What is Graffiti? Is it Art or Vandalism?

What is Graffiti?

Graffiti is not an invention of our time. Already in ancient Pompeii there were writings carved into walls, caricatures and even obscenities.
In 1968 in the USA it was suddenly "in" to write your name and the number of the street where you lived on the walls with a felt-tip pen. However, the graffiti from spray cans that is common today has only been around since the early 1970s, and they were over half a meter high. In the 1980s, a "graffiti art" established itself in New York as a recognized new art movement - a famous representative was Keith Haring. There are no limits to creativity in graffiti. The repertoire ranges from simple letters and words to elaborate pictures. A typical writing style has also emerged: A word is written in decoratively designed type, often with a kind of cloud in the background.

Graffiti - Scribbling or Art?

Opinions about graffiti are very divided. Some see it as scribbling, others as art. It should be noted that a large part of graffiti is sprayed illegally, i.e. without the consent of the owners, on house walls, garage doors, walls, trains, bridges. This is of course property damage that can be prosecuted under both criminal and civil law. If a sprayer is identified, he pays for the damage caused. For example, cleaning a facade or train can cost up to 50,000 euros. The kind of graffiti where one finds numerous politically motivated slogans are mostly "paint graffiti" by young people who want to draw attention to themselves. In many places, there are already anti-graffiti associations dedicated to the fight against this bad habit.
A large part of the pictorial graffiti, however, is seen as positive by the people, as it enriches the otherwise grey environment a little. In 1986, the Euro-Graffiti-Union (EGU), Society for Street Art and Youth Culture, was founded in Munich with the aim of getting the young sprayers out of the underground. In different big cities, competitions and actions are organized, where the young people can show their talent. Legally they can design facades, gable walls or blinds. Unfortunately, however, it is precisely the forbidden that has its appeal, and so it remains a major problem to curb the unwanted spraying of objects.

Effective Removal of Graffiti

A study by the German Association of Cities and Towns revealed that around 1 billion euros are spent annually to remove colorful graffiti and, if necessary, to renovate the affected buildings, trains, bridges and walls. Removing the paint often requires complex cleaning procedures. Anyone who discovers graffiti on their house wall or garage wants to get rid of it as quickly as possible. But now one should refrain from experimenting with the "works of art" oneself. Meanwhile, there are numerous companies dedicated to professional graffiti removal. Before choosing the cleaning method, one should inform oneself about the compatibility with the building material, after all, it should not be affected during the cleaning. Also, the environmental impact is an important point that should not be ignored.
The graffiti inks are mostly varnishes containing a high percentage of solvents. Building materials with high water absorption capacity, such as sandstone, absorb these solvents together with the color pigments to a depth of several millimeters. Other building materials are strongly attacked by the solvents - this often results in damage to the surface of the object during removal. Marker and grease pencils are mainly used on smooth surfaces, but water-soluble marker pencils also penetrate deep into metal surfaces and settle. Grease pencils should be removed very quickly from absorbent surfaces in order to prevent the penetration of grease as much as possible. There are various mechanical and chemical methods for removing unwanted graffiti.

Manual Removal of Graffiti

With this simple procedure dry spray paints are "washed" from absorbent and smooth surfaces. The cleaner is applied to the surface and left to take effect. The paint layer swells or dissolves, is now rubbed with the cleaner and the mixture is then removed with absorbent material. Rinse thoroughly with water.

Mechanical Graffiti Removal in Low-Pressure Wet Blasting Process Negative

Walls and facades are best freed from dry spray paint using the low-pressure wet blasting method. The pressure and water content for the air/blasting agent mixture is optimized for the respective application and blasted from changing angles onto the surface to be cleaned. Façades with a coat of paint will show shadows after treatment. These can be caused by paint residues that have already penetrated or are caused by the difference in color between paint pigments and mortar coloring. This is because blasting also exposes plaster components under the paint.

Chemically Supported Graffiti Removal by Hot Water High Pressure Jet!

