Stop Graffiti on School Lockers: Tips When Buying Lockers for Your School

Graffiti is a common problem in many school environments. Not just in locker rooms or on lockers in hallways, some students just have an urge to damage property. Perhaps they don’t understand the value, perhaps they’re just acting out. Regardless as to why students graffiti lockers, it burdens the school administration with additional costs of cleaning and maintenance. This article goes into some great ideas adapted from the realm of outdoor architecture, on how to stop graffiti on school lockers.

We’ve considered the difficulty and costs of cleaning lockers that have been defaced by graffiti and have identified one way to minimise the chance of graffiti happening in the first place and if it does, one way to ensure it comes off in a flash.

Create an Unappealing Canvas to Stop Graffiti on School Lockers

This is an unusual solution that came to us directly from from Architecture and Design. In public locations, architectural suppliers recommend utilising perforated walls as to create an unappealing canvas for vandals. This ties in perfectly with our Australian Made locker range, as one of the key benefits is the ability to modify the doors to suit customer requirements. A fully perforated door creates a canvas that is difficult to graffiti – be it the humble texta to the more frustrating spray paint. It also makes the graffiti harder to see, which often defeats the purpose of the graffiti.

Apply Anti-Graffiti Coating to Student Lockers

The recommended action by the Victorian Government for public areas is to apply an anti-graffiti coating to walls. This is key recommendation we make on how to stop graffiti on school lockers. The EasyClean Clear Powdercoat from Interpon goes over any colour you like as a clear coating. This coat prevents the adhesion of inks, again reducing the locker’s viability as a canvas whilst simultaneously making it dramatically easier to clean.

Bonus Tip #1: Turn the Lockers into Artwork

Studies have found that walls with murals or public art on them are less likely to be vandalised.

Research suggests that painting multi-colored designs or murals on surfaces will discourage graffiti, since tagging is more difficult. Such mural projects, especially when they involve local artists and high school students, have solved many graffiti problems. Furthermore, changing the mural a few times a year draws more community involvement. Park managers might even solicit the local high school to paint a graduating class mural each year.

The Project for Public Spaces in the US

By purchasing student lockers with vinyl graphics wrapper artwork that spans the length of the lockers, the same logic is applied. It will discourage students from vandalising the lockers. The graffiti would be too hard to see, most students have enough respect to not damage artwork, and other students would dob them in!

Bonus Tip #2: Let the Students be the Artists

If a vinyl graphic purchase is not within the budget, having the new final year students paint their own mural each year across all the lockers will foster a sense of involvement and ownership, making other students less likely to vandalise the project. This is a great way to stop graffiti on school lockers without making it apparent that that is the goal. The students will also have something to be proud of.

Bonus Tip #2: Make Artwork with Perforation Designs

While it lacks the benefit of being student-driven and cultivating a sense of ownership, using the perforated patterns in an artistic design can doubly create a poor canvas for would be vandals, and create an effective mural which discourages graffiti.

Thanks for reading, hopefully you have learned something that will improve the quality of your student spaces and help stop graffiti on your school lockers.

If you are looking for a way to stop graffiti on your school lockers, be sure to get in touch via email at sales@hitchlockers.com or fill in the form below with your details and we will get in touch with you!