BrighterLook2
New Member
Last week, I left a thread about graffiti removal but I didnt get a response. My question today is do you charge removal by the hour or square foot? Thank you in advance.
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Graffiti Removal Pricing
- Thread starter BrighterLook2
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ERADiblaster
New Member
This is just one reader's opinion, but . . .
I've read pros and cons for both hourly and area (sq. ft.) pricing. One thing you might want to consider, with either system, would be a minimum "call-out" charge for any job. A relatively small "tag" on a visible part of someone's business might not amount to much in overall area, or the time needed to remove it. They want it gone, as soon as possible, and you're the guy who can do that, right?
Even with minimal materials expended to remove a small area, you'll still have an "investment" in it. (Even before you get any calls about graffiti-removal jobs.) The time and fuel to get to the job, chemicals or blast media used to remove the mark(s), etc., will add up, plus you need to have the stuff ready to go when the phone rings. Can you recoup your costs (and pay yourself for your time put in) with the charge for an hour's work, or maybe ten square feet?
A property owner will probably be happy to pay a flat fee to get someone who will come right over and properly remove a mess. For larger jobs requiring more time/fuel/etc. from you, then you could add in your hourly or area rate. For smaller jobs, just charging your flat rate could make some buck$ for you.
I know that's kind of an evasive answer (something I'm good at ), but maybe it'll get a good discussion going about which system is better, per hour or per square foot.
BTW, I think you said you put in eight hours "de-graffing" a trailer. You put in a lot of time and work on that one. Did the customer specify no chems, or do you not use them for other reasons? I think chemicals would have cut the time expended on the job, but you still had a lot of area to cover.
Let's see who chimes in about which pricing system is better, and why. "Inquiring minds want to know."
I've read pros and cons for both hourly and area (sq. ft.) pricing. One thing you might want to consider, with either system, would be a minimum "call-out" charge for any job. A relatively small "tag" on a visible part of someone's business might not amount to much in overall area, or the time needed to remove it. They want it gone, as soon as possible, and you're the guy who can do that, right?
Even with minimal materials expended to remove a small area, you'll still have an "investment" in it. (Even before you get any calls about graffiti-removal jobs.) The time and fuel to get to the job, chemicals or blast media used to remove the mark(s), etc., will add up, plus you need to have the stuff ready to go when the phone rings. Can you recoup your costs (and pay yourself for your time put in) with the charge for an hour's work, or maybe ten square feet?
A property owner will probably be happy to pay a flat fee to get someone who will come right over and properly remove a mess. For larger jobs requiring more time/fuel/etc. from you, then you could add in your hourly or area rate. For smaller jobs, just charging your flat rate could make some buck$ for you.
I know that's kind of an evasive answer (something I'm good at
), but maybe it'll get a good discussion going about which system is better, per hour or per square foot.BTW, I think you said you put in eight hours "de-graffing" a trailer. You put in a lot of time and work on that one. Did the customer specify no chems, or do you not use them for other reasons? I think chemicals would have cut the time expended on the job, but you still had a lot of area to cover.
Let's see who chimes in about which pricing system is better, and why. "Inquiring minds want to know."
BrighterLook2
New Member
Sorry for getting back to you so late and thanks for the response. I didnt have any chems when the customer ask me about the job so that is why I used straight hot water. I did some research and found a brand called Dymon. Have you heard of it?
ERADiblaster
New Member
I've seen ITW Dymon SCRUBS® towels and other products listed on the Web, but I don't think I've read any posts on the various forums by anyone who has used them.
A lot of people seem to like Taginator® (for brick, etc.) and Tagaway® (painted/smooth surfaces). I'm still waiting to try those. The Taginator.com site seems to have "gone 404," but this link is for the Taginator product data sheet. The parent company is Equipment Trade Service Co., and this link will get you pointed toward different sizes/quantities of the products. I may try their Value Deal #3 some day, when I get caught up on laying in supplies of blasting soda, etc.
I do have a gallon of Graf-Ex from EaCo Chem, waiting for the day when I can go attack some tags with it. EaCo Chem makes a pretty extensive line of products for all kinds of cleanup jobs.
Another company making multiple products for graffiti removal is Professional's Choice, also known as Graffiti Solutions. Elephant Snot is a thickened product that will cling to walls until washed off, providing "dwell time" to dissolve the graffiti. Shadow Max goes after the "ghosts" that sometimes remain on a porous wall after the Elephant Snot removes the most visible parts of a tag. It's also supposed to remove marking pen messes from plastic playground equipment. Smooth Max is for non-porous surfaces. Graffiti Solutions even has an eBay store.
There are a lot of other companies and products (including citrus and even soy-based stuff) out there, with varying prices and effectiveness.
I'd recommend getting a Material Safety Data Sheet as well as a Product Data/Instruction Sheet for anything you use. A lot of the "environmentally safe" or "non-hazardous" stuff can still do some damage if it gets on something it wasn't intended to clean.
A lot of people seem to like Taginator® (for brick, etc.) and Tagaway® (painted/smooth surfaces). I'm still waiting to try those. The Taginator.com site seems to have "gone 404," but this link is for the Taginator product data sheet. The parent company is Equipment Trade Service Co., and this link will get you pointed toward different sizes/quantities of the products. I may try their Value Deal #3 some day, when I get caught up on laying in supplies of blasting soda, etc.
I do have a gallon of Graf-Ex from EaCo Chem, waiting for the day when I can go attack some tags with it. EaCo Chem makes a pretty extensive line of products for all kinds of cleanup jobs.
Another company making multiple products for graffiti removal is Professional's Choice, also known as Graffiti Solutions. Elephant Snot is a thickened product that will cling to walls until washed off, providing "dwell time" to dissolve the graffiti. Shadow Max goes after the "ghosts" that sometimes remain on a porous wall after the Elephant Snot removes the most visible parts of a tag. It's also supposed to remove marking pen messes from plastic playground equipment. Smooth Max is for non-porous surfaces. Graffiti Solutions even has an eBay store.
There are a lot of other companies and products (including citrus and even soy-based stuff) out there, with varying prices and effectiveness.
I'd recommend getting a Material Safety Data Sheet as well as a Product Data/Instruction Sheet for anything you use. A lot of the "environmentally safe" or "non-hazardous" stuff can still do some damage if it gets on something it wasn't intended to clean.
BrighterLook2
New Member
Thanks for the major info.
ERADiblaster
New Member
You're welcome. I'm glad to have an opportunity to spread around some of the info I've picked up from this site and from my never-ending search for the best ways of doing these jobs.