Why Wet Abrasive Blasting is the answer to Graffiti removal?
Unsightly graffiti is the bane of modern suburbia can bring down the appearance of any location.
Some people consider it to be a pain to remove paint from concrete /brick walls and particularly removing paint ingrained in timber. They consider the only feasible option is to apply fresh paint over the surface.
Some of the current problems faced with graffiti removal include:
- Harsh chemicals that are used can damage the substrate and can be incredibly bad for the environment.
- High pressure water blasters use a staggering amount of water that is not only wasteful but also is not feasible for all locations.
- Painting over may not mask the graffiti and may make it look worse.
But there is a simpler way and you will be surprised that it is not new technology. It has been around for many years but the versatile technology is finding innumerable new applications including graffiti removal. It is known as wet abrasive blasting or dustless blasting and it makes the job a lot easier than you imagine.
The advantages of using wet abrasive blasting to remove graffiti are:
- It is very flexible and adaptable to the substrate and the coating. It can use a multitude of different sand blasting media such as garnet, soda and crushed glass.
- The media used is completely inert and safe to the environment.
- The controls on the machine that can be fine tuned to use the optimal level of abrasive and pressure to achieve the desired finish. High pressure cleaning tends to remove the mortar from bricks and damage the surface.
- As compared to high pressure water blasting that uses upto 17 litres of water per minute, the RapidBlast SD140 uses just 1.7 litres of water.
- By suppressing the plume of dust and avoiding harsh chemicals, you can work safely in almost any urban environment without containment and minimal disruption. There is no damage to surrounding vegetation.
- Last but not least, dustless blasting is far more efficient than other conventional means resulting in saving in time and cost.
No need for large containment set up (refer to local epa and council guidelines) – Far greater adjustable pressure range (you can literally dial it down low enough to sandblast the paint off a coke can without damaging it. – You are completely mobile!!
There are a range of videos and photos available all over the internet.
But here’s one to get you started.
