Whether you’re maintaining surfaces in your factory or restoring a vintage vehicle, one thing is for sure: it’s important to stay on budget. Sandblasting is a fantastic method for cleaning and preparing surfaces like these, so it’s natural to wonder about the cost per square meter.
As Waikato’s top provider of mobile sandblasting services, we have years of experience assessing, pricing, and executing sandblasting jobs of all kinds. In our experience, the sandblasting cost per square meter is less a clear price tag and more of a range that can vary depending on several factors. Some companies also won’t charge by square meterage at all, instead preferring to quote a single price for the entire job based on the amount of time, resources, or effort it will require.
We want to make high-quality sandblasting as simple and accessible as possible, so this blog post is dedicated to demystifying the pricing around this vital service. Read on as we unpack some of the typical ways companies can charge for sandblasting, factors that impact what kind of quote you’ll receive, and some price ranges to give you an idea of what to expect.
How Sandblasting Costs Are Calculated
There’s no catch-all answer to how sandblasting costs are calculated, as they usually vary from company to company. That said, it’s good to know the different methods before jumping into a quotation process so you can know what to expect.
One common way is to charge by square meter. Calculating sandblasting cost per square meter is ideal for some companies because it’s based on the size of the surface being blasted. The larger the surface, the more resources and labour are required. This might also vary between different blasting methods, such as vapour blasting or garnet blasting, to account for more expensive materials.
Another common method of charging is by the hour. Some companies choose this to make it easy to track their staff hours, and it can be especially good for detailed or intricate jobs (think vintage car restoration or machinery blasting).
Ultimately, many sandblasting companies employ flat-rate pricing. Flat-rate sandblasting is ideal for large jobs because it allows the chosen company to provide a single quote for the entire project, enabling them to factor in all costs at once. This provides you with the assurance that comes with a single price tag.
As you may have already noticed, several factors are hidden within these pricing methods that can affect the quote you receive. Let’s unpack those a bit further before we get to the average sandblasting costs.
Factors Impacting Your Sandblasting Cost
You’ve probably already noticed that sandblasting prices can vary quite a bit, and that’s because there are a few key factors influencing that bottom line. To pull the curtain back a little bit, here are some of the things we think about when giving quotes to our satisfied customers:
- What kind of surface are we working with? Harder materials like concrete or steel, or thick layers of corrosion, will require more powerful abrasives and take longer to blast, which can drive up the cost.
- What kind of blasting media do we need to use? Some jobs require a specific blasting material to prevent damage to the surface and achieve the best possible result, which can impact pricing.
- How complex or time-consuming is the job? A big, flat metal panel? Easy. A complex session of machinery blasting with tight corners and detailed parts? That’s a different story. More intricate jobs require extra time and precision, which can impact the quote.
As you can see, there’s a lot to consider internally, but we commit to simplifying the quotation process into a single, detailed quote that lays everything out for you. No matter which sandblasting company you choose, ensure that you can access a detailed quote for this reason.
Average Sandblasting Cost Per Square Meter
With all that said and done, we also wanted to provide a rough guide to the typical sandblasting cost per square meter. We’re using the square meter cost here for easy comparison, but please note that these prices may vary from company to company and are provided for illustrative purposes only.
- Basic sandblasting (light surface cleaning) – $22 – $25/m2
- Moderate sandblasting (removing paint, rust, or coatings) – $22-30/m2
- Heavy-duty sandblasting (thick coatings, concrete, or industrial surfaces) – $25-30/m2
Your final quote will depend on everything else we’ve covered today, so don’t hesitate to ask questions if you’re unsure about the price you’re seeing.
As you can see, there’s no one clear sandblasting cost per square meter. A lot of things can impact the price you’ll be quoted, including everything from the company you choose to the blasting material required for the work. That said, we hope the price ranges we’ve provided above have shed some light on the situation for you.
Remember: when in doubt, choose a reputable sandblasting company, discuss every aspect of the job you want completed, and request a detailed quote. That way, you know exactly what to expect, and you can be sure the work will be done right the first time.
Get a clear, detailed quote on your sandblasting work from Hamilton Blast & Paint.
At Hamilton Blast & Paint, we make it our business to simplify your access to top-notch sandblasting. From machinery blasting and coating to simple surface preparation, we do it all with our mobile sandblasting services.
Reach out today to discuss your project, and we’ll provide a clear and detailed quote for your sandblasting cost per square meter.