When preparing a surface for painting, sandblasting offers many advantages. Axis Response Group in Glenview highlights some of sandblasting’s key benefits, and discusses the best approach to the painting step which follows.

Sandblasting

Excellent Surface Prep

Sandblasting isn’t just ideal for prepping a surface for painting; it’s also an excellent choice for cleaning the surface. Sandblasting ably rids a surface of all contaminants and dirt, ensuring that the paint adheres well. Also, if the sandblasted surface is metal, the post-sandblasting “film” that remains on the surface prevents the metal from rusting when it’s exposed to the air. And speaking surfaces, sandblasting is just as effective on hard surfaces (metal, pavement, etc.) as it is on soft surfaces (tables, countertops, etc.)

Safe and Eco-Friendly

The fact that sandblasting is safe and eco-friendly is its biggest asset. Sandblasting won’t harm the environment, unless outside pollutants somehow find their way into the sandblasting equipment. For the workers handling the sandblasting, the process is non-toxic. Unlike most cleaning products and coatings, the standard substances used in sandblasting can be inhaled without risk to health.

Efficient Clean-Up

Sandblasting is an efficient solution not just for cleaning up a surface, but also when it comes to cleaning up the workspace when the job is complete. On the front end, sandblasting can rid a surface of contaminants 2 – 3x quicker than any other cleaning method. And on the back end, since a sandblasting project is completed upon tarpaulins, all that’s needed is to lay the equipment down, wrap everything up, and do a quick check of the surrounding area for any leftover material.

Painting

After the surface has been sandblasted, it’s time to paint. The two most common painting approaches are regular wet paint and powder coating. The latter solution is preferred in most scenarios, as it offers several advantages, including:

• Better efficiency: less product is wasted, compared to wet paint
• Safer: less exposure to harmful chemicals like those often found in wet paint
• Flexibility: powder coating is roughly twice as thick as a wet paint coating. It’s also more flexible, allowing it to better deal with the stresses involved in moving and positioning the surface.
• Eco-friendly: unlike wet paint, which produces hazardous waste that requires special disposal rules, powder coating waste is landfill-friendly

Here’s an overview of a typical powder coating process:

Powder Application

The first step is to apply a zinc-based primer, accomplished with an electrostatic gun that gives the zinc a positive charge when it’s discharged from the gun. The positively charged zinc particles naturally attract to the negatively charged surface. Since the powder is naturally attracted to the surface, there is minimal overspray and rarely a need for a second coating.

Heating

With the primer applied, the surface is heated in an oven in order to gel the primer. The “oven time” depends in the surface type.

Finish Coat

When the primer is gelled, the surface is returned to the powder coating area and a finish coat is applied. This coat is applied in the same fashion as the primer.

Final Bake

With the finish coat applied, the surface is returned to the oven and baked until the finish coat is fully cured.

If you’re preparing to tackle a sandblasting/painting project, contact Axis Response Group for insights and a quote!