Comparative study of protective coatings for the conservation of Urban Art

Contemporary mural paintings are complex artworks for several reasons, including the heterogeneity of the materials used to make them, and the different types of substrate on which the painting layers can be applied. Currently we are focused on a technical-scientific research aimed to solve the issues related to the long-term care and maintenance of murals, by evaluating the performance of several protective coatings applied on these artworks. This paper deals with a preliminary experimentation aimed to: (a) study the interaction of antigraffiti products on common synthetic paints; (b) test the effectiveness and efficiency of several commercial products used as antigraffiti; (c) define of the best procedure to remove vandalism spray from a coated surface, without damaging the underlying painting layers. Tests have been carried out on laboratory specimens and the performances of different antigraffiti agents have been evaluated by optical and electron microscope observations, as well as by colorimetric measurements.