The first question most people ask is the one we cannot answer with a single number: what does it cost? Laser rust removal is quoted by the job, and the job is defined by five things. Once you know them, you can read your own quote and compare it fairly to blasting or chemical stripping.
1. Area
Square footage is the base. A rusted gate, a trailer frame and a 40-foot beam are three very different amounts of surface, and the laser moves across each of them at a fairly predictable rate once the settings are dialed in.
2. How heavy the rust is
Light surface rust and flash rust come off in a single pass. Heavy scale and deep pitting take more passes and more time. Photos tell us most of this; a test spot on site confirms it.
3. Access
Flat, open surfaces at working height are fast. Inside frames, overhead, between fittings, on a ladder, or in a confined space is slower. The laser is handheld, which is why it can get into those places at all, but time is still time.
4. The finish you need
Clean enough to weld, clean enough to prime, or clean to bright white metal for inspection are three different stopping points. Tell us what comes next and we quote to that.
5. Where the job is
We are based in Metairie and most of the New Orleans metro area is a short drive. Jobs across the lake or out of the region carry travel, which is why we group Northshore and Gulf Coast work by trip.
Where laser wins on cost
If you are only looking at the price per square foot of flat, heavy steel in an open yard, sandblasting is usually cheaper, and we will tell you that. Laser cleaning wins when you add up the rest of the job: no masking, no containment, no media to sweep up and dispose of, no chemical waste, no haul-off to a blast yard, no re-machining of a part that got eroded, and no drying time before coating. It also wins outright on parts blasting would damage, which is most thin, machined, detailed or historic metal.
Getting an accurate quote
Send two or three photos, a rough size, what the surface is and what you plan to do with it afterward. Email info@gulfsouthlaser.tech or call (504) 913-0520. For larger jobs we come out, do a test spot, and quote from that.
Quick answers
How is laser rust removal priced?
By the job. The quote is based on the size of the area, how heavy the rust is, how easy the surface is to reach, the finish you need, and where the job is. Most quotes are given from photos.
Is laser cleaning more expensive than sandblasting?
Per square foot of flat, heavy steel, blasting is often cheaper. On detailed parts, thin metal, indoor work, and anything where cleanup, containment, masking and media disposal are a cost, laser cleaning is usually the lower total number.
Is there a minimum charge?
Small jobs are welcome in the Metairie and New Orleans area. For trips farther out, such as the Northshore, we group work by trip. Call (504) 913-0520 and we will fit you in.
