While we all appreciate art, graffiti is a vandalism that leaves valuable buildings and objects distorted by paint or markers. Often graffiti includes vulgar terms or pictures, and needs to be removed as quickly as possible by a local Phoenix graffiti removal service. If you find yourself facing graffiti removal, we put together some tips that will help you achieve success if you need to sell your home fast.
Putting Together Your Graffiti-Removing Arsenal
If you’re getting ready to go up against graffiti, there are several tools that you need to gather before you get started. The following is a list of items you might want to collect:
-Painters rags
-Aerosol solvent
-Safety glasses
-Paint scraper
-Dust mask
-Black trash bags
-A wire brush
-All-purpose cleaner and water mixture in a spray bottle
-Paint that matches the original surface before it was covered by graffiti
-Low-cost paint supplies such as brushes, rollers, and paint trays
Choosing a Graffiti Removal Solvent
Since graffiti is such a common problem, there are quite a few removal products to choose from. Before you pick up a random product at the supermarket, take some time to truly learn what your options are. Often, solvents may contain dangerous chemicals that can cause health problems. Read all the safety instructions and only use the products as directed. Generally speaking, graffiti removal solvents require eye and breathing protecting.
Sometimes, graffiti can be removed with a simple mixture of all-purpose cleaner and water. Before purchasing an expensive and dangerous solvent, make sure that it’s actually necessary!
Since some solvents can damage your surface, sample any you choose on an inconspicuous area.
Why Use Safety Glasses?
When working with graffiti, you may suffer damage to the eyes from paints, dust, and solvents. Keep your eyes protected with the use of good-quality safety glasses.
Graffiti Removal with a Wire Brush
Rather than using harsh solvents, depending on the surface that has been vandalized, some graffiti can be removed with a low-cost wire brush. A wire brush can be used on items such as street curbs, telephone poles, smooth stone surfaces, various rough metals, concrete, wooden fences, and decorative rocks. While the wire brush will remove the graffiti, it will also leave brush marks on the surface. If used on the right surfaces, these brush marks will go away with time.
Restoring Rough Surfaces
On some rough and porous surfaces, removing graffiti can be impossible. While you may choose to use pressure washers or sand, it can actually cause deeper damage to the surface of your house for sale. Wire brushes do little on these porous areas. The easiest option might be to skip removal entirely and instead paint over the entire surface. If repainting isn’t possible, a power washer with a biodegradable emulsifier maybe the best choice; however, even these often leave a ghost-like image of the graffiti that never goes away.
Things to Remember About Graffiti Removal:
1. Removing is Always Harder than Applying. Removing graffiti isn’t as easy as spraying it on. Before you start the process, understand that you will need time and effort to restore the surface to its original condition. In most cases, it is easier to simply repaint rather than go through the removal process.
2. If you’re facing graffiti on items like mailboxes, lampposts, or utility boxes, liquid solvents like Savogram are the best choice. Using this solvent isn’t totally work-free but, combined with a regular cleaner and a steel wool pad, it’s possible to restore the item. Start by spraying on a small amount of solvent, then rub it with your steel wool, and wipe it using the cleaner. Even though this is a fairly simple process, remember to wear gloves since many solvents can damage the skin. Be wary of solvents like Jasco which may bubble certain paints and make them look worse than ever!
3.If you live in an area where vandalism is a regular occurrence, be prepared for graffiti by always having plenty of paint on hand. For things like fences and walls, use the extra paint to cover over graffiti as soon as possible.
4.Some types of surface, such as red brick, are especially hard to clean and may require professional assistance. When graffiti is being removed from these surfaces, a biodegradable emulsifier maybe necessary to remove the paint without damaging the brick.
Graffiti removal is no laughing matter. Instead, it is the true work of vandals and can be a challenge to remove. However, by using some of the tips listed above, you can know how to remove or at least reduce the appearance of graffiti on your property.