If you want to remove dried spray colors from facades and other surfaces, the high-pressure water jet method is the best choice. As with the manual method, a paste-like cleaner is applied to the graffito, which dissolves the paint layer. The dissolved paint is then blasted with a water pressure of 120 bar and at a temperature of 80 degrees. Coarse paste residues are removed beforehand to relieve the waste-water. The paint residues in the pores should be completely removed.

Graffiti Removal by Hot Water High-Pressure Jet on Protected Facade!

In case the surface to be treated has already been provided with a temporary protective layer, graffiti removal by means of hot water high-pressure jet is recommended. The water pressure and the water temperature depend on the existing protective layer. After setting the appropriate values, the surface to be cleaned is sprayed several times briefly, it heats up and the protective film swells. With the hot water jet the graffito is now peeled off from lateral angles, so to speak. Then a new protective layer must be applied.

Removing Graffiti With Laser Technology Too Tedious, Too Expensive and Only Suitable For Tags

The laser process is particularly suitable for the targeted removal of individual lettering. The decisive advantage over conventional mechanical and chemical processes is that the surface is not affected. As no solvents are used, the method is more environmentally friendly and above all non-toxic. In this process, pulsed lasers with very high light output are irradiated onto the ink layer within fractions of a millionth of a second. This causes the layer to flake off in small particles.
In any case, a professional specialist will carry out a sample at a hidden place. Never forget to wear protective clothing (protective gloves, protective clothing, protective suit, face protection). Smoking, open fire and eating are absolutely forbidden. The waste-water should be collected and fed into the sewage system - also observe the so-called "indirect discharge regulations" of your federal state. Cloths and similar materials with dried ink residues are disposed of in accordance with the regulations.

Protection from "Sprayers"

Do not think that any prophylaxis of graffiti is a wasted effort. Certainly, any straight surface is a temptation for the sprayer, rough and uneven surfaces, for example, are sprayed less than smooth surfaces. A green façade is also often an effective tool. The attraction is also lost if you have the graffito removed immediately. A graffito is only effective if it can be admired by everyone.
One of the most suitable means at present is probably the application of a graffiti repellent protective layer.

Selection of a Graffiti Protection System

When selecting protective systems, you should ask the following questions, among others: What is the surface of the object like? Does the building material consist of mineral or organic bonds, is it porous? Are there any special features in the architectural design of the object to be protected? What is the location? Is the building listed as a historical monument? Are there any damages in terms of building physics? Is a temporary or permanent protection system suitable for the object? Does the surface change optically in the selected system? How resistant is the system to weathering? What is the effect of the system? To what extent can graffiti be removed simply and easily?

Anti-Graffiti Protective Sealants

Anti-graffiti systems are so-called "barrier layers" that protect the substrate against the penetration and/or adhesion of graffiti and thus simplify cleaning without damaging the substrate. You can choose between protective layers that only last a few years or that have to be renewed after every graffiti removal and those that last permanently. Contact a competent company to find out which product is most suitable for your project. Most of the products used today are environmentally friendly and biodegradable.

Temporary Protective Layers (Sacrificial Systems) NOT RECOMMENDED

Temporary protective layers are inexpensive and reversible compared to permanent protective layers, i.e. they can be removed again without any problems. Their protective effect lasts for about five years, depending on the system and substrate. Since poor adhesion and mechanical damage can impair the protective effect, maintenance is usually necessary. This means that after about three years a layer should be added to the existing protective layer. Rain can actually do no harm to the protective layer, but constant water flooding makes the layer porous, so that subsequent treatment is necessary. Temporary protective layers have a very good water vapor permeability. If you want to remove graffiti from a temporary protective layer, a hot water jet is sufficient. The temporary layers can be easily washed off and the water can simply run off or the layer can be peeled off. A new protective layer can be applied immediately to the cleaned, dry surface.

COST INTENSIVE Permanent Protective Layers!

