If you are renovating a listed building, you might find that it requires some deep cleaning for the woodwork.
Regardless of whether it includes doors, panelled rooms or structural support beams that need restoring, an efficient method of removing paint, dirt, oil and other contaminants is needed.
One way to reveal the grain again is to employ beam cleaning services that use sand jetting or dry ice blasting on wood.
Dry ice uses carbon dioxide pellets that evaporate on impact and remove contaminants such as paint, dirt, soot and so on.
Sand blasting involves abrasive grit that is suspended in a pressurised jet of air. But which is the better method?
Pros and cons of sand jetting wood
Pros
- It is rapid and very effective at removing paint, oil, bitumen, varnish and dirt
- It can be used (with care) on historic and listed buildings
- Great for exterior wood that doesn’t need a polished finish
- Although messy – that mess captures all the debris from the contaminant
- Damp sand jetting effectively copes with lead paint by dampening down the dust
- Low cost compared to other methods
Cons
- Due to using sand or glass, the method can be abrasive and can damage softer wood – care needs to be taken!
- There might be a lot of clearing up to do, too, as both the sand and the contaminants will need to be removed afterwards
- Not recommended for use on carved, delicate or very old wood
- Dry sand blasting is not recommended for removing lead paint. Damp sandblasting (our sand jet) captures the lead paint in the damp debris and can safely deal with lead paint.
Pros and cons of dry ice blasting wood
Pros
- It doesn’t scratch or damage the wood and takes the wood back to its original state
- It can be used on historic and listed buildings
- Less mess, as only the removed contaminants will be left behind – but it is surprisingly dusty! All the contaminants, paint and cobwebs will be blown round the room!
Cons
- The cost is significantly more than sand jetting due to the costs of the carbon dioxide pellets and the specialised equipment
- It is much less ‘guaranteed to work’ than sand jetting. If the contaminant is strongly bonded to the surface it can fail completely.
- Dry ice is a byproduct of the fertiliser industry, which in turn is dependent on the natural gas price. Very significant price fluctuations can occur in times of global unrest.
- It can’t be used on lead paint, the dust will almost all be lead paint and spread liberally!
Why do listed and historic buildings need extra care?
In the UK, buildings of historical significance and of special interest are put on a register as listed buildings and given gradings. Renovations and alterations to them require consent for any work that might impact the historic character or architecture of the building. To restore wood in a listed building, the work must have permission and use a method that avoids harm to the building or minimises it. In these cases, dry ice blasting is usually the preferred option to clean up your beams, doors and panels.
