Dru-Ann Greene, owner of an air filter sales business here, and her fianc, Randall Robertson, a former independent home remodeler, have been eyeing the increasing graffiti on downtown Spokane businesses with dismay.


They say they wondered if the long-term aesthetic effects from covering up the offensive messages with semi-matched paint or leaving odd-looking clean spots with a graffiti shadow were really much better.


It really detracts from tourism and development, Greene asserts.


Their observations gave Robertson and Greene the idea for a new business, Graffiti Removal Services, which they founded last winter and aims to restore surfaces rather than apply Band-Aid fixes to graffiti eyesores. Additionally, their company offers a surface protectant thats intended to make removal of future graffiti simpler by preventing the paint from adhering to exterior building surfaces, Robertson says.


Where this will really shine is on brick, he says. Robertson says brick is particularly difficult to restore because it absorbs paint into its porous surface.


The business currently shares office space with Air Filter Sales Northwest Inc., which Greene has owned here for 17 years, at 732 N. Madelia. Robertson is the sole employee of the new business for now, dividing his time between Graffiti Removal Services and Air Filter Sales Northwest.


Having completed a handful of jobs since the company started operating functionally in June, Robertson says hes had very positive response to his work so far.


The cost of restoration can run anywhere from $300 for a straightforward job up to thousands of dollars for a larger, more complex restoration.


The surface protectant is expensive, Robertson saysabout $100 per gallon just for the materialsbut the protective finish is guaranteed for 10 years, and probably will last much longer than that, he says.


By city ordinance, building owners are required to remove or cover up graffiti right away or to allow city work crews to remove it for them, and the city may charge them for the work. According to the Spokane Community Oriented Policing Stations (COPS), removing graffiti right away reduces repeat incidences of gang-related graffiti.


Since deciding to set up shop, the couple has been slowly gearing up the business, researching non-toxic cleaners and designing a van that wont carry all of the equipment needed to do a job, but will muffle the noise of the air compressors used to do the work.


They also are focusing on informing potential clients that they can have their surfaces restored rather than simply painted over.


Were interested in restoring surfaces to their original condition, Robertson says.


Graffiti Removal Services primary piece of equipment, a soda blaster, represents the largest investment in the about $20,000 startup cost, but is well worth it, Greene says.


The soda blaster is a kinder, gentler version of a sandblaster, which is too abrasive for most exterior finishes, Robertson says.


What Robertson and Greene are aiming to do is create a system that will restore a surface to its previous finish, in a nonpolluting way as much as possible, using materials like sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) or potassium sulfate for brick, corn cob for wood surfaces, and other environmentally friendly substances that will strip away paint without damaging the underlying surface.


Robertson did the companys first job in June, and hopes to secure enough work to hire an employee or two in the next few months.


Right now, he is bidding jobs and getting the fledgling companys van modified to hold the equipment.


Air Filter Sales Northwest provides a convenient customer base for the new venture of building maintenance engineers who come in to buy air filters. Additionally, Robertson stops by buildings that have been tagged to contact the owners and offer the companys services. Sometimes, Greene says, the owner of the building might not live in town, and doesnt even know his or her property has been vandalized.


Because vandals typically try to get the widest view possible of their offensive displays, attacking freeway overpasses and other highly visible and difficult-to-reach places, cleanup efforts frequently require creativity, Robertson says.


Recently, for instance, he was looking at a possible job in which someone had climbed a catwalk and defaced a building at the fifth-floor level. He says he had to consider how he would reach the defaced area and included the cost of that in his bid.


Robertson says each possible variation of paint and surface creates its own unique cleanup challenges.


He says to do a good restoration that truly matches the rest of the wall, he might need to bid cleaning of a larger area to blend it well and to avoid a clean spot effect.


Robertson says the company is seeking clients who want a thorough restoration, though it may cost a bit more than a quick fix.


I wont take a job if they dont want quality, Robertson says.


Robertson and Greene say they will continue looking for ways to get to graffiti before it gets on peoples walls, too. The company is currently doing patent research for a graffiti-deterrent device Robertson has conceptualized. He declines to describe the design of the device, but he says he thinks it could go a long way toward helping high-target sites prevent graffiti.


Robertson and Greene arent concerned about running out of potential business anytime soon, but say they do hope to be part of a graffiti solution in Spokane, because they live here, too.


We want to help balance the negative effects, Greene says.


Contact Jeanne Gustafson at (509) 344-1264 or via e-mail at jeanneg@spokanejournal.com.