Baylor University Industrial Cleaning

The General Tire and Rubber Company built a manufacturing facility in Waco, Texas in the early 1940’s to supply truck tires, rafts, and specialized balloons to the United States Armed Forces during World War II. After the war, the plant continued to operate supplying tires to the automotive industry as wells as consumers until the early 1990s when it officially closed.

The plant sat empty for over 20 years until Baylor University took it over to create the Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC). This project was part of the renovation effort to convert the old tire plant to the new research facility. The project involved industrial cleaning, including asbestos abatement, surface preparation and coating applications.

Precision Iceblast Corporation was hired to prepare all of the walls and ceilings for recoating throughout the entire facility. We provided three different options to the General Contractor. We cleaned small sections using dry ice, garnet, and sponge. After reviewing each section, it was determined that garnet would be the best approach for cleaning the facility.

In addition to cleaning, Precision Iceblast Corporation applied new coatings throughout the facility. The coatings were supplied by the General Contractor. Coatings were sprayed onto the surfaces once the blasters moved far enough ahead of painters. Due to using garnet (instead of dry ice) the blasting process itself was very dusty and required significant containment. Extra precautions needed to be taken when paint was being applied.

Debris removed included dirt, carbon black, asbestos, paint, and other substances. The project duration was four months. Resources included eight blasting units, two 1600 CFM compressors, one front-end loader, four paint sprayers, air handling equipment, dust collectors, 12 crew members per shift.