There are a variety of types and methods used in media blasting. The purpose will determine which media form will be best for your project. Our professionals at Rock Environmental will come out and provide you with an assessment of your project, which will help them better see what media they should use. Check out the common methods and media types we may use for your project below.

Bead & Shot Blasting

Uses tiny steel balls, which is a great media blaster when restoring surfaces for paint. The tiny bead or shot particles strip away paint, clean, and profile surfaces, and leave a rough texture. The rougher texture allows for paint to adhere better. This method is also a dry method meaning the area can be worked on after the media blasting has been completed.

Glass Blasting

Uses fine particles of crushed glass, or what could look like a tiny glass bead. Leaves virtually no dust behind.

Sandblasting

Also known as abrasive blasting, uses silica sand or another type of sand to clean, smooth, and shape surfaces. This can occur in nature with wind and sand, creating smooth rock surfaces. Sandblasting is not used as often due to the health risks associated with the dust from sand causing lung infections. 

A new alternative to silica sand is walnut shells. This provides a safe and environmentally friendly way to remove paint and rust from surfaces. However, walnut shells can cause an allergic reaction for those who are near the media blasting area.

Aluminum Oxide Blasting

This abrasive media type is known for its hardness, and that it doesn’t break or shatter easily resulting in less dust when using this blasting process. Additionally, because of its durability, it can be recycled and reused in multiple media blasting projects.

Sponge Blasting

Uses a micro-abrasive material attached to microsponges that allow for cleaning and restoration of areas next to or near more sensitive surfaces. This method is almost dustless as the sponges absorb the removed particles.

Dry Ice Blasting

Using a mixture of compressed air and dry ice, particles are removed by the force of the frozen air hitting it at a high speed. When the particles freeze, they shrink and fall from the surface. Being that dry ice is a soft material, the underlying surface is not affected by the media.

Soda Blasting

Uses a sodium bicarbonate material which is applied to surfaces using compressed air. This process removes paint, rust, oil, and other contaminants without damaging the surface.

Hydro Blasting

Also known as water-jetting, uses a high-pressure stream of water. This process does not include any abrasive materials. This method is similar to using a pressure washer and can help to remove stains from wood, mold or fungus, or mineral deposits.