From Duluth, Minnesota to Washington DC through Europe and South-East Asia, Sponge-Jet has seen a large number of cities and states use micro-abrasion technology to preserve and restore historic buildings and structures.
Historic restoration expert, Nicola Ashurst writes in his book Cleaning Historic Buildings, “It is generally considered that a cleaned building looks better and is a greater civic asset in it’s cleaned form. Not only does soiling obscure and distort the building’s original appearance, its presence on the masonry surface may also be causing damage at an increasing rate to the substrate.”
One reason why Sponge-Jet is so appealing for state and local governments is its versatility. By using the same equipment and only varying the Sponge Media™ product type and air pressure, many different materials can rejuvenated, from granite and travertine to copper and cast iron.
Many government buildings have lead paint covering their walls and ceilings. Sponge-Jet micro-abrasion can be used on these surfaces also. Due to the unique low dust blasting characteristics of Sponge Media, its MicroContainment™ technology generates up to 99% less dust than ordinary blast media. Restoration contractors can remove lead paint instead of using chemical strippers, drastically decreasing project time – and the complicated cleanup and disposal process. Like most lead abatement jobs, negative air machines are needed but usually with less units and less filter changes.
Sponge Media dramatically reduces media ricochet, allowing for easy containment of dust and debris on the job site. Sponge-Jet is well suited for plastic sheet containment systems and allows other activities to continue nearby. Sometimes restoration work is performed during off-business hours. In such cases, restoration crews clean up before the start of the business the next day, allowing city halls and capital buildings to function normally.