Why Textured Precast Is So Difficult
Smooth concrete or painted brick graffiti is a challenge. Rough-textured precast graffiti is significantly harder. The open, aggregate-exposed surface of precast panels gives paint an enormous surface area to adhere to. Spray paint doesn't just sit on the face — it penetrates the texture and fills recessed areas that no nozzle angle can directly target.
This is why simply blasting with a pressure washer rarely achieves full removal on textured surfaces. The water can flush the exposed paint face, but the paint locked into the texture recesses resists direct water impact because it's shielded by the aggregate profile itself.
Never attempt to scrub or wire-brush graffiti from precast. Wire brushes remove surface material and create scratches that fill with dirt and never look clean again. Power sanding opens the concrete matrix and dramatically accelerates future staining.
What Is Ghosting — And How We Prevent It
Ghosting is the outline or shadow of graffiti that remains visible after a removal attempt — not as intact paint, but as a discolouration of the underlying concrete where the paint penetrated before being removed. On textured precast, ghosting is one of the most common outcomes of an inexperienced or rushed removal.
Preventing ghosting requires a different approach than simply removing visible paint. The goal is not just to remove the paint from the surface — it's to neutralise and extract the paint pigment that has penetrated into the concrete pore structure.
Our Graffiti Removal Process
Step 1: Assess Paint Type and Age
The first variable is paint type. Aerosol spray paint (the most common graffiti medium) is typically an acrylic lacquer. Older tags may have oxidised. Some vandals use oil-based paints or bitumen-based products that require completely different chemical approaches. Our team identifies the paint type before selecting chemistry.
Age is the second critical variable. Fresh graffiti — under 48 hours — is dramatically easier to remove than paint that has cured for weeks or months. The pigment has had less time to penetrate, and the vehicle (the carrier medium) hasn't fully polymerised into the surface.
Step 2: Apply a Specialist Graffiti Remover
We use a two-stage chemical approach on textured precast. First, a gel-form graffiti remover is applied — gel formulas are essential on vertical textured surfaces because they adhere and maintain contact rather than running off. The gel is worked into the texture with a stiff-bristle brush (natural bristle, not wire) to drive the chemistry into the surface recesses.
The product is then left to penetrate. Dwell time varies — fresh paint may need only 15–20 minutes; old, hardened paint may require one to two hours or an overnight application for deeply penetrated pigment.
Step 3: Controlled Pressure Washing
After chemical dwell time, we wash the section with hot or warm water at controlled pressure. Hot water significantly improves paint solubilisation. The combination of the chemical loosening and the mechanical wash action removes both the dissolved surface paint and extracts pigment from within the texture recesses.
Step 4: Assessment and Second Pass
We allow the surface to partially dry and assess. Remaining ghosting, if any, receives a second chemical application with extended dwell time. On very old or deeply penetrated graffiti, a third pass may be required. We set honest expectations with clients: on graffiti over six months old on heavily textured surfaces, 95–99% removal is a realistic target — not always absolute zero.
Fresh graffiti treated within 24–48 hours has a near-100% success rate with no ghosting on most precast surfaces. Graffiti left for months or years is significantly harder. Every day you wait, the outcome gets slightly worse.
Protecting Against Repeat Incidents
For properties that have been targeted once, we strongly recommend an anti-graffiti sacrificial coating after removal. These coatings create a barrier layer that prevents paint from penetrating the concrete pore structure. When graffiti is applied over the coating, it can be removed with significantly less chemistry and effort — sometimes with just hot water. The coating is eventually removed with the graffiti and needs to be reapplied periodically, hence "sacrificial."
For high-risk locations — walls adjacent to pedestrian routes, tunnels, or known tagging areas — this is a worthwhile investment that dramatically reduces the long-term cost of graffiti management.
Dealing with graffiti on your walls? Contact us as soon as possible — early response always produces the best result.