Two questions decide every removal: the surface — and the medium
Most people assume graffiti removal is about the wall. It's half the story. The other half is what the tag was made with, because each medium bonds differently and answers to different chemistry.
The usual suspects
- Aerosol spray paint — the classic. Pigment in a solvent carrier that penetrates porous surfaces and cures harder over time. Fresh = straightforward; month-old on bare masonry = a much bigger job
- Oil-based paint pens ("paint markers") — thicker pigment load laid on heavily; often the most stubborn medium, especially on porous or textured surfaces
- Permanent markers — dye-based inks that wick deep into porous material; on plastics and some painted surfaces they can "ghost" back after cleaning as absorbed dye re-migrates
- Shoe polish, wax sticks ("mean streaks") — greasy media that smear if wiped, needing solvents that cut wax without spreading it
- Chalk-based and latex — the easy end; often rinse off surfaces others would cling to
Why this matters to your invoice
Using one generic remover for everything either fails on the hard media or wastes aggressive (and expensive) chemistry on the easy ones — and on painted surfaces, the wrong solvent takes the wall's own paint with it. We identify the medium from your photo before quoting, which is why a photo quote is usually accurate to the dollar. It's also why fresh tags cost less: every medium above gets harder to remove as it cures. Text a photo to (778) 200-8343 and we'll tell you exactly what you're dealing with.