The U.S. Department of Justice tells us the most common property damage in the U.S. is Graffiti.

Building managers and owners spend a considerable amount of time and resources dealing with this crimnal act.

Even though there have been beefed up efforts by governments and private groups to deter the crime on a local and statewide level, the occurrences of reported graffiti have steadily increased throughout the years and have now reached many-many millions of dollars in damage.

However, you have proactive and reactive options available to both prevent and to remove and restore surfaces that have been graffiti damaged.

In the past Graffiti was considered a victim-less crime, but nothing could be further from the truth. Graffiti damage happens to any type of property whether residential, commercial or industrial property and costs owners in a multitude of ways. The most common type of Graffiti property damage include:


The U.S. Department of Justice states that Graffiti contributes to more than lost revenue as it effects retail sales negatively and can substantially decreased property values. Graffiti also creates a very negative perception of the area and is a major cause of a general decline of a neighborhood - just take a look at Detroit Michigan.


It is obvious to all that public perceptions of crime are strongly influenced by the impression of public spaces. When you have a Graffiti covered building or worse neighborhood, appear as is they are UN-managed and are ‘out of control’ due to Graffiti vandalism. There is no doubt Graffiti contributes to and anxiety about crime in the area. There is a direct correlation between the public's perception of an area out of order and the crime rate, whether actual or perceived rates of crime. It's just a given that vandalism and litter appear to be obvious signs of crime in the neighborhood leaving everyone with the thought they too could be the next victim.


Graffiti carries with it several negative impacts on the environment. Although it may seem insignificant in general, modern-day CFC-free aerosol sprays contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and can contribute to asthma when sprayed at surface ground-level creating an ozone inducing smog.


Graffiti is impacting towns, cities and neighborhoods all over America. So, it’s essential for building owners, facility managers and other professionals to have a comprehensive plan for the prevention, removal and restoration of Graffiti. Here are a few ways to prevent and remove Graffiti vandalism:


Surface protection coatings are a transparent and distortion-free layer which can protect windows, graphics, mirrors and other surfaces at retail stores, public places glass materials. This preventative solution can be very useful for interior or exterior applications. The coating can be obtained in different thicknesses for both low or high-risk situations. Also, this type of coating can be very effective in resisting vandals glass-etching methods and can readily be removed with little to no residue when replacement is needed.


There are several different types of chemical removers available. These vary in their solvent strength of which determines how quickly the Graffiti damage will dissolve. Remember, if you're using chemical removers you should consider the surface type as some removers may leave you with unappealing results.

You should also take a look at organic removal solutions as in contradistinction to chemical removers, organic solutions are designed to have lower safety and health risks and less impact on the environment.


Using a variable force pressure washer often can be set to remove the Graffiti without scoring the surface area. Sometimes you'll need to use the pressure washer together with a solvent. There are several types of pressure washing media you could use such as ground walnut shells, baking soda crystals (our favorite), dry ice, ground rubber, carbon flint or even sand.


With Dustless Blasting you'll combine a recycled glass abrasive with water into a specialized blast tank. When directing the pressure washer concentrated blast at the Graffiti you'll likely be able to remove the Graffiti without emitting the cloud of dust associated with other removal methods.


Another way to remove Graffiti is to simply paint over the vandalized surface. Although taking the painting option can take time, the cost is relatively low compared to chemical removal or blasting methods. Of course the painting option is best on existing painted flat surfaces.

Remember, Re-Paints^TM has our Graffiti Guarantee^TM and no one does it better.

For as little as a annual $97 Policy Fee, when you purchase our Re-Paints^TM Paint Products, we'll offer you our Fabulous Graffiti Guarantee.

When you use our Re-Paints^TM paint products to paint any building exterior surface (excluding roofs), and you experience vandalism in the form of Graffiti, God forbid, we Guarantee Re-Paints^TM will, within 7 days of the reported occurrence, supply both the paint and labor to "Re-Paints"^TM over the Graffiti, on any single sided surface area of your building, for only a Standard $47 Fee, of which applies to each single sided surface and each occurrence.

This will save you thousands if you ever have to deal with the Graffiti problem vandals.

Last, it's always a good idea before starting any removal or prevention process, to get in touch with your town or city to take a look at their guidelines and best practices they have in place.

When it is all said and done, whatever prevention, removal or restoration methods you use, make sure to not wait to remove the Graffiti, as simply the faster Graffiti is eliminated, the more discouraging it is to the vandals to revisit you.