Getting to grips with soot
October 1st 2008

Conventional cleaning is not always the best way to deal with fire damage.Chemspec Europe has developed an easy way to remove soot from porous hard surfaces

Fire restoration is a difficult task, especially when the damaged surfaces are porous like wooden beams, stone lintels and mullion windows deeply ingrained with ugly, black soot staining.

Conventional cleaning is not really effective in such situations and drastic measures like high pressure water cleaning or vigorous brushing can damage the surface quite badly before the stains are eliminated. Even less aggressive techniques, such as soda or dry ice blasting, erode the building and simply re-distribute soil, thus increasing clean up costs.

A new product is now available from Chemspec Europe to easily clean these difficult surfaces without damage and with no resulting mess.Grip Soot is a water-based, quick drying, sacrificial latex coating. Once applied it penetrates deep into the surface and adheres to soil. The product dries and is peeled off by hand along with the soil.

Grip Soot is also removes environmental soiling such as pollution and industrial contamination. There are two products,Grip Soot Regular and Grip Soot HD, for heavy-duty requirements.Grip Soot Regular is a single part product whilst the HD version is supplied in two containers to be mixed together fully before application.

The process is straightforward requiring normal restoration clothing with gloves, goggles and hooded overalls to prevent adhesion to skin, hair and the eyes, particularly when working above shoulder height. It is advisable to cover or mask off adjoining areas, especially textiles and, if loose flaking soil exists, pre-condition the area with a lambswool duster to avoid smudging and fingerprints.The surface must be dry.

Grip Soot is best applied with a low cost decorating brush that can be disposed of after use, together with the stirring spoon to avoid the need to clean for re-use.The product relies on contact with the soil so a brush is ideal to fill crevices and cracks, even in the deep grains of a timber beam.Coverage varies between 700g -1kg per m2 and drying time is between 24 and 48 hours, depending upon external conditions.After peeling off the dry Grip Soot skin with the attached soiling, any final traces of soil or product residue remaining on the surface can be damp wiped or sponged off. In some cases it may be necessary to re-apply using the one-part Grip Soot Regular for the second application.

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