Graffiti is an antisocial menace wherever it occurs, but with the right skills and equipment, it is possible to remove it from almost any surface, including those it can soak into like brick and stone.
For all that the likes of Banksy may be popular for street art, most graffiti is ugly and crude and, above all, unwanted. It made up a major part of the 616,000 cases of criminal damage recorded by police forces in England and Wales last year.
While it may be relatively simple to clean from some surfaces, such as glass, metal and plastic, it is a lot harder to remove from others.
This is particularly true of porous materials such as:
· Unpainted brick
· Concrete
· Natural stone
When graffiti is daubed on these surfaces, the pigment from the substance can seep into the material, making it sink deeper, rather like a tattoo getting into the skin.
How Can Graffiti Be Cleaned From Porous Surfaces?
This is where advanced brick cleaning, superheated steam cleaning (DOFF), sand jetting and concrete cleansing equipment and substances are needed to resolve these issues.
Among the methods of cleaning such surfaces is the application of a gel and paste remover, which can break down the molecules of the paint pigment. This can be followed by low-pressure water washing or ideally superheated steam cleaning.
This process avoids using harsh chemicals that could damage surfaces. Sometimes, this is a particularly high priority, such as when the situation is made worse by the fact that the structure that has been attacked is listed.
Bodies like English Heritage have provided guidance on how to deal with graffiti on listed buildings, in the context of the legal constraints on the work that can be done.
The guidance notes that: “Inappropriate cleaning by inexpert contractors can cause significant damage to building surfaces and may result in visual disfigurement, including stains and marks.”
This highlights the importance of making sure that you bring in knowledgeable, experienced contractors, so that when you have graffiti issues that are hard to tackle, the right solutions are applied to leave you with pristine surfaces, free from damage.
