WET MEDIA BLASTING: RENT OR BUY?
Reusing materials has become a core principle of businesses that want to cut their expenses while conserving scarce natural resources. Dustless blasting, which is also called wet media blasting, is a restoration method that allows technicians to efficiently strip metals, wood, and concrete of old coatings. Similar to sandblasting, wet media blasting prepares surfaces for new finishes, but it uses the latest technology to safely deliver superior results with less dust and fewer containment requirements. High-quality surface preparation services are in such high demand that shop owners only need to decide if they should rent or buy wet media blasting equipment. Here are some advantages and disadvantages of each option.
Renting Wet Media Blasting Equipment
Wet media blasting is used for a variety of activities. You’ll find that heavy equipment operators use it to strip paint and other protective coatings from machinery in preparation for new finishes. Business owners hire technicians to scour away graffiti from buildings. When you rent wet media blasting equipment, you can expect to pay hundreds of dollars per day for the machine and the air compressor that you’ll need to operate the system. Rental fees usually don’t include the cost of abrasive mediums such as recycled glass or rust inhibitor products that are used during the process.
PROS
Buying wet media blasting equipment requires significant capital investment. If you operate a small shop, wet media blasting equipment may not be in your budget. Renting wet media blasting equipment allows you to bid on surface preparation work without paying to own the equipment.
Wet media blasters come in different models that have various features. You choose the one that’s right for your application. Since they all have similar operating protocols, you can rent different models for every type of surface cleaning job that you're awarded. When the job is complete, you don’t need to worry about storing expensive equipment in a secure location. You simply return the rented equipment to the dealership within the rental time period.
When you’re building your brand, you want every customer to be a living billboard of your reliability and professionalism. This means showing up to the job with the right equipment that works from the start. Dealerships that rent wet media blasting equipment make sure that their inventory items are regularly inspected, serviced, and quality tested.
CONS
Dustless blaster rental equipment and associated air compressors can get expensive. Projects that would normally yield hefty sums bring in only average profits after you pay rental expenses.
Owning equipment makes companies look more valuable to investors and to the government. The government often gives tax relief in the form of capital allowances to companies that purchase equipment.
Who’s Likely to Rent?
Renting wet media blasting equipment offers great benefits for those who are new to wet media blasting and those who have large-scale requirements for professional surface preparation. A new business owner who is just building his brand and growing his client base often can’t afford to buy wet media blasting equipment. Besides giving him the freedom to take on various types of surface preparation jobs, dustless blaster rental equipment gives him the chance to try different models out before he decides to make a future purchase.
The owner of an established commercial painting company wants to get into wood refinishing for decks, gazebos, and fencing. While she’s done the market research, she wants a better idea of her break-even period and return on investment before she decides to spend thousands of dollars for wet media blasting equipment. By using rented wet media blasting equipment, she can roll out a pilot service for wood refinishing with little risk to her current operations.
Hobbyists and do-it-yourself home renovation enthusiasts are also more likely to rent wet media blasting equipment and not make a purchase.
Buying Wet Media Blasting Equipment
You can buy new or used wet media blasting equipment. The makers of vapor blasting equipment are always looking for ways to make their products more efficient and safe. Many of today’s models are designed to produce little wear on moving parts, which results in lower maintenance costs than earlier models. The price of new and used wet media blasting equipment is based on your chosen machine’s size. You can expect to pay thousands of dollars for base-level wet media blasting equipment. If you decide to buy used wet media blasting equipment, you’ll likely have to purchase the equipment as-is or without a warranty. In this case, you’ll want to find a dealership that has a good reputation for equipment service.
PROS
A new entrepreneur decides to buy wet media blasting equipment to capture surface preparation work for automotive restoration. He works with individual car owners and body shops to deliver professional surface preparation services. In his area, the market rate for stripping old paint from automobiles is $1,000 per car. The process takes less than an hour to complete, and materials cost between $50 and $60. You’ll only see these high profit margins if you own your wet media blasting equipment.
Things can get really busy when it comes to auto body work, and you need to be prepared with the right equipment for extended periods of time. When renting wet media blasting equipment, the dealership may put a cap on the consecutive number of days that you can rent the equipment before needing to return it. If you own your wet media blasting equipment, you won’t need to explain to your auto body business partners why you have to wait a week to take on more surface preparation work.
CONS
Before buying wet media blasting equipment, it’s important to know the type of work that you expect to do. Wet media blasting can be used to strip small items before applying new coatings, or it can be used to clean and refinish large boats. The equipment that’s used to restore large boats needs a higher capacity tank than blasting equipment that’s used to clean smaller items. You can buy base-level wet media blasting equipment that runs continuously for 15 minutes before you need to refill the tank, or you can purchase higher-end equipment that runs for four to six hours before you need to refill the tank. If your work fluctuates, you’ll need to pick wet media blasting equipment that can support your high-capacity work as well as your small-scale jobs.
When you own your wet media blasting equipment, you have to pay maintenance and repair costs. While repairs for accidental equipment damage can’t be avoided, you can minimize maintenance costs by your choice of equipment. Some brands produce wet media blasters that have low-maintenance designs and require little upkeep.
Large shops that do high-volume surface preparation work require multiple wet media blasting machines and air compressors. These companies must set aside space in their facilities to securely store their wet media blasting equipment. For more flexibility, these shops can buy the wet media blasting machines and rent the air compressors at the capacities that they need for different jobs.
Who’s Likely to Buy?
Established companies that currently rely on traditional sandblasting machines to do surface preparation work are ideal candidates for wet media blasting equipment purchases. If these companies outsource the work because of the mess, safety risks, and containment space requirements that are associated with sandblasting, they’ll likely increase their profits by purchasing wet media blasting equipment and doing the work in house.
Growing businesses in the fields of auto body repair, heavy equipment repair, and home improvement are also likely to buy wet media blasting equipment. Their services are in high demand, and it’s important that they use pieces of equipment that allow them to earn maximum profits for their limited time. Many people who operate these types of businesses have extensive mechanical knowledge and skills. This is beneficial for identifying maintenance issues early and doing minor repairs in house.
Conclusion
Dustless blasting is a safer alternative to sandblasting that can warp materials and require large contained spaces for operations. Deciding whether to rent or buy wet media blasting equipment is primarily based upon your current needs and future business goals.
Want more information about state-of-the-art blasting equipment? Terra-Tech is here to help.