Everything we get
asked, in one place.
Thirty-two questions organized into six categories: pricing, scheduling, safety, media, concrete, and process. If your question isn't here, it's probably on one of the service pages — or you can just call the office and ask.
What it costs,
and how we quote it.
Blasting work is priced per job, not per square foot. Media type, containment requirements, access, surface condition, and coating system all move the number more than area does.
Q / 01 How much does sandblasting cost? +
For industrial blasting, expect $1.20 to $4.00 per square foot depending on surface condition, media used, and access difficulty. A clean structural steel beam already in the shop runs closer to the low end; a pitted tank exterior with heavy corrosion in a field containment runs closer to the high end. Mobile field work adds 15–30% over shop rates. Automotive stripping is priced per panel or per project, and floor prep for coatings is priced per square foot with a minimum job size.
Q / 02 Do you charge for estimates or site visits? +
No. Anywhere within 150 miles of Houston, both the initial site visit and the written estimate are free with no obligation. We come out, measure the surface, take photos, and put a real number on paper. No follow-up sales calls unless you ask for one.
Q / 03 What's the smallest job you'll take? +
There's a shop minimum that covers setup and cleanup — currently about 3 hours of crew time within Zone A. A single set of wheels, a motorcycle frame, a stack of machine guards, or a small tank: all normal requests. The minimum isn't a hard cutoff — it's just the point below which travel and setup start making the per-square-foot cost unreasonable.
Q / 04 Do you charge for travel to the job site? +
Within 75 miles of the yard, travel is included in the job price — no separate line item. Between 75 and 150 miles, a per-mile round-trip line ($2.85–$3.15 per mile) appears on the estimate as its own item. Beyond 150 miles, travel is quoted per project. No fuel surcharges, no per-diem, no hidden daily trucking fees.
Q / 05 What payment terms do you offer? +
Standard terms are 50% deposit on approval, 50% on completion, net 15. Larger industrial jobs (>$50,000) can be split into milestone billing. Repeat clients with established accounts can run net 30. We accept ACH, wire, check, and credit card — cards add 2.9% for processing.
Q / 06 Will the price change after the job starts? +
Only if the scope changes for reasons that were not visible at the estimate. Hidden corrosion, additional panels discovered under bondo, unexpected lead paint, or client-requested additions all get requoted before we continue. What does not change the price: normal weather delays, equipment issues on our side, or jobs that take longer because of conditions we should have anticipated. We absorb those.
When we can
get to your job.
Scheduling depends on job size, zone, and how far out you're planning. Below is what realistic lead times actually look like.
Q / 07 How far out are you booked? +
Industrial shop work typically books 1–2 weeks out. Mobile field work depends on the season — spring and fall are busiest (turnaround season), and lead time can stretch to 3–4 weeks for larger projects. Automotive restoration is currently booked 4–6 weeks out because each build takes significant time in the bay. Emergency response jobs jump the queue on a 24-hour basis.
Q / 08 Can you work weekends or nights? +
Yes — and about 30% of our field work runs outside standard business hours because that's when plants allow access. Night and weekend work is priced at the same rates as weekday work; we don't add a shift differential. What we do add is scheduling complexity, so if you have a hard shutdown window, tell us as early as possible.
Q / 09 What's your emergency response time? +
Within Zone A (25 miles of the yard), 4 hours from an approved work order — including nights and weekends. Zone B (25–75 miles) extends this to about 8 hours. Beyond 75 miles, emergency response is by arrangement. Call the dispatch line directly at (713) 674-1414 for emergency mobilization.
Q / 10 How long does a typical job take? +
Shop blasting: 1–3 days for most jobs under 5,000 sq ft. Field blasting: 3–10 days for typical tank or structural work, longer for multi-tank or multi-structure projects. Automotive full strip: 3–8 weeks. Concrete floor prep: a single blast rig covers 15,000–25,000 sq ft per shift. The written estimate includes a projected duration range, and we update it if the situation changes mid-job.
Q / 11 What happens if weather delays the job? +
Weather delays are on us. If rain or high humidity stops a field blast, we extend the mobilization window at no additional cost to you. The only exception is if a delay requires us to demobilize and remobilize the equipment — which we avoid whenever possible. We schedule around Houston's weather patterns when we can, but the occasional rain-out is a cost we absorb.
What we hold,
and what we do.
Blasting is a hazardous trade. These are the certifications, insurance, and protocols we run on every job.
