If your business or residence has been affected by graffiti and tagging, there are some things local Brighton company DETAG Graffiti Removal & Prevention would suggest you can try to do yourself to remove it. It very much depends on the surface it’s on.
First things first, the sooner you tackle it, the better. Allowing the paint or spray paint to harden, cure and bake in the sun is going to make it harder to remove. Not just that but leaving one tag usually attracts more tagging very quickly. So a small problem becomes a bigger one before you know it.
Secondly, the results will almost always be better if getting a professional company to treat and remove the graffiti and tagging. They have the knowledge, training, commercial strength products and specialist equipment to remove graffiti properly without leaving unsightly shadows or damaging surfaces.
Already Painted Surface
The vast majority of the time, you are going to have to repaint over. One coat of something like Zinsser to seal the spray paint or marker colour and stop it bleeding through, then one or two coats of the original wall paint or as close a colour match as you can find. Always try and paint edge to edge so it doesn’t look like you have just painted out what’s there. Give the taggers no reason to tag again. If you feel you cannot do it yourself, DETAG provides a colour-matching surface and can seal graffiti and repaint surfaces like the tagging was never there.
Glass, Plastic or Signage
There are some over-the-counter graffiti remover sprays from DIY stores or that you can get online that will remove graffiti and tags from glass and plastic. Always use chemical gloves. Ideally gauntlet gloves or wear a long sleeve top to stop any product from getting on the skin. Always wear protective eyewear. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to use their product. You might often find the blobs of paint are harder to shift and require using a scrapper. Careful not to scratch glass or leave any product on glass/seals/frames.
Stone, Concrete or Brickwork
A reminder again to always protect the face and skin when using any graffiti removal products. If graffiti or tagging is on stone, brick or concrete, you can try using shop-bought paint strippers or white spirits. You may have to scrub, wash off, and reapply on multiple occasions to see any positive results. It may help further washing off with a pressure washer but be careful that you do not damage the surface underneath. It’s very hard to DIY remove graffiti and tagging from stone, brickwork or concrete and get a perfect result. You will often be left with smudged paint or unsightly shadowing. Its usually best to call in professional help rather than waste your time trying to remove it yourself. DETAG use the best commercial strength, biodegradable treatments and low pressure 150 degree liquid water pressure washing to achieve outstanding results on stone, brickwork and concrete.
Perspex
Always very tricky. Depending on the quality of the Perspex, you can end up with a cloudy surface if you try and remove graffiti with over-the-counter graffiti removal products. Thicker Perspex has a better success rate than thinner Perspex. Specialist graffiti removal companies will have a better success rate for removing graffiti and tagging from Perspex without damaging the Perspex.
Powder-Coated Products
You see more products being powder-coated to improve finish, appearance and lifespan. However, it’s a real problem when it comes to graffiti. It’s incredibly easy to damage the powder coating when trying to remove graffiti and tagging. Our advice would that you always call out a professional graffiti removal like DETAG to help remove graffiti and tagging from any powder-coated surfaces. If you get it wrong, you risk exposing the bare metal underneath to the elements.
Wood
For treated and untreated wood, use a general graffiti removal product and then pressure-wash off. Be careful not to use too high a pressure for washing with water. Wood is easily and permanently damaged. For painted wood, I’m afraid you will have to paint over the graffiti or tagging.