Can sandblasting abrasive remove paint?

Whether you’ve got chipped paint or you want to revamp the look of a project, removing paint can be a difficult task. Sandblasting — or, abrasive blasting with sand — can be an effective method for removing paint from a surface… but is it the best way?

What is abrasive blasting?

Abrasive blasting is a method in which sand or other abrasive particles are blasted through a nozzle – propelled using compressed air – onto a project surface to break down and remove an outside layer or coating, which can be anything from rust to chrome, paint or epoxy. 

There are quite a few different types of abrasive blast media including: sand, garnet, crushed glass, or aluminum oxide, but there can be some issues with these forms of blast abrasive. 

For example, sand contains high amounts of silica which can be extremely harmful to the lungs – potentially causing lung inflammation or silicosis, which may be fatal. 

Other abrasive media often used in blasting can be harmful to the underlying material and may leave embedded particles on the surface, leaving a less desirable profile and potentially making it difficult to re-coat afterwards. These alternatives also typically break quickly and result in high dust levels which can be difficult to clean up from a workspace. 

What’s the best alternative to sandblasting to remove paint? 

The EpiX and KinetiX line of superoxalloy blast abrasive from 10X Engineered Materials is a clean abrasive that will leave a clean substrate free of embedded particles, leaving the surface ready for another coat of paint. These blast media are a new class of superoxalloy abrasive,  engineered with amorphous, non-crystalline particles that resist breakage and can be reused many times.

In one customer testimonial, a painting contractor found that the KinetiX 20/40 superoxalloy abrasive immediately cut through about 250 mil of coatings and reported that no other abrasive had been able to remove that many layers. Read more here.

Plus, superoxalloy abrasives can be safer with no free silica and ultra-low dust.

Currently, KinetiX and EpiX are available from abrasive distributors around the US. If you don’t see a distributor near you, contact 10X and we will work with you to get you what you need. EpiX abrasive, which is best for precision applications such as powder coating and medical applications, is also available to purchase directly from the 10X Engineered Materials website.