Cities looking to beautify their neighborhoods through cleanup and
restoration efforts can quickly and easily reduce unsightly graffiti with Sherwin-Williams Protective &
Marine Anti-Graffiti Coating. The coating prevents graffiti from adhering to underlying surfaces and
allows unwelcome artwork to be easily washed away. It can help cities remove – and prevent – graffiti
to preserve and enhance neighborhood aesthetics, foster pride in communities, and promote healthy
and safe environments for residents and businesses.
According to Keep America Beautiful (KAB), municipalities with graffiti problems can experience
decreased feelings of safety among citizens and visitors, lower retail sales, reduced ridership on transit
systems, and lower property values. Therefore, cities spend millions of dollars annually on graffiti
cleanup to enhance the beauty and general welfare of their communities. These efforts can especially
pay off when graffiti removal can be done quickly and efficiently, as KAB reports that repeat defacing is
reduced – almost to the point of complete elimination – when graffiti is removed from a municipal
surface within the first 48 hours.
Sherwin-Williams Anti-Graffiti Coating is a cost-effective, ready-to-use solution intended for use over
bare concrete or previously painted surfaces. It offers excellent graffiti resistance and ease of cleaning,
without leaving any shadowing or staining. Anti-Graffiti Coating is a permanent solution that creates a
nonstick surface to repel graffiti from paint, spray paint cans, and permanent markers without chemical
cleaning, abrasives, repainting, or reapplication.
“A partnership with Sherwin-Williams to use our Anti-Graffiti Coating presents a viable solution to
beautify, preserve and protect communities,” said Danica Zeise, Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine
Product Manager. “The coating offers the potential to help reduce graffiti cleanup and removal costs for
municipalities nationwide.”
City officials are showing interest in the value of Sherwin-Williams Anti-Graffiti Coating. Representatives
from the Ohio Department of Transportation, the city of Cleveland and the Greater Cleveland Regional
Transit Authority recently witnessed a coatings specialist pressure-wash spray-painted graffiti away
within minutes. Sherwin-Williams’ live power washing demonstration, held August 13 at the company’s
John G. Breen Technology Center in Cleveland, Ohio, brought to life how the coating could help
municipalities protect and enhance aesthetics citywide.
During the demonstration, guests first viewed a video of workers applying the Anti-Graffiti Coating to a
brick wall followed by a local graffiti artist spray painting a mural of the city onto the coated wall. Then,
attendees watched a live demo of the large skyline painting being promptly washed off the wall using
only a standard pressure washer. The coating had been applied a week before the event, and the mural
was painted three days prior to the demonstration and left to bake in the hot summer sun. The pressure
washer removed the entire mural in minutes, revealing how easily graffiti can be removed from surfaces
treated with the Anti-Graffiti Coating.
Sherwin-Williams offers a variety of anti-graffiti solutions for both interior and exterior use. The
products are long lasting and easy to apply via brushing, rolling, or spraying. They also provide excellent
adhesion and ultraviolet (UV) resistance, as well as surface protection from graffiti damage that would
otherwise have to be blasted off or painted over. The special coatings protect commercial and municipal
buildings and infrastructure, schools, bridge abutments, transit stations, overpasses, fences, rail cars,
commissioned artwork, and new construction from unsolicited graffiti through quick, economical
removal.
Sherwin-Williams is a global protective and marine coatings company that delivers smarter asset
protection and unmatched service and specification support to its customers from over 4,000 locations
worldwide. From alkyds to zincs, the company offers a complete line of time-tested, high performance
coatings and systems to combat corrosion, supported by the largest group of NACE-certified coatings
inspectors in the industry. With nearly 150 years in business and a culture of product innovation,
Sherwin-Williams today is the single source of supply for coatings solutions made to your specifications
and delivered on time, every time.