A SAFER ALTERNATIVE
When you’ve got paint that is peeling or flaking, or if you need to remove an existing coat of paint in order to recoat the surface, there are numerous ways that you can accomplish this. In the past, the options were sandblasting and pressure washing, but in both instances there can be detrimental side effects. Sandblasting can be too harsh and leave pitting on the surface that you are trying to clean, while pressure washing may not only be too harsh, but the introduction of water could damage the material. In both cases, the need for containment and cleaning solutions, as well as time to dry, can add significant time and money to the project. An alternative to these methods, dry ice paint stripping allows you to gently remove paint from a number of surfaces.
DRY ICE APPLICATIONS
Cleaning everything from wood to metal, dry ice blasting to remove paint dissolves caked on paint and other substances with the use of a pressurized stream of dry ice pellets. Suitable for a wide array of materials, dry ice blasting is gentle through the use of an adjustable pressure spray. Accessing and cleaning hard to reach areas without damaging the surface integrity of the material, this concentrated stream is effective in removing paint from the tight angles of and small spaces without causing additional damage.
Dry ice blasting eliminates the need for pre and post-application cleaning while removing water and other products from the pressurized stream. As the dry ice pellets meet the surface of the paint, thermodynamic shock causes fractures in the initial layer of paint that allows the paint to be blown away. Since dry ice eliminates the need for water, cleanup following dry ice blasting is as easy as sweeping up the residue that has been removed from the surfaces. In addition to leaving the surface completely dry and free of residue, you are able to save valuable time on your jobsite, without having to wait for surfaces to dry before recoating or repainting.
ADDING ABRASIVE MEDIA
Gentler on surfaces, dry ice blasting is a proven alternative to sanding and scraping. This method can also be used for dry ice graffiti removal instead of applying chemicals to remove unwanted artwork. However, there are times when stubborn coatings like thick paint, epoxy and rust require an added abrasive to create the necessary blank canvas for a new paint job. When corrosion is pitted into the metal, or blasting with only dry ice at a high PSI won’t remove paint or other coatings, the introduction of abrasive media boosts the aggressive properties of the stream. Using less abrasive media than sandblasting, dry ice blasting with the addition of glass beads created from recycled bottles, or various sizes of crushed garnet, can remove even the toughest coatings without pitting or gouging the product surface whil e keeping cleanup quick and easy.
In many situations recycled bottles are repurposed as glass beads to be used as the abrasive medium when mixed with the dry ice pellets, creating an extremely cost effective process since the glass beads can be reused several times before being replaced. Dry ice blasting with abrasive media provides a versatile cleaning solution safe for sensitive or delicate surfaces or surrounding areas while being aggressive enough to meet industrial process cleanliness standards.
REMOVE PAINT SAFELY AND EFFECTIVELY
Sandblasting, pressure washing, or the use of potentially damaging chemical strippers can all be avoided with the use of dry ice to remove paint and graffiti from a number of surfaces. Reducing costs and overall downtime, General Abrasives Co. Inc. provides this service to maintain the surface integrity of the materials being cleaned while reducing costs, making dry ice blasting as a cost-effective method removing unwanted paint.
