Vinyl fencing can make a tempting target for graffiti “artists.” While it’s certainly no fun to discover that your beautiful fence has been vandalized there is good news.
Before you begin make sure you take a couple of photographs. You might want to report the problem to the police before wiping away the evidence.
Vinyl is relatively easy to clean, even when someone adds unwanted paint. Here’s what you’ll need:
- A paint brush
- Lacquer thinner
- Acetone
- A clean rag
- A spray bottle
- Dishwashing liquid
- Water
- A sponge
- Safety goggles to protect your eyes from fumes.
Once you gather all of your materials you can get to work. First, use the paint brush to apply the lacquer thinner to the graffiti.
You don’t need to go crazy coating the graffiti with the lacquer thinner. You just need a nice thin coat.
The reason why you want to keep it good and light is simply due to the fact that the chemicals are, sadly, going to have an effect on your vinyl. If you keep it light you can minimize the effects.
Let the lacquer thinner sit for about ten minutes. Then gently use your rag to rub the paint away.
Make sure you work in a single direction. You don’t want to smear the paint and make a bigger mess.
At this point you might find that nothing is happening. If that’s the case your vandal used acrylic paints.
Acrylic paints are going to be somewhat more problematic.
If your vandal used acrylic you’ll need to gently wipe the lacquer thinner away. Then you’ll need to dip another rag in acetone.
Use the acetone rag to gently wipe the paint away. Again, you want to move in a single direction.
Do your best to minimize the area that the acetone touches. The acetone isn’t like the lacquer thinner. It will actually leave a permanent “dull” spot on your fence. There’s no help for it, so you just want to minimize contact.
Either way, you’ll need to repeat your rubbing motion as necessary until all of the paint is removed from your fence.
Now that you’ve cleared the paint away your next task is to get the chemicals off your fence as quickly and as effectively as possible. Add 1/4 of a cup of dishwashing liquid to your spray bottle. Fill the rest of the spray bottle with water.
Shake the bottle vigorously to mix the contents. Then spray the solution over your fence.
Wipe the soap and water away with a sponge and more water. Wipe and rinse well until you’re sure that the chemicals are all gone.
For over 35 years we’ve been building and repairing fences in Wauwatosa, Brookfield, Whitefish Bay and the rest of the Milwaukee metro area. Call us today for a free estimate on your new fence.
