Structural Fire Damage Cleaning in Ceres, CA
With the wallboard torn out, what is left is a skeleton of black studs, scorched rafters and smoke-stained block. 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 Ceres 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
- Cleaned wood encapsulated against lingering odor
What Makes Framing Work Different
Close up the walls over dirty framing and the smoke odor bleeds right back through the new finish. This stage decides whether your rebuilt rooms smell fresh or smell burned for years.
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. Ask for a line-item written estimate before the first bag of media is opened.
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
Structural crews bring soda blast pots, dry ice units, big compressors, HEPA vacs, air scrubbers and a sharp awl to test every member.
Stay out of a fire-damaged attic, and never walk a charred roof deck to check it. Burned joists and decking can fail under one person's weight, and open wiring may still carry current. Wait for the contractor to check that the structure is safe, and keep people off floors that sit over a burned crawlspace or basement.
Cleaning the Building From the Roof Deck Down
Furniture and debris are a separate job. It is the work done on the wood, block, brick and steel that hold your house up.
Char Depth Probing and Member Decisions
An awl pushed into a charred stud tells the story: if it stops in sound wood after a thin layer of char, the member is usually a cleaning candidate. Deep char that eats into the section of a joist or truss chord means sistering or replacement.
- 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
Sodium bicarbonate is softer than wood, so it strips soot and light char off studs, joists and roof decking without gouging the grain. 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
Dry ice pellets hit the surface and turn straight into gas, so there is no media left behind to sweep up. It works well in tight attics and around wiring, though it costs more and is noisy.
- Hearing protection and ventilation required
- Good choice when residue would be a problem
Wire Brushing and Sanding
Small, isolated char spots are often handled by hand with wire brushes and sanders tied into a HEPA vacuum. Hand work is slower but sensible where a blast rig would be too much.
Brick, Block, Concrete and Steel Beams
Porous brick, block and concrete trap soot deep in the surface, so crews use alkaline detergents, scrub brushes or blast media to lift it. 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.
Under the house, the crew probes the joists, sill plates and subfloor underside, then blasts and seals what can stay. Expect a vapor barrier to be pulled and replaced if smoke or hose water soaked it.
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.
Containment matters here, since blast media and loosened soot travel anywhere the air moves. The crew hangs poly over doorways, masks off the HVAC returns and runs air scrubbers under negative pressure while they work. Ask what the plan is to shield the undamaged rooms, floors and glass.
Bare Framing Covered in Soot and Char?
Ring the dispatch line and we start finding a structural cleaning crew near Ceres. It costs nothing to call.
Call +1-833-336-1630How a Structural Cleaning Job Unfolds
- 1
Phone the Dispatcher
Describe what is exposed: open stud walls, an attic, a crawlspace, block or steel. Mention if a roofer, engineer or adjuster has already been out.
- 2
Mobile Crew on Site
The contractor arrives with a compressor, blasting equipment and containment materials. First they confirm the roof deck and floors will hold weight and that the exposed circuits are dead.
- 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
After blasting and HEPA cleanup, the framing gets its sealer coat, and you walk the bare structure with the crew lead. Smell the space on a warm day and get photos of each tagged member before anyone hangs drywall.
Notes From People We Connected
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. An engineer looked at two deeply charred rafters and they were sistered instead of torn out.
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. They soda blasted and sealed them, and only three were swapped.
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?
They probe it. Push an awl into the char, and if it hits solid wood after a shallow layer, the stud is usually a cleaning job. Members with deep char, splitting or a lost cross section get sistered or replaced, and anything structural in doubt goes to a licensed structural engineer.
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. It is common to see both on one job.
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. A shellac-based or specialty encapsulant locks that residual odor in so it cannot off-gas through the new drywall. Sealing dirty wood does not work, so the cleaning has to come first.
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. It is vacuumed out with an insulation vac so the rafters and roof deck can be probed, blasted and sealed before anything new is blown in.
Can soot be cleaned off brick and concrete block?
Usually yes, though masonry takes more effort than drywall because soot sinks into the pores. Crews use alkaline masonry cleaners and stiff brushes, and soda or other media blasting for heavy buildup. Heat-cracked or spalled block and brick should be looked at by an engineer or mason.
Do I need a structural engineer for fire-damaged framing?
Not for every job, but for anything load-bearing that looks questionable, yes. 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.
Structural Fire Cleaning Throughout Ceres
Calls come in from all over Ceres and nearby towns, from older homes with solid lumber framing to newer builds with engineered trusses and I-joists. Attics, basements, crawlspaces, garages and light commercial spaces all come up regularly.
- Attic fires
- Electrical fires
- Furnace puff-backs
- Chimney fires
- Lightning strikes
- Neighbor's fire spread
Should the first contractor not suit you, ring us again and we will connect you with a different one. Do not let the rebuild close walls over dirty framing.
