Walkerton Company Makes Old Things New Again – With an Eco-Friendly Approach
Writer / Angela Cornell
Photographer / Jubilee Edgell
Many people experience a career change at some point, and some of those changes involve a surprising twist. Take, for instance, Mark Lurie, who was a chef before the onslaught of COVID, and now owns his own sandblasting company, Ultimate Blasting.
When it became apparent in March of 2020 that a career change was necessary, he considered several options.
I started thinking about things that I was doing, to see if I could generate something out of my hobbies and make it into a career, Lurie explains.
One aspect of sandblasting that appealed to Lurie was the scheduling versatility, which works for his family as well as others.
Im a single father, he says. To be able to work on the weekends or at night, I can pretty much set my schedule for anything.
However, it was the evening news that ultimately set him on the course for sandblasting.
I know the exact day, he says. I was watching all the vandalism that was going on in Chicago, and I saw how people were doing graffiti all over the walls, all over everything all over the city. I thought to myself, Thats going to take work to remove all that stuff and fix it. I wonder how theyre going to do that?
Sandblasting just like the mobile sandblasting Perth is a type of cleaning method used to remove a topcoat of paint, rust or other residue from metallic, glass, concrete, wood or stone surfaces, by means of shooting a steady stream of sand or other material.
I get things back to the raw state, so you prime and paint things, Lurie says. Its the start of bringing something back to life that you thought was rusted or just done.
Although sandblasting is typically believed to be hot, filthy work, Lurie uses equipment and a new system that makes his work easier.
You incorporate water into the sandblasting, and it takes off the coating a lot easier, he says.
His method also allows the abrasive medium to maintain a cool temperature while cleansing the surface, and keeps worksite dustiness to a minimum.
All the materials used at Ultimate Blasting are made from recycled glass.
All the materials that I use are eco-friendly and recycled, Lurie says. Were not incorporating anything else into it. If theres anything that were doing with lead paint or anything like that, we go by the guidelines in cleanup and disposal.
Although Lurie is based in Walkerton, his equipment is on a trailer, allowing him to travel to any large job in a 100-mile radius – a rather unique setup for his line of work.
Lurie has done a lot of work on antique cars.
Its cool to talk to those guys, he says of the antique car owners he services. Theyre always doing old cars and are excited about it. Its cool to see the finished product.
He can do some repair work as well, especially on vehicles.
I will do everything up to the priming stage, he says. I will blast them, I will fix them – fix any holes, corrosion, marks or breaks – then I will coat it.
Not all of Ultimate Blastings jobs are of the automotive variety. In the marine world, sandblasting makes it easy to prepare boats and docks for a fresh coat of paint.
Pretty much anything that has paint on it that needs to be refinished, I can do, Lurie says. Its not just cars or the marina. It could be your house or your shed. It could be farm equipment you have sitting around that you think is rusted or unmanageable.
Pavement on driveways and patios, and even some patio furniture, respond well to Luries cleaning methods.
Thats something Im going to focus on this year, because I really think thats an avenue that people need and would like, he says.
Because of the nature of work available to Ultimate Blasting, Lurie works with several local contractors.
Im offering additional services, he says. I work with local painters and concrete brick finishers. Not only can I provide the blasting, I can provide the finishing as well.
For more info on Ultimate Blasting, visit ultimateblasting.com, and call or text 574-780-3617 to schedule an appointment. The company can also be reached via email at info@ultimateblasting.com.
