Safety Guide to Follow When You're Sandblasting a Concrete Garage Floor to Expose Aggregates

Sandblasting is being used as the method of choice in many surface texturing applications today. One such application is exposing aggregates on concrete flooring. Despite the fact that modern sandblasting is much safer than conventional sandblasting, some safety hazards still do exist, and these hazards must never be overlooked.

If you intend to sandblast your concrete garage floor to give it an exposed aggregate profile, you should be aware of potential safety risks associated with the job so that you can take the right safety steps in advance.

Here is a look at two notorious causes of safety issues associated with sandblasting concrete surfaces, and possible steps you can take to prevent such issues.

Flying debris

The abrasive element (sand) in sandblasting equipment is a big threat to your personal safety. In order to expose the aggregates on your concrete floors up to the desired depths, the sand must travel at very high speeds, and when the sand comes into contact with the concrete surface, small pieces of debris end up flying all over the work site. For that reason, do not attempt to sandblast your concrete floors without having the right protective equipment.

Make sure you put on full length trousers and long-sleeved shirt to cover every part of your body. The fabric of the clothing should be hard enough to withstand penetration by the flying debris. You will also need both safety gloves and goggles to protect your hands and eyes respectively. And, to ensure that no other person is exposed to the risk of sustaining injuries due to the flying objects, you should make sure your garage is properly cordoned off while work is ongoing. You should lock yourself inside the garage and place a "Work in progress" placard outside the garage door to ensure that no one disrupts your work.

Concrete dust

Aside from debris flying all over your garage, you will also have a considerable amount of dust to deal with when you are sandblasting your concrete garage floor to give it that exposed aggregate look that you so much desire.

Concrete dust can lead to diseases like lung cancer if its inhalation isn't adequately prevented. Wearing respiratory masks can go a long way to ensure that your good health is not compromised during your garage improvement project.

If you can effectively address the safety problems that will arise from sandblasting your concrete garage floor, you can be sure of achieving the exposed aggregate look you want in a much safer way.

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