Best Methods for Graffiti Removal?

[nobes]

Hi everyone,

I recently noticed some graffiti on the side of my property, and I’m trying to figure out the best way to remove it. It’s on a painted brick wall, and I’m concerned about damaging the surface while trying to clean it. Has anyone had experience dealing with this before?

I’ve read about using pressure washing, chemical graffiti removers, or even painting over it, but I’m not sure which method would work best for my situation. Are there specific products or techniques that you would recommend? How do I ensure I don’t make the damage worse or leave traces of the graffiti behind?

Also, if you’ve dealt with this, how do you prevent future tagging? Is there a protective coating or something else I should consider applying to the wall?

 

[nobes]

Hi everyone,

I recently noticed some graffiti on the side of my property, and I’m trying to figure out the best way to remove it. It’s on a painted brick wall, and I’m concerned about damaging the surface while trying to clean it. Has anyone had experience dealing with this before?

I’ve read about using pressure washing, chemical graffiti removers, or even painting over it, but I’m not sure which method would work best for my situation. Are there specific products or techniques that you would recommend? How do I ensure I don’t make the damage worse or leave traces of the graffiti removal portland behind?

Also, if you’ve dealt with this, how do you prevent future tagging? Is there a protective coating or something else I should consider applying to the wall?

Thanks in advance for any tips or advice! Looking forward to hearing your suggestions.

 

[havasu]

Our graffiti specialists are hired by our city, and do a damn good job, removing graffiti within 24 hours of the call. They can over paint, sandblast, pressure wash or chemically remove it. On a brick wall I watched them apply a chemical, let it sit for 10 minutes, then pressure washed it all off. It turned out fantastic!
As far as future issues, I know they have an anti-graffiti coating which could be applied to allow removal easier in the future, but I believe it is costly.

 

[PJB12]

The cleaning folks at work use oven cleaner & a nylon scrub brush on graffiti, but not the sissy Fume Free - No Gloves kind. Sometimes when it was hot out they would tape burlap over the paint and soak the burlap in oven cleaner.

Oven cleaner has a high pH, similar to mortar and concrete so it won't deteriorate the materials. Most bricks also have a high pH. I'd try a test area just to be sure that it won't discolor the bricks or make paint color drip into the mortar joints. (Acid cleaners are a very bad idea due to the low pH.)

There are films and coating said to prevent graffiti from sticking to masonry, but none I tried worked on a wall at my shop.

My solution?
I wrote on the freshly re-painted wall: "If you're gonna tag, make it pretty!". They did! After time, I'd paint over the graffiti and soon get a brand new work of art!

Paul