Sponge Blasting vs. Dry Ice Blasting Ends in a Draw at Chicago Elementary School
When paint began to flake inside a Chicago elementary school with no explanation, engineers determined that they would have to remove it, determine why the paint had not properly adhered to the concrete masonry walls, and repaint.
But efforts to remove the paint using cup grinders were taking way too long and damaging the surface of the concrete blocks. Their search for a better way to remove the paint led them to Polar Clean team, a division of Premium Plant Services. The Polar Clean team was asked to conduct a test of both dry ice blasting and sponge blasting so the engineers could compare the results.
Dry ice blasting uses frozen CO2 pellets that sublimate on contact to dislodge dirt, grime, flaking paint and other adherents without any abrasion to the underlying surface.
Sponge blasting uses reusable synthetic sponge particles embedded with different abrasive materials depending on how much abrasion is needed.
The Advantages of Sponge Blasting and Dry Ice Blasting
Sponge Blasting
- Water free
- Chemical free
- Reusable sponge particles
- Variable abrasive force
- Effective at dust
Both methods have the advantage of being water and chemical free and providing a softer touch than abrasive blasting. They are sometimes used in combination for paint removal jobs with areas of firmly adhered paint mixed with sections of especially delicate surfaces, like sections of old brick.
As it turned out, both methods were able to remove the paint with no damage to the underlying block. A block filler used to smooth out the concrete surface before the walls were painted is believed to have prevented the paint from adhering properly.
Dry Ice Blasting
- Water free
- Chemical free
- Non-abrasive
- Adjustable force can be calibrated to clean delicate equipment
- No collateral debris
And while both dry ice and sponge blasting are significantly faster than cup grinding, in this application sponge blasting was faster than using dry ice. With only a week and a half left before students would be returning to school after the summer break, speed was used as the tiebreaker.
In 10 to 12-hour shifts over four days, the Polar Clean team sponge blasted roughly 2,000 square-feet of hallway being used as a test section. A preliminary test for paint adherence was successful and will be repeated in a year to determine if the problem has been resolved.
The Right Solution for Your Challenging Paint Removal Applications
At Polar Clean, our process entails careful assessment, testing and planning of every project to ensure the right match of solution and application. In addition to dry ice and sponge blasting, we provide an array of abrasive blasting options and specialized industrial cleaning services as a division of Premium Plant Services, a nationwide leader in industrial cleaning solutions.
To learn more about our solutions for paint preparation and more, contact a member of the Polar Clean team.