Paint Scarifier Techniques

Basic Scarifiers

• For smaller projects such as resurfacing a garage or basement floor, use a walk-behind scarifier. Housed inside a protective casing is a rotating drum is covered in steel blades. As the blades spin, they scrape away paint and even out the floor surface. Some machines have a vacuum system to clean away the dust as you go.

Carbide-Tipped Scarifiers

• Some scarifiers have blades tipped in carbide. This makes the tips stronger so they last longer than plain steel blades. Because the tips are harder than steel, the process of paint removal goes more quickly. However, the carbide tips chip up your floor more than steel does.

Other Techniques

• If you're working on a home project and can't locate a paint scarification machine, you can remove paint with other tools. Shot- or sandblasting removes paint by hitting it with a surge of sand particles. Grinders are hand-held or walk-behind tools that work like sanders with a vacuum system attached to pull away the debris. Your local machine rental shop can advise you about which is tool is best for your project.

Road Renovation

• Road renovation requires large scarification equipment. These machines not only remove paint, but even out the road for resurfacing. The hydro scarification method uses intense jets of water to remove the paint. As the machine moves along, it vacuums up the water and debris, leaving the surface with only a sheen of water on it. The speed at which the jets move across the surface determines how much of the paint or road it removes.