How Do You Sandblast Wood Without Damaging The Surface?

For rapid removal of contaminants from surfaces, sand blasting is a powerful yet highly versatile process that, in the hands of professionals, can have a very significant effect on your building.

 Whilst typically seen as a process to clean and preserve masonry, sandblasting can be used to clean and remove the outer coatings of a wide variety of materials, including wood, which creates an even surface ready for painting or coating.

However, the power of sandblasting machinery means that you have to be careful with your abrasion material, nozzle focus and pressure in order to avoid tearing wood apart.

 Here are some top tips to sandblast wood without breaking it.

Do Not Use Sandblasting On Softer Woods

 Sandblasting should only be undertaken on wood materials that are strong enough to take it. 

 In particular, avoid using sandblasting on the following: 

• Engineered woods such as plywood and especially MDF, as the abrasion process can break the different layers of wood fibre, binder and laminate apart.

• Soft wood (pine) will suffer more than hard woods (oak), and old dry wood in a property will cope with sandblasting much better than modern pine. Old oak beams can be rock hard and can cope very well.

• Fragile woods such as balsa, as they are typically very light, very thin and very fragile. Even mild sandblasting would punch a hole through them. However, this can be a useful technique to remove soft or rotten wood, achieve a firm and stable surface, and assess the level of damage.  

• Rotten and wormeaten woods, as they typically become brittle and hollow, which means that sandblasting will likely rip them apart.

Test On Scrap Pieces First

Every wooden object will react differently to sandblasting, so try to use an equivalent piece of scrap or work in an inconspicuous area before starting the full project to prevent potentially causing damage that will be difficult and expensive to fix.

Start slow and use smooth motions when sandblasting for a completely even finish.

Start With Low Pressure And Build Up Gradually

 The threshold of pressure that wood can take is significantly lower than that of stone, brick or concrete. 

 Start with a low pressure, ideally as low as the machine will go, and gradually build up to reach the right level of power needed for the finish that you want.

 Contract an Expert!

Greenleaf contractors have 26 years of experience of cleaning wood, and while we do offer sandblasting, we also might recommend other techniques… from leaving well alone, to chemical stripping and more modern techniques such as laser cleaning. 

For more information on How Do You Sandblast Wood Without Damaging The Surface? talk to Greenleaf Contractors - Experts in Surface Preparation