Salt Therapy Room

NKP1962 · Post by **NKP1962** » Sat Dec 16, 2023 7:43 pm

First time posting so please go gentle on me!

Been asked to bring a room that was used for salt therapy back to normal, so it can be rented out as an office. The walls / ceiling / floor are caked in sea salt (from the Red Sea I'm told). While it's easy enough to remove the surface layer of salt, I'm concerned wether it's leached into the existing paint & plaster - anyone ever come across this before, or got any ideas how to neutralise the effects of the salt before I repaint said walls?

Thanks

dewaltdisney · Post by **dewaltdisney** » Sat Dec 16, 2023 8:02 pm

Strange one? As salt is water soluble, I think I would try a wallpaper steamer first to steam as much of the salt out as possible. Have a look at Perrmagard salt neutraliser

DWD

NKP1962 · Post by **NKP1962** » Sat Dec 16, 2023 8:10 pm

dewaltdisney wrote: ↑Sat Dec 16, 2023 8:02 pm Strange one? As salt is water soluble, I think I would try a wallpaper steamer first to steam as much of the salt out as possible. Have a look at Perrmagard salt neutraliser

DWD

Thanks for that - I'd thought of a neutraliser, but not of using the steamer - more to add to the quote though! I was also thinking of using smooth white masonry paint on the walls, to try and minimize any 'salt bleed' - any thoughts on that?

dewaltdisney · Post by **dewaltdisney** » Sat Dec 16, 2023 9:15 pm

I was thinking more Zinsser Gardz to seal it

DWD

dynamod · Post by **dynamod** » Sun Dec 17, 2023 11:57 am

https://sciencenotes.org/the-ph-scale-o ... chemicals/

According to this, the ph of Dead Sea Salt is 10.5, making it pretty alkaline. On that basis, I'd be looking to use an ARP (Alkali Resistant Primer) after neutralising.

Zinsser Gardz is a decent plasterboard sealer, but I wouldn't trust it in this situation. Also, steaming in this environment doesn't sound like the safest thing to be doing. Putting such strong alkaline compounds into an airborne vapour could easily attack the lungs and respiratory system, should adequate ventilation not be available. Wash off the worst with brush and hot water, but I really wouldn't recommend putting these chemicals into the atmosphere where they can be breathed in.

Someone-Else · Post by **Someone-Else** » Sun Dec 17, 2023 5:44 pm

dynamod wrote: ↑Sun Dec 17, 2023 11:57 amAlso, steaming in this environment doesn't sound like the safest thing to be doing. Putting such strong alkaline compounds into an airborne vapour could easily attack the lungs and respiratory system

But 1000's of people go floating in the dead sea every year, don't hear of them dying.

dynamod · Post by **dynamod** » Sun Dec 17, 2023 6:37 pm

Someone-Else wrote: ↑Sat Dec 16, 2023 7:43 pm But 1000's of people go floating in the dead sea every year, don't hear of them dying.

Well of course they don't. Floating in saline water and potentially atomising it for inhalation are 2 separate things and not even vaguely comparable.

Zinsser DIF (a wallpaper stripping gel) is designed to be added to hot water and brushed on, where the active enzyme digests the starches in the paper, but add it to a wallpaper steamer tank and turn it to vapour, it becomes toxic.

Putting any chemical into a breathable medium isn't ideal and I stand by this.