For maintenance managers, part of outdoor maintenance involves taking care of the grounds and making sure your building remains in its best possible condition. This includes dealing with unexpected (and something costly) surprises like vandalism, property damage, or graffiti.
There are several things you can do as a maintenance manager to prevent and address vandalism to your building or parking garage.
Preventing vandalism
Security is the best way to protect yourself. Upgrading your security system to a full-time feed with an alarm is one way to monitor and deter unwanted activity on your property. Hiring a security guard to patrol the premises is another proactive step to keep your property secure and deter people from breaking windows or damaging your property.
RELATED: Factors to consider when outsourcing your security
If you have experienced break-ins or vandalism in the past, you may want to consider adding security gates to your property. While this can be an expensive endeavour, it is an effective way to mitigate unauthorized access and may even offer you an insurance break to help offset any damage costs.
You can also add landscaping like large bushes around your property line to help limit the view of your building from the street and use exterior paint with an anti-graffiti coating to make it easier to remove, in the event that damage does occur.
Addressing vandalism
Time is of the essence when it comes to addressing graffiti; the longer you wait, the harder it can be to remove. Before you go all-in, test small areas with the product you are using to ensure that it will do the job without making the situation worse.
For metal surfaces, try paint thinner or paint-removal products with a soft surface tool as a first step. If this doesn’t work, try carefully using steel wool or something slightly more abrasive. You can also use a high-pressure washer, but if all else fails, you may have to paint over the graffiti with a fresh coat.
On wood that has been sealed or painted, you may be able to remove it with mineral spirits, however, if the wood is weathered on untreated, anything you use will cause the wood to absorb the paint even further. Power washing with less than 700 psi is also recommended as an option to remove it without removing the wood finish.
On plastic surfaces, often something like WD-40 can be used to remove paint. Do not use paint thinners on plastic because they can cause clouding that will mark the surface.
Glass can often be cleaned by scraping the paint off the surface with a razor blade or a slightly abrasive tool like ultra-fine bronze wool with water.
If you have graffiti on your masonry, power washing is your best chance at removing the paint but be mindful of the tip you use and the power of the wash. If your tip is too narrow or the flow is too strong, it will etch into the masonry, leaving an outline of the graffiti you removed.
Vandalism is something maintenance managers hope not to experience, but there are ways to make your property less desirable to unwanted visitors. If it does happen, respond quickly by applying one of the suggested methods to remove it as soon as you can and get your building back to looking great.
