Introduction

If you’re reading this article, chances are you’ve wondered whether sandblasting or dry ice blasting is right for you. As the industry leaders in dry ice blasting and dry ice production, we’re here to help you understand the pros and cons of the various solutions and decide for yourself what is best for your situation.

In this article, we’ll unpack the advantages and disadvantages of sandblasting and dry ice blasting, as well as the best times to use each of them.

If you’ve heard of dustless blasting, you know it’s becoming the preferred choice for surface preparation and corrosion/coating removal.  While the title “dustless” blasting is a bit of a misnomer, given that it’s impossible to deliver completely dustless blasting when abrasive blasting is needed, there are solutions out there that drastically reduce dust clouds.

We often get asked the question, “Can dry ice blasting remove paint?”  This can be a tricky question as the answer is specific to the situation (type of paint, type of surface, how well is the paint adhered, etc.). 

Dry ice is a gentle medium and in some applications it is not successful at removing paint with just dry ice alone.  Depending on the type of paint and primer, even aggressive dry ice blasting can be too slow or too gentle.