Anti-graffiti Coatings

Every year, building owners spend millions of dollars dealing with graffiti. In the urban landscape, rectangles of new paint on the exterior of facilities are common and just about as unattractive as the graffiti itself. These patchwork cover-ups are by no means the best solution to the problem.

In many instances, applying an anti-graffiti coating is the most cost-effective way to protect a facility’s exterior — and interior — from defacement. These coatings can reduce graffiti cleanup from a big project to a small one.

Three types of anti-graffiti coatings are available: permanent, semi-permanent and sacrificial. Permanent coatings are meant to last through many cleanings of solvent. Spray paint and ink are not able to penetrate the surface.

Semi-permanent coatings can be cleaned with solvent several times, but each cleaning wears away the barrier, so reapplication must be done after a few cleanings.

Sacrificial coatings are water-based and create a smooth wax or polymer surface that keeps paint and ink from penetrating to the substrate. If the surface is defaced with graffiti, maintenance personnel can wash the graffiti and the whole coating off with hot water and reapply the coating.