Graffiti Be Gone: How to Remove a Vandals Art From Your Garage Door | Hicklin Door Services

After watching hours of renovation shows on television, you've taken the term "houseproud" to a whole new level. You've ripped out the kitchen and updated the master bathroom. You even hired professional landscapers. The curb appeal is off the charts. But then a vandal hits your garage door with a can of spray paint! What to do? The Property Brothers have not covered this topic yet. Graffiti may have started as an urban blight, but it has spread to the suburbs and beyond. Nobody's home is safe.

When faced with this unfortunate situation, you could hire a company that specializes in this type of cleaning. But ask yourself, "What would Mike Holmes do?" He would take it as a challenge to remove the graffiti himself-or at least try. There are several cleaning products to tackle the problem. Here, we channel the spirit of HGTV and provide helpful hints for erasing the damage.

What are you waiting for? Get outside and start this job as soon as possible, before the paint dries and takes hold. Try to remove graffiti within the first 24 to 48 hours. You wo not regret getting a head start the same day.

It's all about the (spray) paint

A solvent is a chemical substance that dissolves something else-in this case, spray paint. There are three types of solvents:

• Hydrocarbon solvents such as paraffin, with lower solvency power but they effectively separate from water.

• Halogenated solvents, which typically belong to the family of chlorinated chemicals.

Okay, that's the chemistry. Here what you need to know. Strong solvents will take off the paint under the graffiti, as well as the tag, if you are not careful. You can not expect a solvent to distinguish between the graffiti and your undercoat of exterior paint on the garage door. Knowing that, proceed with caution, do not over‑saturate the stain with solvent, scrub lightly and be sure to work in small areas. (Note that wooden doors are particularly vulnerable to solvents).

Try mineral spirits, also called white spirits. They are a type of petroleum distillate used to thin paint. Note that they are cheap and easy to use, but does not always remove more stubborn graffiti. White spirits will only work on easy‑to‑remove, fresh paint that can be removed with a pressure washer anyway.

Naphtha, also a petroleum solvent, is stronger than white spirits. Naphtha will dissolve dry, hardened paint and crayons.

If your vandal used markers, isopropyl alcohol is a good option. It also breaks down shoe polish and ink.

Lacquer thinner, or acetone, is one of the most effective solvents against graffiti. Acetone softens and dissolves most types of paint-even spray paint. However, acetone can soften certain types of plastic or vinyl, so it's unsuitable on a plastic garage door.

If you shy away from solvents, there's an option. "Green" activists and grandmothers swear by a mixture of white vinegar and lemon juice, or white vinegar and baking soda, is an effective cleaning agent. Admittedly, there is less of a risk that you will damage your door's original paint. It's worth a try.

Your door's original surface is a big consideration. If your garage door was manufactured with a baked‑on paint, typically polyester based, it's more resistant. If your garage door was repainted in a paint shop by a professional painting company, find out what type of paint they used to do it and how it was applied.

Sometimes, it's best to repaint

Is your garage door getting old? Think long and hard about spending time and money trying to scrub graffiti off a weathered door. Would not a cosmetic makeover contribute greatly to the overall appearance of your home? If so, just repaint your garage door and do not bother hunting around town for a specialized product to remove graffiti.

For help picking the paint color for the makeover, major paint manufacturers have an online visualize tool for exterior paint on their websites, so you can experiment with color combinations and find the perfect look to complement your front door. Designers know that oversized garage doors look best in lighter shades, while smaller doors can be painted a deeper shade. Bold accent colors-red, cranberry, navy-look best on front doors.

Before you pick up the paint brush, start by thoroughly cleaning the door's surface and bottom edge. Wash off all surface dirt, grease and spider webs before applying a coat of good-quality primer. If your door is from Garaga or is a door with a similar surface, then refer to our website for the instructions you will need to repaint it.

Perhaps your home insurance policy covers damage by vandals! Contact your insurance company to confirm and ask about the deductible. If the deductible is high, it may not be worth submitting a claim.

Is it time for an upgrade?

Ask yourself an honest question. Was your garage door ready to be replaced anyway? This could be the prodding you were waiting for to make a change. If you live near Des Moines contact us now or call 515-276-3700. We provide no‑obligation quotations by email.

Another option is to come and meet us at our showroom. Use our Design Centre to pick out the style of door and look at our image gallery for instant inspiration.

What are some ways to increase space for cats in a small house?

Use vertical space. Keep breakables out of spaces the cat has access to, behind door or behind glass or at great heights (some cats can jump to the top of a fridge, so that's a minimum). You can train cats that there are surfaces they are not allowed on but (a) you want to do that without the breakables present, (b) there is no guarantee they will behave when not observed, and (c) if the surface is at all interestingly placed, they are almost guaranteed to try again at some point in the future, to check whether the role is still in force. Give the cat other things to climb -- a cat tree (good homebrew designs can be found on the web), shelves that they are allowed on, the top of a cabinet with a reasonable route to it either by climbing or jumping or both. .. Things to crawl under/through are another kind if space.Give them toys to play with in the available space. Remember, to a cat, a room is much bigger than for us. (Reverse-engineering the 8' cat tree I inherited, I figure it's one sheet of plywood, one 8' 2x4 (or a bit more?), one 8' 4x4, four heavy angle brackets, two carpet runners, and screws and glue to assemble it. Not very expensive for something that lets the cats meet me at eye level and/or climb almost to the ceiling.)