I'm a homeowner with two projects that, I think, would be greatly helped
by sandblasting, but I can't find knowledgeable people in the rental stores.
In fact, I only found one place that rents a sandblaster, and they tried to
talk me out of it. So, I'm seeking knowledge and advice.

1. I want to epoxy the garage floor so I need to strip the floor of
existing paint (or perhaps stain). While the paint is worn through in
places, where it hasn't it appears firmly on. The last place I did this I
tried a high pressure washer; it would cut under areas beginning to flake,
but wouldn't cut through solid areas. (So I ended up grinding down the
entire floor with a hand-held grinder-vac -- which I'll never do again.)

The nearest rental shotblaster appears to be 4 hours away and would
require a truck, which I don't have. Only one place in my vicinity
(Sarasota, FL) rents a sandblaster and they're trying to discourage me from
renting it -- apparently because of the liability of customers dealing with
silica-sand. Plus, it's quite expensive.

My questions:

1A. This sandblasting unit is on sale at my local Harbor Freight sto
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...unction=Search
Would it do the job?

1B. Would 'playbox sand' from Home Depot be different than (less toxic
than) silica-sand? (It's certainly cheaper.)

1C. Regardless, would playbox sand work? If so, what size tip/nozzle
would I need for this?

1D. How much sand might be needed to do a large 2-car garage?

1E. Alternatively, there is a gizmo that appears to allow an abrasive
(sand?) to be injected into the water stream of a pressure washer, which
would help it to cut through paint. See he
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...Id=8520&R=8520
Would it work? Any gotcha's to it?

1F. Any other suggestions?

2. Next I need to clean a driveway as well as decorative stone facing,
both with many coats of paint. (And I'm guessing the stone is fairly
porous).
Would any of the above answers in #1 differ for either the driveway or
stone?

MANY, MANY thanks in advance for whatever help you can provide me.

I suggest you rent a floor polishing machine and use abrasive discs with it.
That should rough it up enough to paint.

There are too many issues with sandblasting for an inexperienced person to
deal with. You need a tremendous volume of air. You must wear protective
clothing and a respirator. You must prevent the sandblasted material from
entering open air as the EPA considers this toxic pollution. You must
dispose of the material as though it were toxic waste. Depending on how
hard the surface is, sandblasting may alter the face from smooth to coarse.



"BobAtVandy" wrote in message
...

I'm a homeowner with two projects that, I think, would be greatly
helped
by sandblasting, but I can't find knowledgeable people in the rental
stores.
In fact, I only found one place that rents a sandblaster, and they tried
to
talk me out of it. So, I'm seeking knowledge and advice.

1. I want to epoxy the garage floor so I need to strip the floor of
existing paint (or perhaps stain). While the paint is worn through in
places, where it hasn't it appears firmly on. The last place I did this I
tried a high pressure washer; it would cut under areas beginning to flake,
but wouldn't cut through solid areas. (So I ended up grinding down the
entire floor with a hand-held grinder-vac -- which I'll never do again.)

The nearest rental shotblaster appears to be 4 hours away and would
require a truck, which I don't have. Only one place in my vicinity
(Sarasota, FL) rents a sandblaster and they're trying to discourage me
from
renting it -- apparently because of the liability of customers dealing
with
silica-sand. Plus, it's quite expensive.

My questions:

1A. This sandblasting unit is on sale at my local Harbor Freight sto
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...unction=Search
Would it do the job?

1B. Would 'playbox sand' from Home Depot be different than (less toxic
than) silica-sand? (It's certainly cheaper.)

1C. Regardless, would playbox sand work? If so, what size tip/nozzle
would I need for this?

1D. How much sand might be needed to do a large 2-car garage?

1E. Alternatively, there is a gizmo that appears to allow an abrasive
(sand?) to be injected into the water stream of a pressure washer, which
would help it to cut through paint. See he

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...Id=8520&R=8520
Would it work? Any gotcha's to it?

1F. Any other suggestions?

2. Next I need to clean a driveway as well as decorative stone facing,
both with many coats of paint. (And I'm guessing the stone is fairly
porous).
Would any of the above answers in #1 differ for either the driveway or
stone?

MANY, MANY thanks in advance for whatever help you can provide me.

Roughing it up doesn't adequately prepare a surface to epoxy. Assume I'm
willing to deal with the issues of clothing, respirator, and disposal, so
I'm still looking for direct answers to my questions.

Thanks.
_______________________
"John Grabowski" wrote in message
...
I suggest you rent a floor polishing machine and use abrasive discs with
it.
That should rough it up enough to paint.

There are too many issues with sandblasting for an inexperienced person to
deal with. You need a tremendous volume of air. You must wear protective
clothing and a respirator. You must prevent the sandblasted material from
entering open air as the EPA considers this toxic pollution. You must
dispose of the material as though it were toxic waste. Depending on how
hard the surface is, sandblasting may alter the face from smooth to
coarse.



