Painting Techniques: How To Make Graffiti Go Away

If your property has been targeted for graffiti, you surely want to know how to make graffiti go away. Graffiti comes in all shapes and sizes and can be an eyesore that decreases your property value and makes residents feel unsafe.

There are many city and local organizations that work to decrease vandalism throughout the country. If your property has been targeted for graffiti, you may want to contact your local organization to get advice, as well as to get involved in the process of eradicating graffiti from your area. Some organizations will actually come and remove your graffiti for you so check in your area. Graffiti is a crime and should be reported to your local police department to file a police report.

Removing Graffiti

Because graffiti is generally made from liquid aerosols, it can be quite difficult to remove. There are many commercial formulations on the market that promise to remove graffiti from masonry and painted areas with varying results. If selecting one of these products, make sure to double check what kind of surface it removes the paint from, as it may discolor or fade some surfaces. Otherwise, follow this method to remove the graffiti on your property:

Chemical Solvents

Paint thinner can be used on aerosol-based graffiti to remove it. This is a widely recommended method because paint thinners have a chemical substance that softens the paint.

To use paint thinner to remove graffiti, apply an ample amount onto a cloth and wipe it onto the painted areas. After saturating the graffiti with paint thinner, wash the area with water to remove any excess substance. This may not remove all of the paint on particularly porous or other difficult surfaces and repainting will still be necessary.

Paint thinners can be purchased at any hardware or home improvement store.

Repainting

After removing the graffiti, you will want to repaint the area where the graffiti was to restore the look of your property, as using paint thinner or paint remover will not completely remove the graffiti and it may affect the original paint and color of the wall. You may need to use more than one coat of paint to completely cover the remains of the graffiti.

Guarding Your Property

Preventing graffiti from happening is the best defense against graffiti and having your property vandalized. Motion sensor lights and a security system are a good step in deterring vandalism.