It is becoming more and more popular for contractors to use blast cleaning techniques to remove lead paint. When the team know what type of surface the lead paint is on and what finish the lead paint has, they can decide which blast cleaning method to use. Soda blasting is typically used, as well as glass media blasting and steam cleaning.

Blasting can remove paint from the following surfaces, including many more:

• Historic render
• Brick
• Masonry
• Stone

Pigments and paints that contain lead were used commonly up until the 1960s. During the 1960s, the dangers of lead were brought to light, making it a much less popular choice, and it was banned for sale to the general public in 1992.

When lead paint or varnish is applied to a surface, it will start to degrade. When it crumbles, the tiny lead particles will be released into the air, which you may inhale. Children may also pick at the flaky surface and pout the dust in their mouths. This can result in serious health conditions, especially for children and pregnant women.

If you only need to test a few surfaces or a small project, you can use a lead testing kit. The test can produce results in around 30 seconds. However, you will typically require an examination completed by a specialist lead surveying company for larger projects.

The blast cleaning method used depends on the paint's surface and the lead paint's finish. The following methods are commonly used:

Soda Blasting
Glass Media Blasting
Steam Cleaning
Timber Beam Ab

Paint is such a tough substance to remove without damaging the material underneath, whether it's stairs, wood or timber beams. Abrasive blasting, using a coarse calcium-based grit, is the process used to clean paint and restore your materials to how they used to be.

There are many different types of sandblasting that is suitable to be used on wood, including:

Mechanical Sandblasting: This method is used on surfaces without chromatic decorations and when the paint is layered on thickly and has been there for a long time. 
The Variant of Ultrasonic Blasting: This uses different device characteristics but is much safer and non-invasive.
Mechanical Blasting: It can be brutal when working with wood, but the results are excellent. 

Soda blasting has unique features, which means you can use it safely on materials, and it won't damage any underlying surfaces due to the softness of baking soda, including:

Brick
Concrete
Steel
StuccoTile
Wood

Managers of historic buildings and monuments have to deal with graffiti removal problems way too often. Soda blasting is the perfect cleaning method to remove graffiti from stonework, brickwork and finely carved architecture, as other cleaning methods are too harsh and could damage the surface. 

Abrasive blasting is so gentle on surfaces, making it ideal for removing graffiti from historic buildings and monuments. You can even use this cleaning method for metal or wood statues and plaques that may have been spoiled by graffiti. 

Vacuum blasting is the process used to blast different object without damaging their surroundings. It is dust-free, and also has no flying abrasive, and doesn't disturb any other processes. The machines can be used indoors and outdoors, confined spaces, and can be moved around easily.

Other terms for vacuum blasting are:

• Dust-free/Dustless Blasting
• Closed Loop Abrasive Blasting

Soda blasting is basically a process that uses sodium bicarbonate. The sodium bicarbonate is applied against a surface using compressed air. This can clean up surfaces to eliminate any damage, including graffiti from buildings, cars, masonry, boat hulls, fire damage and more. The process is gentle, so it doesn't damage the surfaces.

Here is a list of the main applications of soda blasting:

• Cleaning Cars
• Boat Hulls
• Masonry
• Food Processing Equipment
• Removing Graffiti
• Cleaning Structural Steel
• Removing Mould
• Cleaning up Fire/Smoke Damage
• Cleans and Deodorises

Many different industries require soda blasting methods. Here is a list of the industries that require soda blasting:

• Architectural Building Restoration
• Commercial Property Cleaning
• Food Processing Industries
• Residential
• Commercial property cleaning
• Transport and Marine

Yes, sandblasting can be dangerous. Abrasive blasting creates high levels of noise and dust, and the material and surface that is being cleaned sometimes contain toxic materials, including lead paint and silica. Silica can be extremely hazardous to workers, and it can cause silicosis, lung cancer and breathing problems.

The answer to this question is that, yes, sandblasting substances containing silica sand are banned in the UK. The risk of workers being exposed to silicosis is high when sandblasting, and it is tough to control. Since 1974, NIOSH (National Institue for Occupational Safety and Health) has recommended that silica sand, or any substance that contains more than 1% of crystalline silica, should be banned as abrasive blasting material.

There are other types of blast cleaning methods that don't use silica sand, including grit blasting or abrasive blasting. Grit blasting is the same method as sandblasting, apart from the abrasive selection. If you would like to find out more information, please get in touch with a professional today.