Best method for cleaning decades of caked dust off catwalks?

[Bill Werst]

Hi,

Our theatre space has all black catwalks and railings. White gaff tape was applied at key corners, edges, etc.... All of the walkways have hard packed dust buildup along the sides. The floor is diamond tread.

In an effort to improve safety and just clean the place up. I'd like to do a deep clean and than paint surfaces either white or yellow. The audience can't see the top sides of most surfaces overhead, but the light color would make it safer for anyone needing to be in the catwalks.

A shop vac with brush attachment picks up loose dust, but does NOTHING for the years (10+) of accumulated dust. What's the best kind of scrubbing tool? I'd prefer to not remove / strip the existing paint if possible, but not completely opposed to it.

Also, Goo be gone still takes a TON of scrubbing on really old gaff. Best way to accelerate that process?

Thanks,

Bill

 

[Ben Stiegler]

?heat gun
?blowtorch (joke)

 

[cbrandt]

Wire brush wheel on a battery drill? If you're painting anyway, you don't have to worry as much about damaging the current paint layer. That and a leaf blower.

 

[derekleffew]

In an effort to improve safety and just clean the place up. I'd like to do a deep clean and than paint surfaces either white or yellow. The audience can't see the top sides of most surfaces overhead, but the light color would make it safer for anyone needing to be in the catwalks.

A venue I worked at did this twenty-two years after opening. Between painting the foor surfaces, and changing the sparse fluorescent fixtures to LED Tubes, it made for such a more pleasant experience. Someone well above my pay grade chose a light gray "porch paint," which turned out to be a nice neutral color, much easier on the eyes than white or yellow.

As much as I hate the idea, a leaf blower is a really good method for moving the problem from one place to another. The years of confetti you're going to find, when no one remembers ever using confetti!

 

[almorton]

If it's really gunged maybe a steam cleaner- even just a small hand held one like you use to clean a domestic cooker might loosen things.

We're still finding confetti from 5 years ago ...

 

[TimMc]

Hi,

Our theatre space has all black catwalks and railings. White gaff tape was applied at key corners, edges, etc.... All of the walkways have hard packed dust buildup along the sides. The floor is diamond tread.

In an effort to improve safety and just clean the place up. I'd like to do a deep clean and than paint surfaces either white or yellow. The audience can't see the top sides of most surfaces overhead, but the light color would make it safer for anyone needing to be in the catwalks.

A shop vac with brush attachment picks up loose dust, but does NOTHING for the years (10+) of accumulated dust. What's the best kind of scrubbing tool? I'd prefer to not remove / strip the existing paint if possible, but not completely opposed to it.

Also, Goo be gone still takes a TON of scrubbing on really old gaff. Best way to accelerate that process?

Thanks,

Bill

Call a cleaning service, do a walk through with them and ask what materials and methods would be used, how long it would take, and can you put that in a proposal? Decide if you want this to be a DIY project or something to find a sponsor for and put it out for multiple vendor proposals. Sell it to the powers that be as "air quality improvement".

 

[Footer]

Steam power washer followed by vacuum. Have someone come and and do it or rent the machine with a really long hose. It'll break up all that stuff. https://www.daimer.com/pressure-washers/steam/

 

[ship]

What year is the theater catwalks you are looking to clean? This should be the first question in "cleaning"? Asbestos dust now un-settled, other flame retardants also pulled up and weeks of it falling into the audience area after cleaning a concern.


What ever you do, tarp the audience completely so nothing above settles below. I was half joke thinking sand blast or power wash.

Is there such a thing as a Ultrasound vibrator to loosen paint or debree from surfaces?

I would not grinder wire wheel - you will be there for a year in getting it all up. I would wire brush or scraper up what's loose than if doing a yellow paint look into some type of thick coating or floor garage type of paint which will absorb into the surface - even debree or un-even surface.

Other safer thought, leave it there and textured seal it with tinting. This a paint or porch sealing specialist would be better to ask, but leave everything how it is. Still tarp the audience, but seal what ever is on the floor etc. with a tinted sealer.

 

[RobT]

I've had good luck over the years using small floor buffers (think the 12" or 13" models) for scrubbing floors ins small spaces. You can use brushes or scrubbing pads as appropriate, and the corners will still requires manual work (the circular pad won't get all the way into the corners). Note that this sort of cleaning is going to create a mess (dust and/or water, and it'll get everywhere), so plan accordingly.
I have also heard of dry-ice blasting being used as a cleaning method. I haven't seen it first-hand, but it seems like it would also be effective, if rather more costly.

 

[Van]

My advice, no matter the mechanical means, would be do to not blow anything. Even if you don't have any risk of Asbestos the dust that can be stirred up will play havoc with your nose and lungs. Even if you use a respirator the stuff that settles somewhere else will now be loose and stir up even more easily. Dust bunny migrate amazingly long distance. while I'm sure they wouldn't be a fire hazard I do think there is potential for getting hot on light fixtures and getting smelly. Then you'll get someone like me, who can smell a fly fart from 50 yards, walking around saying they smell fire. Fire retardant from draperies can be part of the dust and it is nasty to breathe; burns the nose. I'd vacuum everything then give somebody knees pads and a shop vac and a good brush (i'm amazed at how well those cheap spin-brush thingies work and the corner attachment are great for corners<and wheels>) scrub those corner areas with the vac nozzle close. If you really can't get stuff then wet it down and scrub it and make sure your vac is set to suck up water.

Gaff tape residue is a PITA! I highly suggest NOT using Goo-Gone. I hate that stuff; it contains Petroleum Distillates and the smell is so cloying. You could try WD-40 but it has a lot of the same petroleum products though most are less toxic. after removing the residue you'll want to rub down the areas with alcohol to clean the WD 40 residue off. I suggest 90% rubbing alcohol or as a last resort Denatured Alcohol You might try just the alcohol for sticky removal too. Wear a respirator and gloves if you are using Denatured Alcohol; the fumes can mess with your head and it can be absorbed through the skin. When it comes to repainting rails. I'd highly suggest using an Enamel or Epoxy based paint but test an area first. if it was originally painted with an acrylic DTM it might orange peel/bubble up in areas.

This is great maintenance and it's great to see folks keeping up on this stuff. It's amazing how many places where I go in and it looks like it hasn't been swept since it was built 50 years ago.

 

[ship]

Van brings some good points up. I would in his reference to dust bunnies - turn the smoke alarms off in the area, and contact the fire department before you do anything. Been at a venu where even pulling a ethernet line thru a cable ladder would set them off.

I differ in removing old tape residue but am probably wrong. A good enamel paint over the residue I think making it not worth the time... It's a catwalk. Something to pre-test perhaps.

Way back when (30+ years ago), when sanding plaster joints with a light board in the area... I said Fu@% it, it's a rental. That was not a concept I was ready for at that point in the career. Vaccuming will also raise up dust, plan on it - but probably more sensible for the initial cleaning. Plan to get say 20' than clean the vacuum and it's filters. See how bad they get before progressing.