Permanent protective layers are, as the name suggests, firmly adhering to many substrates. They cannot be removed again, but on the other hand the frequent renewal of the layer is not necessary. Graffiti can usually be easily removed from this coating and the functionality of the permanent systems is not affected. Disadvantages of some permanent systems (2K coatings) are the poor water vapor permeability and the sensitivity to moisture in the masonry. Some coatings also yellow and thus become visually unattractive. Cyan compounds (toxic carbon-nitrogen compounds) are possible in case of fire. With permanent layers, the colors can be washed off, but the layer itself does not dissolve.

Excerpt from Illegal Graffiti / polizei-beratung.de / Police Crime Prevention of the States and the Federal Government (Germany) Status June 2020

Smeared house walls, street signs and train carriages: a picture that has become an everyday occurrence in German cities. The costs caused by illegal graffiti add up to around 200 million euros every year, according to a study by the German Association of Cities and Towns.
The mostly young sprayers are often not aware of the legal and financial consequences of their forbidden hobby.

FACT is:

• Illegal graffiti is damage to property
• the polluter is liable for damages
• and will be prosecuted

Anyone caught spraying illegally at the age of 16 and up runs the risk of being charged for the damage he or she has caused until the age of 46. This is the period during which the injured party's civil law claims against the perpetrator apply. If only a single perpetrator from a group of sprayers is convicted, he is also liable for the entire damage.

Tips for parents:
Children and young people who belong to the graffiti scene can often be recognized by typical characteristics. Among these are:

• a particularly strong interest in graffiti literature and related websites,
• a scrapbook with pictures of graffiti designs
• clothing soiled with paint or spray cans and marker pens hidden in backpacks

If you suspect that your child is illegally spraying graffiti, you should first have a clarifying conversation with him or her.

Important contents of this conversation are:

• Anyone who illegally sprays graffiti is committing a criminal offence
• Claims for damages arise
• Anyone who steps onto tracks to spray trains, underground or suburban trains is putting his life in danger because of the conductor rails.

Tips for injured parties
It is a nasty surprise, connected with annoyance and costs, if the own house wall was defaced with paint smears.
Catch the sprayer in the act, you should:

• Call and inform the police immediately,
• Not to put yourself in danger and
• Complain immediately

Afterwards, the illegal graffiti must be removed as quickly as possible. Because once a wall is fully smeared, experience shows that it soon attracts imitators. There is no absolute protection against graffiti.

But the following tips can significantly reduce the incentive for illegal sprayers:

• Light in combination with a motion detector and attentive neighbors also protect against sprayers.
• A green façade keeps sprayers away.
• Rough, uneven surfaces or colorful walls are an unfavorable surface for graffiti.
• Painting, façade, building cleaning and other specialist companies offer various methods of protection against or removal of paint smears.
• Graffiti can be based on caustic acid mixtures. The contact can be harmful to health.

Tips for young people
Illegal graffiti is a criminal offence - sprayers are liable for 30 years for the damage
Illegal graffiti remains an expensive pleasure. The sprayer or sprayers not only make themselves liable to prosecution, but quickly take responsibility for damages of several thousand euros. If caught at the age 16 and up at illegal spraying, you can be made to pay for damages for the next 30 years. Because the civil law claims of the injured party against the perpetrator are valid for 30 years. With illegal Graffiti runs simply " not everything lubricated ".

We at NewPro help! Simply ingenious: Ideas versus Graffiti & Co

Are you looking for high-quality cleaning products or the optimal surface protection? We at NewPro offer you high-quality products for cleaning buildings and actively protecting your facades. In this way you protect your surfaces from dirt and willful damage, such as from graffiti and wild billposting. Always be one step faster than the sprayers: thanks to NewPro!
Perfect surface protection saves you a lot of work, time and money afterwards. With our innovative products you will be able to clean dirty surfaces in no time at all in the future. Don't be annoyed any longer about graffiti that disfigure your facades, because treated with NewPro surface protection they can be removed easily and without additional cleaning products.

Perfect match: Protect yourself permanently or temporarily.
www.newpro.de/graffitischutz.html