Structural Fire Damage Cleaning in Stanton, TX
The drywall is gone, and now you are staring at blackened studs, scorched joists and a charred roof deck. Somebody now has to decide what gets blasted clean, what gets sistered and what gets replaced. Unify Fire Solutions puts you in touch with independent, licensed and insured Stanton contractors who clean the bare structure down to sound wood.
- Soda blasting, dry ice blasting and wire brushing
- Every stud and joist probed for char depth
- Sealer applied to lock in residual odor
What Makes Framing Work Different
Hang new drywall over sooty, smoky studs and the smell comes back through the paint on the first warm day. Cleaning the structure is the step that decides whether the rebuild smells like a new house or a campfire.
Licensed & Insured Independent Pros
Each contractor on our referral list is an independent, licensed and insured local company. Check the paperwork yourself and ask if their process lines up with IICRC S700.
Upfront Written Estimates
Media blasting depends on square footage, the media used and how hard the space is to get into. Get a written, itemized estimate in hand before any blasting begins.
Rapid Local Dispatch
A real person answers around the clock, and the search for a crew begins on that call. How fast someone arrives depends on availability and distance, often within the same day.
Blasting Rigs and Probing Tools
This trade runs on gear most remodelers do not own: soda blast pots, dry ice blasters, tow-behind compressors, HEPA vacuums, air scrubbers and an awl for probing char.
Do not climb into a burned attic or walk a scorched roof deck to look for yourself. Weakened joists and burned-through sheathing can give way without warning, and exposed wiring may still be live. Wait for the contractor to check that the structure is safe, and keep people off floors that sit over a burned crawlspace or basement.
Structural Cleaning Services From Rafters to Slab
This is not contents cleaning and it is not debris haul-out. It is the work done on the wood, block, brick and steel that hold your house up.
Char Depth Probing and Member Decisions
Pressing an awl into the blackened wood shows how deep the char goes; a shallow crust over firm wood usually means it can be cleaned. When the char cuts deep into a joist or a truss web, the member gets sistered or swapped out.
- Members marked clean, sister or replace
- Structural engineer called in for questionable beams, trusses and headers
- Photos of each marked member for the claim
Soda Blasting
Baking soda media knocks soot and surface char off framing while leaving the grain mostly intact. It leaves a fine white dust and some residue, so containment and a thorough HEPA vacuum afterward are part of the job.
Dry Ice Blasting
With dry ice the pellets sublimate on impact, so there is nothing left on the floor but the soot itself. It suits cramped attics and areas around wiring, but it runs louder and pricier than soda.
- Hearing protection and ventilation required
- Good choice when residue would be a problem
Wire Brushing and Sanding
For a few blackened studs or a small closet fire, wire brushes, sanding discs and a HEPA-shrouded grinder may be all it takes. It is slow on big areas but precise where blasting would be overkill.
Brick, Block, Concrete and Steel Beams
Fireplace surrounds, block foundation walls and concrete slabs hold soot in their pores, and alkaline cleaners, scrubbing or blasting pull it out. Steel beams and columns are cleaned of soot and checked for warping or sag, which goes to the engineer.
Encapsulation and Attic Insulation Removal
Cleaned framing gets a coat of shellac-based or specialty encapsulant to lock in any odor left deep in the wood. In the attic, smoke-soaked blown-in or batt insulation is vacuumed out with a high-powered insulation vac before the rafters and decking are cleaned.
Crawlspaces get the same treatment on a smaller, dirtier scale: floor joists, sill plates and the underside of the subfloor are probed, blasted where needed and sealed. A smoke-stained or wet vapor barrier usually comes out and goes back new.
Have the contractor explain the method they plan for each part of the house. A good crew may soda blast the open walls, dry ice the attic around the wiring and hand sand a few studs near the panel.
Plan for containment, because blasting throws soot and media into every corner it can reach. Expect poly over openings, taped-off HVAC returns and air scrubbers pulling the space under negative pressure during blasting. Ask what the plan is to shield the undamaged rooms, floors and glass.
