Return to Technical Information
by Arthur Mortimer
(Published originally in the MCLA Newsletter, v. 3, n. 1, 1990)
As a mural artist, until recently I had never had the need to be concerned with anti-graffiti protection. But in January of this year I completed a large piece in Lompoc (north of Santa Barbara), and I agreed to provide the sponsor, the City of Lompoc, with information on what anti-graffiti products and procedures were available. Anti-graffiti products are coatings that protect walls by allowing graffiti to be removed without damaging the painting or wall surfaces beneath.
In the process of talking with older mural artists and people on the Board of the Mural Conservancy, I found out that SPARC (the Social and Public Arts Resource Center) in Venice, founded by muralist Judy Baca, was in the process of compiling a research report on current anti-graffiti products and techniques. I contacted Greg Dickens at SPARC who very generously shared his information and test results with me. I then assembled this information into a report which I presented to the City of Lompoc Mural Project.
In March, 1990 the Mural Conservancy decided to restructure its mural conservation program with the help of grant monies received from the L.A. Department of Cultural Affairs and the Brody Fund. A committee was formed consisting of Bill Lasarow, David Botello, Roderick Sykes and myself. Since I had already assembled some information for the Lompoc project, I was given the responsibility for putting together a report for the Conservancy on anti-graffiti coating products and technology.
Following is a summary of the information I have collected about various anti-graffiti products currently on the market. The information was collected from a variety of sources, but in no way should be construed as comprehensive. This is apparently a rapidly expanding and evolving field, with new products being introduced frequently each company claiming to have the "perfect solution" to the graffiti problem.
Greg Dickens at SPARC has been conducting an ongoing study and testing of anti-graffiti coatings. He established a test section of a concrete block wall behind their offices where he has had representatives of various products come and apply their protective coatings to a brightly painted multi-colored wall surface.
The wall was then attacked by him with various types of paints spray cans and others (graffiti). The product representatives were then invited to come and demonstrate the effectiveness of their removal techniques. The best results were obtained using a relatively new type of product: wax-like polymer "sacnficial" coatings.
The City of Los Angeles Department of General Services recently conducted tests of six different sacrificial anti-graffiti coatings. The tests were conducted by Gary MacAdam, their technical adviser for painting and related products. He gave the compaxies the opportunity to demonstrate the effectiveness of their products on two different surfaces: unpainted concrete and painted stucco. The results of this testing are available in a report available from the Department of General Services. There is also a videotape of the testing which will be available. This testing is to be an ongoing program; the City will continue to be invoked in evaluating and reevaluating anti-graffiti products on an ongoing basis. The results of these ongoing tests will also be made available as they are approved.
What is a "sacrificial" coating? Generally, there are two different types of anti-graffiti coatings: PERMANENT and SACRIFICIAL.
Permanent coatings are designed to be impervious to the graffiti and also impervious to whatever products are used to clean off the graffiti. After the graffiti is cleaned off the mural the coating still remains intact on the wall. Removal of graffiti from these coatings tends to involve rubbing and scrubbing, and the use of a variety of solvents. The emphasis in graffiti prevention and control seems to have shifted away from the use of permanent coatings.
Sacrificial coatings are meant to be removed, taking whatever is on top of them off along with the coating. The coating is then re-applied over the cleaned area. There are several types of sacrificial coatings currently on the market, and the type most in favor these days is a wax-like polymer coating that is sprayed or mixed with water and is cleaned off (melted off) with a hot water pressure sprayer. There are several brands of coatings, and several companies offering graffiti control services utilizing this type of coating. Some companies offer a protection service like an insurance policy: for a fixed yearly or monthly fee they will come out and clean and re-coat a protected mural every time it is vandalized.
I contacted the companies whose products had been tested by both the City and SPARC, as well as some others I was referred to by other people. After an initial screening and evaluation process by the committee, several were asked to submit bids on a list of six specific murals designated by the committee as most in need of restoration and protection.
We received bids from three companies and selected one, Genesis Coatings, to coat and maintain our first mural: Kent Twitchell's Seventh Street Altarpiece on both sides of the Harbor Freeway in downtown L.A. This was done Monday, June 4, after a large group of Mural Conservancy volunteers, organized and guided by David Botello, assisted Kent the previous Saturday in cleaning and restoring.
We are pleased to report that our first long-term Conservancy project is a success. Kent's beautiful and sensitive mural is now protected for one whole year. And quick, easy graffiti removal is just a phone call away! Genesis Coatings will send out a truck to spray off the sacrificial coating and the graffiti in the affected area and then re-coat it immediately, all in one tnp.