Dustless Wet Blasting in Huntingdon: Victorian Property Restoration Case Study
Updated: Aug 15
Project Location: Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire
Property Type: Victorian Detached Property
Service: Dustless Wet Blasting & Brick Paint Removal
Specialist: The Sandblasting Company
Restoring a Victorian Property in Huntingdon with Dustless Wet Blasting
The Sandblasting Company was appointed to carry out a specialist dustless wet blasting project in Huntingdon, restoring the external brickwork of a Victorian detached property suffering from serious moisture and damp problems.
Over the years, the exterior of the building had been covered with multiple layers of plasticised paint and a bitumen-based coating. Although these coatings may originally have been intended to protect the property, they had effectively sealed the external masonry.
This prevented the Victorian brickwork from breathing naturally and contributed to moisture becoming trapped within the walls.
Our objective was to carefully remove these non-breathable coatings, expose the original brickwork and prepare the building for the next stage of its restoration.
The Problem: Non-Breathable Paint and Bitumen on Victorian Brickwork
Traditional Victorian properties were generally constructed using materials designed to manage moisture differently from many modern buildings.
In this case, the external walls had been coated with several layers of plasticised paint together with a tough bitumen-based tanking coating.
Rather than allowing moisture to evaporate naturally through the masonry, the coatings were restricting the movement of moisture through the wall.
Removing them presented a significant challenge.
The Victorian property contained a mixture of soft red bricks and Cambridge yellow bricks.
These historic bricks required a controlled approach because an overly aggressive blasting process could unnecessarily damage the brick faces.
At the same time, the bitumen and plasticised coatings were extremely stubborn.
We therefore needed to achieve a careful balance between effective paint and bitumen removal and preservation of the historic masonry underneath.
Why We Used Dustless Wet Blasting
After assessing the condition of the property and existing coatings, we selected a controlled dustless wet blasting system for the project.
Dustless wet blasting combines abrasive media with water, helping control airborne dust while allowing the operator to carefully adjust the cleaning action.
For sensitive masonry restoration projects such as this Victorian property in Huntingdon, control was particularly important.
Rather than attempting to strip the entire coating in one aggressive pass, our team worked gradually across the building.
The coatings were carefully removed layer by layer, allowing us to continually monitor the condition of the brickwork underneath.
This method gave us greater control over the blasting process while reducing unnecessary aggression against the historic brick faces.
Removing Bitumen from Soft Victorian Brickwork
One of the most technically demanding parts of this Huntingdon wet blasting project was removing the final remnants of the bitumen coating.
Some of the softer red bricks were particularly delicate.
In certain areas, a small degree of surface disruption was unavoidable to completely remove the remaining bitumen. However, this was carefully controlled and kept to an absolute minimum.
The priority throughout the project was the long-term condition of the property.
Leaving significant areas of impermeable bitumen behind would have compromised the purpose of the restoration by continuing to restrict the ability of the masonry to manage moisture effectively.
Our experienced operators therefore continually adjusted the blasting process according to the condition and type of brick being treated.
Fully Contained Wet Blasting in Huntingdon
Because the project was undertaken during challenging winter conditions, the entire property was scaffolded and enclosed with protective sheeting.
This provided several important benefits:
Improved protection for our operators and people surrounding the site
Containment of the wet blasting operation
Greater control of debris and spent abrasive
Protection of exposed masonry from adverse weather
The ability to continue working during difficult seasonal conditions
The containment system was particularly important because large areas of the building were being returned to bare masonry.
The Result: Victorian Brickwork Returned to a Breathable Condition
The dustless wet blasting process successfully removed the plasticised paint and bitumen coatings, revealing the original brickwork underneath.
With the restrictive coatings removed, the masonry could once again begin managing moisture naturally rather than remaining sealed behind impermeable surface treatments.
The transformation also revealed the character of the original Victorian brickwork, including the mixture of traditional red and Cambridge yellow bricks that had previously been hidden.
This represented an important stage in the wider restoration of the Huntingdon property.
Lime Mortar Repointing and the Next Stage of Restoration
Following completion of our blasting work, the next stage was to rake out the existing mortar joints and repoint the brickwork using an appropriate traditional lime mortar.
Using compatible materials is particularly important when restoring older masonry.
The completed repointing complements the removal of the non-breathable coatings and helps return the external walls to a construction system more appropriate for a Victorian building.
With the brickwork exposed and subsequently repointed, the property could move on to the final stages of its specialist restoration.
A Specialist Approach to Victorian Property Restoration
This project demonstrates why paint removal from historic brickwork requires considerably more care than simply blasting a surface until the coating disappears.
Different brick types, previous coatings, mortar condition and the age of the building all need to be considered before work begins.
At this property, we were dealing simultaneously with:
Plasticised exterior paint
Bitumen-based coatings
Soft Victorian red brick
Cambridge yellow brick
Existing damp and moisture problems
Winter weather conditions
A requirement to preserve as much original masonry as possible
By using a controlled dustless wet blasting process, The Sandblasting Company was able to successfully remove the problematic coatings while carefully managing the condition of the underlying masonry.
Watch Our Dustless Wet Blasting Project in Huntingdon
Want to see how the property looked during the restoration?
Watch our project video to see the dustless wet blasting process in action and how we removed the stubborn coatings from this Victorian property in Huntingdon.
Watch the Huntingdon wet blasting project on YouTube:
Read the Customer Review
Customer feedback is extremely important to us and provides prospective clients with an independent view of the standard of our work and service.
You can read the customer's review of this project here:
Need Dustless Wet Blasting in Huntingdon?
If you own a period, Victorian or older property in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, or anywhere in the South-east and need to remove paint, bitumen or other coatings from brickwork, The Sandblasting Company can assess the most appropriate method for your property.
We undertake specialist dustless wet blasting, brick paint removal and masonry restoration preparation, with the blasting process carefully controlled according to the surface, coating and condition of the underlying material.
Whether you are restoring a Victorian home, commercial property, heritage building or other painted brick structure, speak to our team about your project.
Looking for dustless wet blasting in Huntingdon?
Contact The Sandblasting Company today to discuss your property and arrange an assessment.