"BobAtVandy" wrote in message
...

I'm a homeowner with two projects that, I think, would be greatly
helped
by sandblasting, but I can't find knowledgeable people in the rental
stores.
In fact, I only found one place that rents a sandblaster, and they tried
to
talk me out of it. So, I'm seeking knowledge and advice.

1. I want to epoxy the garage floor so I need to strip the floor of
existing paint (or perhaps stain). While the paint is worn through in
places, where it hasn't it appears firmly on. The last place I did this
I
tried a high pressure washer; it would cut under areas beginning to
flake,
but wouldn't cut through solid areas. (So I ended up grinding down the
entire floor with a hand-held grinder-vac -- which I'll never do again.)

The nearest rental shotblaster appears to be 4 hours away and would
require a truck, which I don't have. Only one place in my vicinity
(Sarasota, FL) rents a sandblaster and they're trying to discourage me
from
renting it -- apparently because of the liability of customers dealing
with
silica-sand. Plus, it's quite expensive.

My questions:

1A. This sandblasting unit is on sale at my local Harbor Freight sto
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...unction=Search
Would it do the job?

1B. Would 'playbox sand' from Home Depot be different than (less toxic
than) silica-sand? (It's certainly cheaper.)

1C. Regardless, would playbox sand work? If so, what size tip/nozzle
would I need for this?

1D. How much sand might be needed to do a large 2-car garage?

1E. Alternatively, there is a gizmo that appears to allow an abrasive
(sand?) to be injected into the water stream of a pressure washer, which
would help it to cut through paint. See he

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...Id=8520&R=8520
Would it work? Any gotcha's to it?

1F. Any other suggestions?

2. Next I need to clean a driveway as well as decorative stone facing,
both with many coats of paint. (And I'm guessing the stone is fairly
porous).
Would any of the above answers in #1 differ for either the driveway
or
stone?

MANY, MANY thanks in advance for whatever help you can provide me.

FWIW, Rather than grinding or sand blasting, rent a floor sander.
Once the paint is off, dose the (concrete) floor with muriatic
acid (be careful!) to prep it for epoxy paint. If there's lead in the
paint, be sure to wear protective gear.

The little experience I have w. sand blasting taught me you need a big
compressor. Perhaps the Northern device would work but be sure to
determine what size pressure washer it requires to function correctly.

Don't know what to recommend for the irregular driveway. Perhaps paint
stripper?

BobAtVandy wrote:

I'm a homeowner with two projects that, I think, would be greatly helped
by sandblasting, but I can't find knowledgeable people in the rental stores.
In fact, I only found one place that rents a sandblaster, and they tried to
talk me out of it. So, I'm seeking knowledge and advice.

1. I want to epoxy the garage floor so I need to strip the floor of
existing paint (or perhaps stain). While the paint is worn through in
places, where it hasn't it appears firmly on. The last place I did this I
tried a high pressure washer; it would cut under areas beginning to flake,
but wouldn't cut through solid areas. (So I ended up grinding down the
entire floor with a hand-held grinder-vac -- which I'll never do again.)

The nearest rental shotblaster appears to be 4 hours away and would
require a truck, which I don't have. Only one place in my vicinity
(Sarasota, FL) rents a sandblaster and they're trying to discourage me from
renting it -- apparently because of the liability of customers dealing with
silica-sand. Plus, it's quite expensive.

My questions:

1A. This sandblasting unit is on sale at my local Harbor Freight sto
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...unction=Search
Would it do the job?

1B. Would 'playbox sand' from Home Depot be different than (less toxic
than) silica-sand? (It's certainly cheaper.)

1C. Regardless, would playbox sand work? If so, what size tip/nozzle
would I need for this?

1D. How much sand might be needed to do a large 2-car garage?

1E. Alternatively, there is a gizmo that appears to allow an abrasive
(sand?) to be injected into the water stream of a pressure washer, which
would help it to cut through paint. See he
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...Id=8520&R=8520
Would it work? Any gotcha's to it?

1F. Any other suggestions?

2. Next I need to clean a driveway as well as decorative stone facing,
both with many coats of paint. (And I'm guessing the stone is fairly
porous).
Would any of the above answers in #1 differ for either the driveway or
stone?

MANY, MANY thanks in advance for whatever help you can provide me.

In article , BobAtVandy wrote:
Roughing it up doesn't adequately prepare a surface to epoxy. Assume I'm
willing to deal with the issues of clothing, respirator, and disposal, so
I'm still looking for direct answers to my questions.

I wouldn't rent a sand blaster to you either; it's too ****ing dangerous.
A slight moments inattention on your part and an inquisitive kid and they're
dealing with a negligent homicide issue. You mention that you need a truck
to get the sandblaster - this probably means that it's an Ingersol-Rand
trailer mounted unit - and you'll need a dumptruck to pull it.

