Learn Why Graffiti is Vandalism and How You Can Stop It from Damaging Your Property
For both residential and commercial properties, presentation is everything; vandalized glass windows can make visitors uncomfortable, residents uneasy, and customers unlikely to patronize a business.
Graffiti is one of the most prevalent forms of vandalism, an unsightly epidemic that can be expensive to fix.
Property owners need to prevent graffiti at all costs – but how? CoolVu is here to help.
Explore why graffiti absolutely should be considered vandalism, the best ways to prevent graffiti on your property, and why anti-graffiti window film is the best choice for protection.
Is Graffiti Vandalism?
Yes, graffiti is vandalism — an extremely damaging type of vandalism at that. Barring express permission from the owner of the property, almost all graffiti is applied unwillingly and leads to major removal expenses for property owners. The costs associated with graffiti have been estimated as high as $15 to $18 billion. According to the City of Houston, that can cost taxpayers an average of $1-3 per person per cleanup to public property, potentially not only wasting private, but also public funds.
Three Ways to Prevent Graffiti on Your Property
From major metropolitan areas to small towns, graffiti vandalism can strike at any time. You need protection; here are three key ways to prevent graffiti on your property.
1) Better Surveillance & Lighting
Graffiti artists love the attention they receive once their art is seen in daylight. What they DON’T love is receiving attention while they’re spraying graffiti — leading to police detainment, legal consequences, and potentially even jail-time. Threatening the risk of capture can be key to preventing graffiti on your property, achieved through better surveillance and more concentrated lighting.
Lighting should be focused on the areas of your property most vulnerable to graffiti — including blank walls, glass windows, and glass doors. Surveillance cameras should also be focused on these areas, but present less of a visible threat than lighting thanks to their smaller size; we recommend putting up signs warning of 24-hour surveillance to further deter graffiti vandalism.
2) Anti-Graffiti Coatings
Whether they don’t care about the consequences or fail to acknowledge posted signage, many would-be vandals disregard ample lighting and warnings of surveillance, proceeding to still spray-paint your property.
To ensure minimal long-term damage, property-owners need some sort of anti-graffiti protection on glass — one popular choice being anti-graffiti coatings.
As the name implies, anti-graffiti coating refers to a coating that prevents spray-paint from permanently bonding to a surface. These coatings are transparent, applying over existing glass. There are three main types of anti-graffiti coatings, being sacrificial, semi-sacrificial, and permanent. Each type has different levels of longevity, price, materials they’re made from.
Sacrificial Coatings
Sacrificial anti-graffiti coatings can handle one to two rounds of graffiti before needing to be removed and replaced — hence the “sacrificial” qualifier. These coatings are typically made from cheaper polymers such as acrylates, biopolymers, and waxes, allowing for easy removal and affordable replacement.
Semi-Sacrificial Coatings
Semi-sacrificial anti-graffiti coatings are more similar to sacrificial coatings than permanent coatings. Graffiti can be partially removed from these coatings using a high-pressure washer and graffiti removal solvent, but most brands recommend reapplication after multiple attempts at vandalism.
Permanent Coatings
More expensive than sacrificial anti-graffiti coatings, permanent anti-graffiti coatings are designed for longer-lasting graffiti prevention. Often made from polyurethane or fluorinated hydrocarbons, graffiti can be removed from these coatings using graffiti solvent and pressure. Alongside their high price, permanent anti-graffiti coatings are also difficult to apply.
3) Anti-Graffiti Film
While anti-graffiti coatings are semi-reliable, property-owners looking for a more holistic solution to graffiti protection should consider anti-graffiti window film.
How Does Anti-Graffiti Film Work?
Similar to anti-graffiti coatings, anti-graffiti film is applied over existing glass as an optically clear layer of protection. Rather than a liquid coating, these films are solid, and applied to glass using an adhesive. Unlike anti-graffiti coating, these adhesives are easy to remove and do not chemically bond to glass surfaces.
Once applied, anti-graffiti film supplies invisible graffiti protection to glass windows and doors. If vandalized, property-owners can call their local window film provider for quick and affordable service — covering both film removal and replacement.
Why Anti-Graffiti Window Film is the Best Choice for Vandalism Prevention
Anti-graffiti window film is the best choice for vandalism because of its diverse additional benefits for properties. Window film has versatile capabilities beyond graffiti protection — making your investment in vandalism prevention flex even further.
Take, for example, the security benefits of window film. Vandalism can quickly escalate to other property crimes, including break-ins and theft — not to mention potential lost funds from business closure. Anti-graffiti window film can double as window security film, stopping both graffiti and shattered glass at your property.
From increased security to substantial energy savings, anti-graffiti window film is a versatile solution for all kinds of properties. With such notable advantages, window film is the clear top choice for graffiti prevention. So what’s the first step to window film installation? Finding a reliable window film provider.
Contact CoolVu to Install Durable Anti-Graffiti Film on Your Property
With locations across the country, CoolVu is the ultimate choice for anti-graffiti film installation. Our nationwide network of window film professionals carries experience from both commercial and residential projects, building turnkey installation plans catered to the unique ins and outs of your property. Find a location near you and access our full suite of innovative retrofit film solutions.
