How to Estimate Soda Blasting

Time takes its toll on exposed surfaces, making dingy and dirty what was once clean, clear and bright. When the Statue of Liberty began showing signs of age, engineers applied a technique known as soda blasting to clean it. A solid bicarbonate-of-soda is ejected at high pressures against a surface to remove the contaminants. Unlike sand, bicarbonate-of-soda won't damage the surface underneath. You can estimate the cost of soda blasting by calculating the time involved, surface area and difficulty of the job.

Determine the surface area to be blasted. A relatively limited area, such as a car body, will, of course, cost less to soda blast than a large expanse like the facade of a multistory building.

Calculate how much it will cost to rent the equipment, if you don't already own it. For most jobs, you'll need a soda blaster with a compressor of at least 185 cubic feet per minute and 150 pounds per square inch.

Calculate the clean-up costs involved. You'll need to dispose of residual bicarbonate-of-soda. One of the advantages of soda blasting is that the material is water soluble, making it easy to wash away, but you'll need to calculate the cost of water usage.

Factor in residual costs, such as the expense of protective gear. You'll need to wear a face mask and protective gloves and goggles while soda blasting.