These units will SHREAD a body instantly. They'll also slice a hole in the
side of your house and destroy whatever/whoever's standing behind it. You
need a trained crew to work one of these things. Crew - more than a single
person.

Now, to go back to a "small" sandblaster. You're going to need a ten or
twelve horsepower ( not "Sears" horsepower either ) compressor to run a
small sandblaster. The unit I have weighs about a thousand pounds and
pulls fifty amps at 240 volts, single phase. The blaster unit is available
from Harbor Freight or probably Northern Tool and you'll need clean DRY sand
to feed through it. The air pressure varies between 150 and 130 PSI. It is
not a pleasant thing to use.

The heavy units START at 1000 PSI and go up (rapidly) from there. I don't
even like to drive past one at a construction site.


--
"De inimico non loquaris sed cogites."

Greetings,

I am sorry to hear so much negativity surrounding sandblasters. A
sandblaster is a marvelous tool with almost magical productivity qualities.
In my opinion, a sandblaster by far the quickest way to accomplish your
task. You will easily spend more time in setup and tear-down than in actual
paint removal. If you want cheap sand you can probably purchase it by the
ton at a landscaping supply store for a fraction of the cost at Home Depot.
You do not want "playground sand" because the edges of the sand may not be
"sharp". You want construction sand made by grinding down rock. The problem
is that the sand will probably be too moist. I always keep a supply of about
1000 lb of sand in my basement sitting around for months just in case I ever
need some which is dry. You might also consider purchasing a product called
"shredded glass" for the blaster instead of sand if you do decide to
purchase official sand-blaster sand. Using a sand blaster is a lot of fun.
The only thing I would caution you about is to not skimp on the compressor.
I know I will probably get flamed for telling you that you can get away with
construction sand but with the right compressor it will still perform a
satisfactory job.

Hope this helps,

William

PS: If you do happen to get a curious kid as one of the other posters
suggested just go over him again until you cannot tell.

"BobAtVandy" wrote in message
...

I'm a homeowner with two projects that, I think, would be greatly
helped
by sandblasting, but I can't find knowledgeable people in the rental
stores.
In fact, I only found one place that rents a sandblaster, and they tried
to
talk me out of it. So, I'm seeking knowledge and advice.

1. I want to epoxy the garage floor so I need to strip the floor of
existing paint (or perhaps stain). While the paint is worn through in
places, where it hasn't it appears firmly on. The last place I did this I
tried a high pressure washer; it would cut under areas beginning to flake,
but wouldn't cut through solid areas. (So I ended up grinding down the
entire floor with a hand-held grinder-vac -- which I'll never do again.)

The nearest rental shotblaster appears to be 4 hours away and would
require a truck, which I don't have. Only one place in my vicinity
(Sarasota, FL) rents a sandblaster and they're trying to discourage me
from
renting it -- apparently because of the liability of customers dealing
with
silica-sand. Plus, it's quite expensive.

My questions:

1A. This sandblasting unit is on sale at my local Harbor Freight sto
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...unction=Search
Would it do the job?

1B. Would 'playbox sand' from Home Depot be different than (less toxic
than) silica-sand? (It's certainly cheaper.)

1C. Regardless, would playbox sand work? If so, what size tip/nozzle
would I need for this?

1D. How much sand might be needed to do a large 2-car garage?

1E. Alternatively, there is a gizmo that appears to allow an abrasive
(sand?) to be injected into the water stream of a pressure washer, which
would help it to cut through paint. See he

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...Id=8520&R=8520
Would it work? Any gotcha's to it?

1F. Any other suggestions?

2. Next I need to clean a driveway as well as decorative stone facing,
both with many coats of paint. (And I'm guessing the stone is fairly
porous).
Would any of the above answers in #1 differ for either the driveway or
stone?

MANY, MANY thanks in advance for whatever help you can provide me.

"Bennett Price" wrote in message
...
FWIW, Rather than grinding or sand blasting, rent a floor sander.
Once the paint is off, dose the (concrete) floor with muriatic
acid (be careful!) to prep it for epoxy paint. If there's lead in the
paint, be sure to wear protective gear.

The little experience I have w. sand blasting taught me you need a big
compressor. Perhaps the Northern device would work but be sure to
determine what size pressure washer it requires to function correctly.

Don't know what to recommend for the irregular driveway. Perhaps paint
stripper?

BobAtVandy wrote:


I agree 100% here.

I will add that I did sand blast a two and a half story building one
time to remove the paint from the brick. I started with paint remover to
actually remove the paint and used the sand blaster to clean it up removing
the last little paint and many years of grime. I used a small home type
sand blaster and rented a trailer mounted commercial compressor. I worked
that large a compressor. It was a hard dirty job and took a couple of
weeks. If I had a nice flat surface like a garage floor I would definitely
use a floor sander.

--
Joseph Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math