Tin Ceilings

Restore Antique Tin Ceilings to Their Historic Beauty

Popularly used as a decorative architectural element especially in older structures, tin ceilings and walls are typically constructed of thin, delicate metal tiles or sheets. With Sponge-Jet, the removal of old paint or coatings, the cleaning of stains, and the elimination of corrosion on tin ceilings, is achievable up to 10-15 times faster than peelers or hand scrapers, drastically shortening the restoration process.

Sponge-Jet has become the tool of choice for historic conservation professionals tasked with cleaning tin. Sponge Media has been employed in the restoration of hundreds of thousands of square feet of tin ceilings and walls within the last several years. Prior to the start of a tin ceiling restoration, building owners should consult with a historic restoration contractor as these types of restoration projects require careful consideration and attention to detail.

Sponge-Jet’s versatile technology enables conservators and restoration experts to properly and safely clean delicate tin surfaces. Sponge Blasting allows contractors to dial down the air pressure required for ordinary abrasive blasting while skimming the surface with sponge, lowering the risk of warping significantly.

Features & Benefits

  • Safe and dry… no harsh chemicals or runoff
  • Low media ricochet won’t harm adjacent substrates
  • Simplified job staging
  • Up to 95% dust reduction allows for precision cleaning
  • Environmentally friendly, recyclable sponge media means less waste in landfills

  • St. Mark's Church

    Prior to a recent renovation, the staff at St Mark's noticed that much of the white paint was peeling off of this decorative ceiling, leaving areas of exposed tin. The contractor tasked with removing the layers of paint off of the ornate tin ceiling originally chose glass abrasives to blast with but quickly pivoted to Sponge-Jet for the tin ceiling and walls’ surface prep.

  • Niantic Baptist Church

    In 2022 a fire damaged Niantic Baptist Church's interior, but fortunately, Scholar Painting & Restoration had extensive restoration experience was able to help. Scholar Painting & Restoration determined that Sponge Media blasting would be the best method for removing the soot and paint without damaging the tin’s integrity.

  • Decorative Tin Walls

    Restoration isn’t limited to tin ceilings. Tin walls are also very common in older buildings, and face many of the same paint delimitation issues that plague tin ceilings. Sponge-Jet’s micro-abrasive cleaning process is an excellent solution for removing the old paint, and prepping the walls for new coating.

  • Removal of Lead Based Paint

    In many cases, the paint being removed from tin ceilings and walls is lead paint. Caution should always be taken to protect against lead poisoning. Local rules and regulations should always be followed when removing paint containing hazardous material. Sponge-Jet’s recyclable process lowers the cost of waste disposal up to 85%.

Sponge-Jet Resource Center

Resources

Sponge-Jet Resource Center

Resources

  • Historic Restoration Video

    Rejuvenate masonry substrates, such as granite, brick, slate and sandstone without degradation.

    View Video
More Resources

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