Asked before every blast
These come from real calls across the metro. Rates live on the rate sheet and the wet-versus-dry question has its own page; this page covers the rest.
Is it actually sand you blast with?
Rarely anymore. Silica sand has fallen out of use for worker-safety reasons, and modern jobs run crushed glass, garnet, coal slag, soda or walnut shell depending on the surface. The word sandblasting stuck; the media moved on. The quote names what your job gets and why.
Can blasting warp thin metal like car panels?
Aggressive dry blasting on thin sheet can, which is why panels get finer media, lower pressure and wet methods that carry heat away. A body shell is a different job than a trailer frame, and treating them the same is how hoods end up wavy. Ours do not, because the settings follow the metal.
What surfaces can be blasted besides steel?
Brick, block, concrete, stone and wood all blast with the right media and pressure, from paint removal on masonry to sun-graying stripped off timber. The rule is matching aggression to substrate: what cleans a tank would destroy a fireplace surround. Every non-steel quote names the media for exactly that reason.
How long does a typical job take?
Single pieces, wheels through trailer frames, usually finish in hours to a day. Building facades and structural work run by the section over days. The honest schedule variable is coating thickness: rust blasts fast, layered old enamel does not, and the quote states expected time so the day rate never surprises.
What happens to all the spent media and paint debris?
It gets contained, collected and hauled off as part of the job; that is what the containment line on the rate sheet pays for. Where the removed coating might contain lead, testing happens first and disposal follows the rules for the result. A yard full of abandoned grit is the mark of a blaster you should not hire twice.
Do I need to repaint immediately after blasting?
On steel in this climate, effectively yes: flash rust starts within hours in Mississippi humidity. Every steel job gets scheduled against its coating date, and where a gap is unavoidable, a hold primer or rust inhibitor bridges it. Masonry and wood are patient; steel is not.
Can you blast during business hours next to customers?
With wet methods and containment, usually yes, and where even that is too much, the work runs nights and early mornings. Retail and office properties get scheduled around their tenants as standard practice, not as a favor.
Is old paint on my building dangerous to remove?
If the building predates 1978, the paint may contain lead and deserves a test before anyone disturbs it. Positive results shift the job to contained wet removal with proper collection, following the EPA's lead-safe guidance. It costs a little more and it is not optional, from us or anyone reputable.