One of the most frequently asked home improvement questions is how to remove graffiti from concrete. If you are pondering about the same, you can get the answer to it right here in this article. Graffiti marks on a concrete surface can be quite unsightly and reduce the curb appeal of your home if the same is present on your boundary wall. Moreover, as concrete is a porous surface, it is more difficult to remove graffiti from it.
However, one of the easiest ways to get rid of graffiti from concrete is by using extra-strength paint thinner. You need to use a wire brush to apply the thinner on the graffiti and let it sit for around 20-25 minutes so that the chemicals present in the thinner can dissolve the color pigments and leave your surface neat and clean. You may need to scrub the surface of a heavy-duty graffiti with a wire brush once again to get rid of any paint residue.
Once the concrete surface is visibly clean, you need to wash it with a high-power garden hose. However, if you want to know about an alternate method of how to remove graffiti from concrete, you can also use an especially formulated graffiti remover for the purpose. Most of these removers are essentially chemical strippers that comprise of potassium hydroxide or methylene chloride and citrus-based solvents that dissolve the color pigments without causing any abrasion to the surface.
Whether you select paint thinner or chemical stripper, it is highly recommended that you select a biodegradable variety so that it does not cause any environmental damage. While a paint thinner can work on the color pigments in less than 30 minutes, you need to allow the chemical strippers to soak into the surface for more than a few hours to get effective results. Furthermore, after using chemical strippers, you need to treat the surface with an acid neutralizer.
Apart from these non-abrasive graffiti cleaning agents, the market is also flooded with industrial strength graffiti removers that do an excellent job but also chafe the outer coating of concrete surface thus making it more prone to weathering. In fact, these removers are not the desired answer to the question of how to remove graffiti from concrete as the strong chemicals present in them make the cleaned area look different from the remaining surface.