Bare Framing Covered in Soot and Char?
Phone our dispatchers and they begin searching for a structural crew close to Stanton. It costs nothing to call.
Call +1-833-336-1630How a Structural Cleaning Job Unfolds
- 1
Phone the Dispatcher
Say which parts of the structure are open now, such as walls, attic, crawlspace, masonry or steel. Let us know if an adjuster, engineer or roofer has already visited.
- 2
Mobile Crew on Site
The contractor arrives with a compressor, blasting equipment and containment materials. They check that the roof and floor are safe to walk and that power to the open walls is off.
- 3
Probe, Mark and Quote
Every exposed member gets probed with an awl and marked clean, sister or replace, and anything borderline goes to a structural engineer. A written, itemized quote covering area, blast method, encapsulant and attic insulation comes before any work starts.
- 4
Blasting, Sealing and Walkthrough
Once the wood is blasted, vacuumed and sealed, the crew lead walks you through the open structure. Smell the space on a warm day and get photos of each tagged member before anyone hangs drywall.
What Callers Said About Their Structural Crew
The attic fire left every rafter black and the insulation soaked. The crew pulled the insulation, dry ice blasted the rafters and rolled sealer on everything. Two rafters were cut deep enough that they called in an engineer, and those got sistered.
I assumed every black stud in the hallway had to be replaced. The crew lead probed each one with an awl and showed me that most were just surface char. Soda blasting and a coat of sealer saved most of the wall.
Our basement fire blackened the block walls and the steel beam over the family room. The contractor cleaned the block and the beam, then had an engineer check the steel for warping. The basement smells normal again, even closed up.
Your Structural Fire Cleaning Questions Answered
How do crews decide if a charred stud can stay?
The test is simple: they probe it. An awl or screwdriver pushed into the black surface shows how deep the char goes, and wood that is firm just under a thin crust can usually be blasted and sealed. Deep char, cracks or a reduced cross section mean sistering or replacement, with a structural engineer making the call on anything questionable.
What is the difference between soda blasting and dry ice blasting?
Soda media is mild on the grain and helps with odor, though it leaves a white dust that needs a full HEPA cleanup. Dry ice pellets vanish on impact, so cleanup is easier and it works well around wiring, but it is louder and usually costs more. Many crews use both on the same house.
Why seal the framing if it has already been cleaned?
Smoke gets deep into the pores of the wood, past what blast media can reach. An encapsulating sealer traps what is left so the odor does not seep back through the finished walls. Sealer only works over clean framing, never as a shortcut over soot.
Does the attic insulation have to come out after a fire?
In most cases where smoke got into the attic, it does. Blown-in and batt insulation trap smoke and soot like a filter, and many get soaked by hose water too. Crews vacuum it out with a truck-mounted or portable insulation vac so the rafters and decking can be inspected and cleaned before new insulation goes in.
Can soot be cleaned off brick and concrete block?
Most of the time, but brick and block hold soot in their pores and need more than a wipe. Expect alkaline detergents and scrub brushes for light staining and media blasting for thick deposits. Spalling or cracked masonry is a structural question for a mason or engineer.
Do I need a structural engineer for fire-damaged framing?
You may not on a small job, but any doubtful load-bearing member calls for one. Trusses, beams, headers, steel and heavily charred joists are where an engineer's letter protects you and helps the claim. The building department may ask for it before signing off on the rebuild.
Charred Framing Cleaning Across Stanton and Beyond
Calls come in from all over Stanton and nearby towns, from older homes with solid lumber framing to newer builds with engineered trusses and I-joists. Attics, crawlspaces, basements, garages and small commercial buildings are all in scope.
- Attic fires
- Electrical fires
- Furnace puff-backs
- Chimney fires
- Lightning strikes
- Neighbor's fire spread
If the first crew we connect you with is not the right fit, call back and a dispatcher will connect you with another. Do not let the rebuild close walls over dirty framing.
