Kelowna News

It's a product a Peachland couple thinks could be the answer to the Central Okanagan's graffiti problems.

Bev Brown and Brian Retzlaff have become local distributors of Graffiti Block, a water based product which repels graffiti.

Brown says they became aware of the product just a few months ago and believe it could be a very big help to Kelowna's rampant graffiti problem.

“It can go on any surface, paint, brick, concrete, anything, and it creates an invisible barrier between the wall and spray paint. Any graffiti put onto a wall after the Block is put on it just washes off with a rag. No sweat, no effort, it just comes right off,” says Brown.

She says the product, which is manufactured in Vancouver, is environmentally safe and could also be used on highway signs.

“Snow doesn't accumulate on surfaces which have been covered in the Block, so it could be very helpful in keeping highway road signs clear in the winter.”

Retzlaff, owner of Beyond Concrete, which is the only company in B.C. with license to sell Graffiti Block, says the product looks kind of like a clear nail polish.

“It gets sprayed or rolled onto a surface, just like regular paint. It expands a little while drying and once it's set, it lasts about 20 years,” says Retzlaff.

He says they have been talking with city officials, local school districts and Strata buildings.

“It has been used with great success in Vancouver and the Graffiti Task Force in Kamloops is recommending it.”

More information about the product is available at the company's website.

Link: Graffiti Block website