Rawlins Paints Blog Industrial Paint Tips, Guidelines & DIY Articles
An issue for businesses, schools and landlords, our 3-step guide shows you how to quickly and easily paint over indoor graffiti and tagging – preventing bleed through – using Zinsser products, with the powerful stain-blocking B-I-N Primer Sealer and PermaWhite Interior available in over 4,000 colours and 3 finishes.
You can find more “How-to” guides, such as painting over exterior surfaces defaced with graffiti, on our blog.
Contents
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The Benefits
If not treated properly, graffiti can reappear through new paint work, meaning decorators will have to strip back top coats and primers and start again. That’s more disruption for businesses and landlords, affecting trade and tenancies.
Indoor graffiti may be found by businesses moving to new premises that have been left vacant for a period and since become targets for vandalism. Rather than tagging and elaborate murals, however, graffiti can simply be words and phrases written in permanent markers, sometimes written innocently by children. Schools and nurseries can counter this without hampering creativity by converting walls into writeable surfaces, easily cleanable to restore the original decoration. Pubs can cut down on vandalism in male toilets by turning walls above urinals into blackboards for patrons to doodle onto, for instance.
Where graffiti can’t be removed and isn’t welcome, Zinsser’s line of stain-blocking primers and tough finishes easily cover over tags and scribbles, drying quickly to help businesses open faster and for landlords to return homes to the rental market.
Zinsser listens to contactors and develops new products – or adds features to existing products – to meet their changing needs, delivering world class products that meet “real world” challenges, providing tried and tested solutions to painting problems, such as painting over indoor graffiti.
Step 1. Surface Preparation
The surface must be clean, dry and free from anything that will interfere with or affect the adhesion of the materials to be applied, removing loose and failing material by scraping or brushing with a stiff bristle brush to a sound edge.
Feather sound edges with a fine grade abrasive paper and remove all dust.
Prior to painting, the moisture content should not exceed 18%.
Remove all visible signs of organic growth, treating affected areas with Zinsser Mould Killer & Remover in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and allowing to dry.
Any remaining sound paint should be washed down with Zinsser Universal Cleaner & Degreaser to remove any contaminants, rinsing the surface thoroughly with clean water to remove all residues, and allow to dry.
Fill any cracks and small surface defects with a suitable filler, as appropriate in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, allowing it to dry before rubbing down with a fine grade abrasive paper and removing all dust.
Step 2. Priming
Once suitably prepared, all areas affected by graffiti can be primed with one full coat of Zinsser B-I-N in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, allowing a minimum of 45 minutes to dry in normal drying conditions.
Step 3. Decoration
Decorate with two full coats of Zinsser Perma-White Interior in Matt, Satin or Semi-Gloss finishes (available in over 4,000 colours) in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and allow a minimum drying time of two hours between coats.
Please note: Graffiti can be water soluble or solvent soluble, therefore some areas may need a coat of Bulls Eye 1-2-3 Primer Sealer if graffiti bleeds through B-I-N Primer Sealer.
More Information
If you require more advice on painting over indoor graffiti, give our technical team a call on 0113 2455450 (option 2) or send a message to [email protected].