Q / 12 Are you insured and bonded? +
Yes. General liability, umbrella, workers' compensation, and commercial auto for the mobile fleet. Certificates of insurance naming your entity as additional insured are issued within one business day of a request — no waiting for the insurance company to send back paperwork.
Q / 13 What safety certifications does your crew hold? +
Every field lead holds an OSHA 30-hour construction card. All blast operators hold OSHA 10-hour minimum. Annual refresher training is documented for the entire crew. Our shop holds SSPC-QP 1 certification (quality program for blast cleaning). Firm-level EPA Lead-Safe certification is on file.
Q / 14 Do you blast with silica sand? +
No. Dry silica sand blasting was effectively prohibited by OSHA decades ago because the airborne crystalline silica causes silicosis in operators. Every job we run uses a non-silica abrasive — coal slag, steel grit, garnet, aluminum oxide, glass bead, plastic, or soda. If a contractor tells you they're blasting with "sand," that's a red flag.
Q / 15 Can you handle lead paint? +
Yes, with strict handling. Blasting lead paint creates lead-contaminated dust and spent media, regulated as hazardous waste under RCRA. Our procedure: full containment, HEPA ventilation, respirators rated for lead exposure, blood-lead monitoring for the crew, and disposal of spent media through a licensed hazmat hauler with a manifest. Firm EPA Lead-Safe certification on file. Cost is higher than blasting ordinary coatings.
Q / 16 How do you handle confined space work? +
Certified confined-space entrants and attendants on every tank interior or vessel job. We coordinate with your site safety officer on permit requirements, atmospheric monitoring, and rescue standby. We don't send anyone into a confined space without a signed permit, an attendant outside, and a rescue plan in place.
Q / 17 What happens to the spent media and dust? +
Spent media is captured in containment, bagged on site, and hauled off. Non-hazardous media goes through a licensed industrial waste hauler with a manifest. Media contaminated with lead, chromate, or other regulated coatings goes through a licensed hazmat hauler with a hazardous-waste manifest. We don't leave drums on customer sites.
Which abrasive,
and why.
The right media depends on substrate hardness, target surface profile, and whether the media is being recovered and reused.
Q / 18 What blast media do you use? +
Six main media across our jobs: coal slag (heavy structural work, field blasting), steel grit (high-production shop blasting with recovery), garnet (marine and stainless work), aluminum oxide (parts going to powder coat), glass bead (cosmetic finishing and thin sheet), plastic (delicate substrates, aerospace depainting), and soda bicarbonate (historic preservation, auto sheet metal). Each is matched to the substrate and the surface finish required.
Q / 19 What's the difference between SSPC-SP 5, 6, 7 and 10? +
These are the standard cleanliness grades for blast-cleaned steel: SP 5 (White Metal) — most thorough, free of all visible residue. SP 10 (Near-White) — at least 95% clean, the industrial workhorse grade. SP 6 (Commercial) — at least two-thirds clean, used for maintenance recoats. SP 7 (Brush-Off) — lightest grade, only loose material removed. The right grade is specified by the coating manufacturer based on the service environment.
Q / 20 What blast pressure do you run at? +
Typically 90–110 psi at the nozzle for structural steel work. Field blasting on tanks and pipe runs 95–105 psi. Automotive sheet metal runs 55–75 psi. Aluminum and thin sheet run 45–70 psi. Pressure is always adjusted based on the media, the substrate, and the target profile — it's never a fixed number.
Q / 21 Can you blast aluminum without damaging it? +
Yes, with the right media. Aluminum is roughly half the hardness of steel, so media that works fine on steel will embed into or deform aluminum. For aluminum substrates we use glass bead, plastic media, or soda — soft media at lower pressure. The substrate-media-hardness ratio is what matters, and aluminum sits on the delicate side of that table.
Q / 22 Can you strip powder coat without damaging the substrate? +
Yes. Plastic media or soda will remove powder coat cleanly without cutting the metal underneath — the media breaks down before the substrate notices. Removing powder coat is a common job because once a powder coat is fully cured, there's no "recoat" — it has to come off completely before a new coat goes on. The exception is fully cured epoxy powder on thick steel where we can occasionally blast-through with a light abrasive, but that's a case-by-case assessment.
