other liquid cleaning agents may not be effective cleaning method as sandblasting, to use because acids may cause the building material to become soft and also its corrosive nature is dangerous. The most effective alternative would be to sandblast the brick stone siding.
Sandblasting (or media blasting or abrasive blasting) is the process of forcibly impelling a stream of abrasive substance against a surface under high pressure to smooth a rough surface, roughen a smooth surface, shape a surface, or remove surface contaminants and paints/coatings. Compressed air is used to propel the blasting material.
This requires the use of a sandblaster to propel sand at high velocities to etch or clean the surfaces of the siding. Cleaning with acids has its own health hazards, but sandblasting also has potential health hazards that can be prevented by using the proper gear.
There are also other several variants of the process, such as soda blasting, bead blasting, and shot blasting. To keep things simple, we will mostly refer to the generic terms “sandblasting” and “sandblaster”, although most of what follows apply all of the variants.
Doing this requires takes professionals, and need money doing that. So here are some tips and DIY Guide to sandblast yourself like a pro.
Some tools you need:
- Sandblaster
- Wooden Boards or Plywood
- Tarps
- Soundblasting Hood
- Respirator
- Welding Gloves
- Thick Long Sleeve Clothes
- Heavy Duty Adhesive Tape
The process:
First Prepare Area:
Prepare the place where you want to sandblast. Clear the area of anything that could be affected by stray sand. Cover any exposed surfaces surrounding the concrete with plastic sheeting or tarp or heavy duty adhesive tape if you want to keep them clean. But you should not cover the bricks and concrete.
Thoroughly ventilate the area if sandblasting concrete in the limited workspace, such as a garage. Wear safety goggles and a painter’s suit equipped with a hood. Put on a respirator before sandblasting in order to avoid inhaling dust particles from the sand and dirt.
Safety Procedures
Safety procedures should be applied before the actual sandblasting work. Take note that high-velocity particles of sand can be hazardous to the skin, the eyes, and other parts of the body. Use thick clothing to cover every inch of skin. Wear welding gloves to cover the hands and wear eye and head protection as well.
Prepare Sandblaster:
Shut off the valves on the sandblaster and fill the tank with silica sand. Turn on the compressor and allow it to pressurize between 40 to 100 pounds per square inch (PSI). Set the sandblaster on a low-pressure setting initially.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions in setting up the machine and check for recommended cleaning distances. Check the instructions as well for recommended sandblasting rate.
Point the nozzle of the sandblaster at the concrete, at least 8 to 16 inches away from your body. Squeeze the trigger and sandblast the surface top to bottom for even coverage.
Lastly, Start Doing
As this is hard-to-do and effective cleaning way, you will make some of the minor and major mistakes. So, you can apply some of the tips.
Mistakes:
- Not following safety precautions.
- Using wrong types of particles.
- Using ineffective tools and techniques.
Here are the tips:
- You can hire a company to do your sandblasting if you are not ready to buy the equipment.
- Before purchasing expensive equipment, borrow or rent a sandblaster if you want to try it yourself.
- Practice on a sample piece of glass so you completely understand the process.
- There are two types of sandblasters: siphon and pressure. The siphon sandblaster is less expensive and adequate for most simple jobs. The pressure sandblaster is more costly, but it etches more deeply into the glass. Using this is better.
- Wear the safety gloves and glass before start doing.
Important:
Unless you are not experienced you cannot do this kind or job the right way. Applying much DIY is the wrong approach, so I suggest you hire a professional(if small) or company(if large).
By the way, if you are in Calgary, you can call us for that or fill-up the form. We provide pressure washing and sandblasting services in Calgary.