Below is a list of Frequently Asked Questions
If you have any further questions or would like some advice, please do not hesitate to contact usQ. How does sandblasting work?
A. Compressed air is fed into the sandblasting machine, which contains the sand. It is
then whirled around in a vortex and a mixture of sand and air is fired out of a hose at
speeds in excess of 100mph.
Q. Does it do any damage to stonework or wood?
A. No. It will remove loose or rotten wood [from woodworm damage etc.] and leave it
ready for chemical treatment. It does not damage stonework at all. If your wall has
been pointed with mud some will be removed ready for re-pointing and it will take
out any loose lime mortar, but it will not remove solid cement.
Q. What kind of finish can I expect on beams?
A. Beams that have been painted, stained, varnished or limewashed will be taken back
to the original wood. In the case of oak and pine it leaves a lovely golden colour and chestnut restores to a darker more redish wood.
Q. What should I do to the wood/stone afterwards to keep it looking good?
A. In the case of wood, after any relevant woodworm treatment, buy huile de lin
[linseed oil] from any French supermarket in the bricolage section, mix it 50/50
with white spirit and paint it on. It soaks in instantly and preserves the wood,
brining out the grain even more, you can apply as many coats as you wish.
No further treatment for stone is required as it is best to leave it to breath.
Q. Is sandblasting messy?
A. Yes!!, very messy. Your room needs to be in a condition that wont be adversely
affected by sandblasting. We have turned down some jobs where a property has
been freshly decorated. Sandblasting needs to be one of the first jobs you have done. So there is nothing to ruin!
Q. Will it damage my windows?
A. Yes, sandblasting will opaque the glass, if not break it altogether. French windows
should lift off quite easily, but if you cant remove them, thoroughly mask them off.
Q. Do you need water or electricity?
A. No, nothing at all. The compressor is run by diesel so we are self sufficient.
Q. Do you leave the sand behind, and if so are there other uses for it?
A. We leave you the sand.
We can pile it up for you to use as floor screeding [sometimes
known as blinding] in preparation for laying a concrete floor.
Q. What if my building is made of soft sandstone?
A. We don’t tend to have that type of stone in the Brittany area, however for
those areas that do have it a specialist tool is used after sandblasting to
re-texture the stone.
Q. Can blackened fireplaces be cleaned?
A. Yes beautifully, years of soot and tar is blown away! It can leave a slight shadow
effect on some fireplace backs but mostly not.
Q. I have a wrought iron balcony and some gates covered in layers of paint, can you sandblast them?
A. Sandblasting will strip them back to base metal, however some caution needs to
to be used if there are any fractures, especially in anything cast iron. Metal should
be primed the same day to prevent rusting.