Q / 23 What surface profile do you aim for? +
Profile is specified by the coating manufacturer, and typically ranges from 1.5–4.0 mil (38–100 microns) for industrial coating systems. Thick-film coatings need deeper profiles for mechanical grip; thin-film systems need shallower profiles so the coating can cover the peaks. We measure every job with replica tape or a digital gauge and log the readings on the completion sheet.
Floors, moisture,
and coating systems.
Concrete prep has more variables than most people expect. These are the questions that come up most often.
Q / 24 How long does new concrete need to cure before it can be coated? +
Thirty days minimum, four months preferred. But the real answer is: as long as it takes to test below the moisture threshold the coating requires. Fresh concrete goes through a hydration phase where free water is still being consumed and diffused. Coating a slab that's still curing traps that water under the coating. For industrial slabs on a properly detailed vapor barrier, 60 days is usually safe. Slabs without a vapor barrier may need 6+ months or a moisture mitigation system.
Q / 25 What is a CSP profile and which one do I need? +
CSP stands for Concrete Surface Profile, a scale published by ICRI from 1 (nearly smooth) to 9 (deeply grooved). The right profile depends on the coating system: thin-film sealers need CSP 1–3, standard industrial epoxy needs CSP 3–4, cementitious urethane needs CSP 4–6, and heavy-duty overlays need CSP 6–8. The coating manufacturer specifies the required CSP range in their product data sheet.
Q / 26 How do you test for moisture in concrete? +
Two standard methods: ASTM F2170 measures in-situ relative humidity with a probe inserted at 40% of slab thickness. It's the current industry standard. ASTM F1869 measures moisture vapor emission rate with a calcium chloride dish sealed under a plastic dome for 60–72 hours — the older standard, still used on some specs. We run F2170 on every floor job and add F1869 if the specification names it.
Q / 27 What if my slab has too much moisture? +
Three options. One: install a moisture vapor barrier — two coats of 100%-solids epoxy applied before the wear coat. Two: switch to cementitious urethane, which tolerates much higher substrate moisture than epoxy. Three: wait. If the slab is young, the moisture may dissipate naturally. If readings exceed 90% RH or 8 lb / 1000 sq ft / 24 hr, no coating will hold long-term and the moisture source has to be fixed first. We'll tell you this even though it costs us the job.
Q / 28 What's dustless blasting and when do I need it? +
Dustless blasting integrates HEPA vacuum recovery directly with the blast head, capturing dust at the point of generation rather than dispersing it. Airborne particulate readings during dustless operation typically measure below 5% of standard blast figures. You need dustless if the space must stay functional during blasting, if the surrounding area is occupied, if there's food or sensitive equipment nearby, or if the client is a hospital, pharma plant, or data center. Cost premium is 15–25% over standard blasting.
Q / 29 Can you coat over an existing coating that's still stuck? +
Sometimes, if the existing coating is sound and bonded. We run pull-adhesion tests in several locations to verify bond strength before quoting. If the coating passes the test, we can blast-through to profile the concrete under it and apply the new system. If it fails, the old coating has to come off first. Pull tests are free with any quoted job.
How the work
actually runs.
From first call to final walkthrough — the parts of the job that clients don't usually see until they've already hired someone.
Q / 30 What's your process from first call to final inspection? +
Five stages: (1) initial call and scoping to understand the job, (2) on-site assessment where we measure and photograph, (3) written estimate with a mobilization plan, (4) execution with daily progress notes, (5) final walkthrough with a completion binder. Emergency jobs compress stages 1–3 into a single phone call.
Q / 31 Do I get documentation of the work? +
Yes. Every job gets a completion binder containing: photographs of the surface before, during, and after; surface profile readings (replica tape or digital gauge); DFT readings after coating; environmental conditions at blast time (temperature, humidity, dew point); and media disposal documentation if applicable. The binder is delivered physically and as a digital download link.
Q / 32 What's your warranty? +
Blast cleaning and shop coating work is warranted for 12 months against defects in workmanship — meaning if the coating fails because of how we prepped or applied it, we come back and fix it at our cost. Materials are warranted separately by the coating manufacturer (typically 5–10 years for industrial systems). Warranty terms are itemized on every quote so you know what's covered and what isn't.
Ask us anything.
If your question isn't answered above, it's probably one we haven't been asked yet — which means we'd like to hear it. Call the office or send it through the contact form and we'll get back to you within one business day.
Got the answer you needed?
If this page covered your question and you're ready to talk about a project, the next step is a free site visit. Call the office or book one through the contact form.
Or email [email protected] — we answer within one business day.