I live in Suburbia. Someone spray painted racial slurs on my drive way. Unfortunately, it is not against my race. While this has been a good way to meet the people in my neighborhood, it has not been friendly meetings.
I've pressure washed the paint and that took of a great deal, but it is still plainly visible. All I can think of now is to paint over it with some concrete paint, but I don't really want to paint my entire drive way.
The area is in a 3' x 3' square. I'm thinking of trying to sand it with a cinder block, trying to cover it with cement powder or maybe sandblasting. Off the wall ideas I guess but worth a try.
sandblasting might be as extreme as muriatic acid in effect/looks (markedly different from other concrete in area); one form of art even exists whereby templates made from old rubber inner tubes are used in sandblasting designs into concrete...
some rental places rent concrete grinders that have stones you attach to the bottom of the machine, the stones rotate and remove surface concrete...you don't want the machine but want to buy one of the stones from the rental place...use it, the friction from rubbing the effected spot in circular potions with the stone should remove the paint, if that doesn't, follow up with 3600 psi pressure washer...then retry stone etc.
to match sanded area to old concrete, maybe try using mixture of street dirt, tiny portion oil, tiny portion of roofing tar, maybe some rust if other concrete nearby has rust stains,,,thinned with something safe then applied when it won't be raining for 4 or 5 days in a row,,,
If it *was* against his own race, it would be obvious to the neighbors that he was not responsible for putting it there. Hopefully, they realize that anyway, but some people aren't too quick to catch on.
Yes, call someone at the City of Chicago graffiti removal crew, probably part of public works. There are fairly harmless ways of removing it. Even though you're not in Chicago they won't mind pointing you in the right direction.
My impression of the original statement was that if it was against them, they might be able to get more "action" against possible perps since it would be considered a hate crime against them.
My advice, get
formatting link
to give you a visit. ;)
Beware advice of acid etching, since the paint might act as a resist and make the letters stand out more.
The op hasn't said what his driveway is made of. (Why not, I wonder?)
But wire wheels don't work well on many non-metals. They don't just remove what is to be removed. They crush the surface of brick and other things and I'm not sure it ever gets back to normal.
I'd just spray paint your own message next to it, and make a rude comment against the race you suspect was responsible for the grafitti. That will make everything well. If you suspect a gang did it, be sure ot make a negative comment against that gang. They will probably come and burn your house down after you do it, and once the house is gone you can collect the insurance money and move to a better neighborhood.
Unless your home owners deductable is extremely low, I doubt it's worth it to contact your insurer.
I'm pasting an article on the subject below. [DO NOT ADD CONCRETE POWDER, BTW]
I don't know that I agree with the article about the black asphalt but then I don't have to worry about snow, etc, so maybe it;s a good idea. Article is below Do an online searech and compare the info you get with how logical it sounds.Most articles I scanned say pressure washing should do it, but you might have to repeat it a few times. (use a rental pressure washer for $50-60 a day- more powerful generally )
Uncoated asphalt tends to become very porous over time allowing easier staining. Spray paint has a solvent base that tends to bind tenaciously to asphalt that's why the lines on the roads stay put so long!
Any paint solvent or remover will likewise soften the asphalt.
Your best recourse is to just coat the driveway (or just the offending area) with a black asphalt sealer available at any hardware or home store. This coal-tar based product will easily mask the paint stain with a more attractive black finish. I would highly recommend sealing the entire driveway. The resulting smooth, nonporous surface makes snow removal easier and lengthens the life of the driveway as well.
And future painting "accident" cleanups and if necessary touchups will be easier!
If you are white and you have a racial slur on your drive, some fair percent of the population assume YOU are making a statement. If you are black and there is a black racial slur, you are a victim. Perhaps I chose my words poorly, but people don't stop to think that if you are a bigot, you most likely wouldn't put a big sign in your yard saying that you are. Hope that helps. I did get a visit from the code enforcement telling me that it was an inappropriate sign. When I asked the guy if he really thought that I put the message on my drive, he said probably not, but someone did and called him. You have got to love stupid neighbors and the government that makes it all possible. BM
My pressure washer was a 2700 psi. I don't know if a 3600 would do much better, but maybe if it had hot water it might. OR after an application of Citrapeel someone recommended. I had thought to use a cinder block piece to "sand" the area. I would really like it gone by Halloween. bm
Sorry I forgot. It is hard packed red clay. I'd really like to get the pant up before the grass gets too high for me to find it and work with it. Yes, I am being a smart ass. There is no "BIG SECRET" on why I didn't post what the driveway was composed of, it just slipped by me. Around here 99% of the driveways are concrete.....as is mine. Thanks BM
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.