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SSPC Standards

Pentek equipment will meet or exceed the Society for Protective Coatings Standards and Specs for power tool cleaning including SP-11, SP-15, and SP-3 during the lead paint removal process, as well as SP-13 when preparing concrete surfaces for a coating system.

The following specifications are the property of The Society of Protective Coatings, and can be found on their website. Bold Italicized comments are Pentek additions for clarification.

SSPC SP-COM, Surface Preparation Commentary for Steel and Concrete Substrates

Intended to be an aid in selecting the proper surface preparation method, materials, and specification for steel, other metals, and concrete.

  • Circumstances where SP-11 or SP-15 may be applied:
    • Where abrasive blasting is not feasible or permissible
    • To reduce volume of hazardous waste produced by abrasive blasting
    • Cleaning around sensitive equipment or machinery
    • Touch-up of welded or damaged areas of erection assemblies
  • Consider cost of mobilization and containment necessary for abrasive blasting
  • Power tools reduce contamination of adjacent areas
  • Less particulate contamination of the environment with power tools
  • Power tools with vacuum shrouds attached to high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) vacuum reduce air pollution and provide localized debris containment
    NOTE: Pentek tools attached to our VAC-PAC® HEPA Vacuum and Packaging System provide this warranted performance objective:
    Airborne emissions, resulting from the use of Pentek equipment supporting decontamination operations, will be below the OSHA PEL action levels. This warranty is exclusive within the HEPA vacuum industry.

SSPC SP-11, Power Tool Cleaning to Bare Metal

Highest Level of Power Tool Cleaning

  • Remove tightly adherent materials
  • Where abrasive blasting is not feasible or permissible
  • Require roughened, clean, bare metal surface
  • Retain or produce a surface profile of 1 mil or greater
  • Tool media includes:
  • Surface shall be free of all visible oil, grease, dirt, dust, mill scale, rust,paint, oxide, corrosion products, and other foreign matter.
  • Surface resembles SP-10 (near-white) or SP-6 (commercial blast)

 SSPC SP-15, Commercial Grade Power Tool Cleaning

Same as SP-11 with the following exceptions:

  • Staining permitted in no more than 33 percent of each unit area
  • Surface resembles only SP-6 (commercial blast)
  • Suitable for certain coatings where the added expense of going to SP 11 is not justified by an anticipated increase in coating life.

 SSPC SP-3, Power Tool Cleaning

One step above SSPC SP-2 Hand Tool Cleaning

  • Power assisted Hand Tools
  • Remove only loosely adherent materials
  • Faster and less expensive than hand tool cleaning

SSPC SP-13, Surface Preparation of Concrete

Describes requirements for mechanical, chemical and thermal methods of concrete surface preparation to improve the adhesion and longevity of coating systems.

This standard applies to all types of cementitious surfaces including cast-in-place concrete floors and walls, precast slabs, masonry walls, and shotcrete surfaces.