Masonry is tougher than it looks and easier to ruin than people think. The wrong blast media or too much water pressure scars brick faces, rounds off sandstone edges and opens up the surface to water damage.
Soda blasting avoids that because sodium bicarbonate is softer than brick, stone and cured concrete. It removes what sits on the surface and leaves the surface itself alone.
It is the method Soda Tec reaches for first on painted brick, graffiti, fire-damaged walls and soft Sydney sandstone, with dustless or sandblasting reserved for jobs that need more bite.
Soda blasting brick
Fired clay brick has a hard outer face and a softer core. Once that face is cut by grit or high-pressure water, the brick absorbs more moisture and weathers faster. Soda strips paint from the face while keeping it intact, which is why it works well for returning painted houses to natural brick.
Mortar joints are treated with the same care. Pressure and nozzle distance are adjusted as the work moves across the wall so joints are cleaned rather than washed out.
Soda blasting sandstone
Sydney sandstone is soft and easily eroded, especially on heritage buildings, steps and fireplaces. Sandblasting can round off carved detail and leave a rough, sugary surface that gets dirty again quickly.
Soda removes paint, soot and grime from sandstone gently enough to keep tooling marks, edges and carved detail. A test patch is done first so you can see the result before the whole surface is treated.
Soda blasting concrete
On concrete, soda is used to remove paint, graffiti, oil stains and light coatings from driveways, paths, retaining walls and slabs without changing the finish.
If the goal is to open up the concrete surface so a new coating or overlay will bond, a harder method is usually better. In that case Craig will recommend dustless blasting, which profiles the surface while keeping dust down.
How a masonry job runs
Every brick, stone and concrete job follows the same steps so the result is predictable and the site stays tidy.
- → Inspect the surface and coating, and check whether old paint needs testing for lead
- → Run a small test patch to set the right pressure and media
- → Mask windows, frames, fittings and gardens
- → Soda blast the surface section by section
- → Rinse down and contain the run-off
- → Advise on sealing or repointing if the masonry needs it
Brick & stone cleaning, answered.
Still unsure? Call Craig on 0407 070 464 and describe the job.
Will soda blasting damage my brickwork?
No, when it is done at the right pressure. Soda is softer than brick, so it removes paint and grime without cutting the brick face. A test patch confirms the settings first.
Can soda blasting remove paint from a whole house?
Yes. Soda blasting is commonly used to return painted brick houses to natural brick. The time depends on the number of paint layers and the size of the walls.
Is soda blasting safe for heritage sandstone?
It is one of the gentlest options available for sandstone. It keeps edges and carved detail, unlike sandblasting or high-pressure water.
Will the graffiti leave a shadow?
Soda lifts the paint out of the surface texture instead of grinding the surface down, which reduces ghosting. Very porous stone that has soaked up paint may need a second pass.