Surface preparation and removal of coating

There are a number of factors that often make it necessary to sanitize and repair all types of surfaces:

  • Deterioration of coatings
  • The change of use
  • Affections caused by external agents

These surfaces can be, to cite some examples:

  • On metal bridges
  • Hundreds of feet high
  • In confined underground spaces
  • In combined paraments of several materials (metallic and stony).

In all these cases, if it is necessary to act on the surface, for example, to remove a layer of rust or a deteriorated coating, it is advisable to use high-pressure water to clean or strip the necessary thickness.

The life of any coating will depend on the care taken in the preparation of the surface, where the application of adequate preparation will extend the life of the coating applied.

The most commonly used technique in this application is called hydro-cleaning.

At the normative level, the main standards of this type of application of pressurized water are:

  • WJ-1, WJ-2, WJ-3, and WJ-4: shared by the National Association of Corrosion Engineers and the Steel Structures Painting Council (American Standards).
  • BS 4232: British Standards Institution
  • SIS 055900: Swedish Standards Institution

Like all other pressurized water techniques, hydro cleaning depends entirely on the pressure and flow of the water that hits a surface, and the time of incidence, to achieve its cleanliness.

In its application, the use of abrasives is not necessary, so there is no room for the problems that can cause contamination by dust and the removal of abrasives used.

For this reason, and without any kind of doubt, the technique of hydro-cleaning is becoming the method of the future, which, supported by the work of companies specializing in it, will become the most appropriate solution in the coming years.

In short, the pressurized water, applied correctly, will allow the surface to be ready for a new coating, or simply to recover its original quality.

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