These anti-graffiti case studies show how Si-COAT 528AG, the pigmented permanent coating from CSL Silicones, performs on real infrastructure. Each project faced the cycle we know well in South Africa: tag, clean, repeat. Today, crews on every one of these sites remove graffiti with a cold water pressure washer, and the coating stays in place. Technical Solution Supplies (TSS) stocks Si-COAT 528AG and its clear partner, Si-COAT 531AG Clear.
South Africa’s Graffiti Problem
Rail shows the problem most clearly. In 2021, PRASA said that more than 80% of its train stations had suffered vandalism during the lockdown. Later, in a 2024 parliamentary reply, the Minister of Transport put theft and vandalism losses at over R7.64 billion between 2019 and 2023. Now PRASA is restoring its 40 rail corridors, and every restored station is a fresh target for tags.
Cape Town faces the same pressure. In 2021/22 alone, the City’s graffiti teams removed more than 31,000 m² of illegal graffiti in 130 operations. In the CBD, the Cape Town CCID also runs graffiti removal as an ongoing service. Meanwhile, the City has adopted a record R40 billion three year infrastructure budget. It includes a further R3.2 billion for the MyCiTi Cape Flats expansion. As a result, a great deal of new public surface will need protection.
There is an environmental cost too. Chemical removers and repeated scrubbing can wash residue into stormwater drains. By contrast, a permanent coating lets crews clean with water alone. Our article on graffiti removal costs in Cape Town looks at this in more detail.
Six Anti-Graffiti Case Studies From North America
All six projects below used Si-COAT 528AG. The same chemistry and the same cold water removal apply to 531AG Clear. For photos of each job, download the full case history at the end of this page.
1. President George Bush Turnpike, Dallas, Texas
Highway retaining walls are easy to reach from the road and offer large, blank surfaces. For that reason, they attract heavy tagging. On the President George Bush Turnpike, 528AG protects the decorative concrete retaining walls along the corridor. Crews remove new tags with a cold water pressure washer at about 83 bar (1,200 psi), and the coating needs no recoat afterwards. The same approach suits retaining walls and bridge abutments on the N1, N2 and N3, part of the national road network that SANRAL manages.
2. Royal Recreation Trail, Guelph, Ontario
Underpasses stay dry, sit out of sight and are easy to reach on foot. Before treatment, the concrete under this trail bridge carried layers of multicoloured tags. After coating with 528AG, the surfaces came back clean and even toned. Since then, crews wash off new tags with cold water, with no repainting or chemicals. Likewise, many railway bridges and pedestrian underpasses in South African cities face the same pressure. Some also need steel protection, as our article on bridge corrosion protection explains.
3. City of Duarte, California
Welcome walls and civic signs exist to give a good first impression. Therefore, a tagged wall does more harm than the cost of cleaning it. After repeated graffiti on its concrete welcome wall, the City of Duarte specified 528AG. The before and after photos show a tagged, tired wall restored to a clean surface. In South Africa, the same logic applies to civic centres, community halls and transport interchanges.
4. Rue du Fort Tunnel, Montreal, Quebec
This case shows the daily routine most clearly. Before treatment, graffiti covered the tunnel wall. Now a worker removes new tags from the coated surface with nothing more than a cold water pressure washer. As a result, maintenance crews avoid chemical exposure and use equipment they already own.
5. Metrolinx GO Station, Guelph, Ontario
Here 528AG protects the stone masonry walls of a busy commuter station. In other words, it works on stone and masonry, not only concrete. That makes it relevant to PRASA’s station refurbishments, where coating at the restoration stage avoids starting the removal cycle again.
6. Pearson Airport Monorail, Toronto, Ontario
Elevated structures add height, access and safety costs to every clean. At Pearson Airport, 528AG protects the concrete columns and elevated elements of the monorail. Because cleaning needs only water, crews avoid repeated chemical work at height. In addition, CSL tests all Si-COAT 528AG colours to 5,000 hours of accelerated UV weathering, with minimal colour change. That matters under South Africa’s strong sun, on flyovers and rail viaducts alike.
What the Anti-Graffiti Case Studies Mean for South Africa
Taken together, the projects cover highways, underpasses, a tunnel, a civic wall, a station and an elevated structure. They also cover concrete and stone. Therefore, the same approach suits most public infrastructure here. On new or restored structures, it makes most sense to coat at construction stage, before the first tag appears. After that, one permanent coat replaces a cycle of chemical cleaning and recoating. TSS works with municipalities, asset managers and project teams to write the coating into project specifications.
Why We Now Lead With Clear
These jobs used pigmented 528AG, which TSS still supplies. However, our lead product today is Si-COAT 531AG Clear. Because it is clear, it goes over any colour, so painted trains, branded walls and face brick keep their look. Still, it dries to a semi gloss sheen, so try a test patch on matte surfaces first. For a full overview, read our guide to anti-graffiti coating in South Africa.
Anti-Graffiti Case Studies FAQ
Is Si-COAT 528AG suitable for South Africa’s climate?
Yes. The cured coating stays stable from minus 60°C to 200°C. In addition, its colours hold up through 5,000 hours of accelerated UV testing, as noted above.
Can it go on railway station structures?
Yes. CSL lists concrete, brick, stone, metal, wood and fibreglass as suitable surfaces. The Metrolinx station job shows it on stone masonry. However, always run a quick field adhesion test first.
How does it perform on bridges and tunnels?
The Royal Recreation Trail and Rue du Fort jobs both show it on bridge and tunnel concrete. In both cases, crews remove graffiti with cold water and the coating stays in place.
Can municipalities specify it for new projects?
Yes. In fact, construction stage is the best time to do it. Contact us for technical data and application guidance for your project documents. For more answers, see our anti graffiti coating FAQ.
Technical Solution Supplies distributes CSL Silicones products across Southern Africa, including the DRC and the Seychelles.
Proud exclusive distributor of CSL Silicones in Southern Africa.