Mural Creation Best Practices
Rescue Public Murals has launched this page to serve as a hub of information on materials and techniques to consider when painting a mural to help extend its life and vibrancy. The page will be updated frequently so check back often or click here to be notified by e-mail.
Paint manufacturers are welcome to comment and offer helpful suggestions for the use of their products in regards to mural applications. Artists and others are also invited to write in with comments. Please address comments to our online group.
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With advice from Rescue Public Murals' Advisers we have compiled key tips on preparing a wall, painting a wall, and maintaining a mural.
Preparing the Wall
- If you can pick your wall, choose one facing north, or one that is otherwise protected from direct sunlight.
- Get to know the community where your mural will appear. Consider the neighborhood and the cultural and historical context of your work’s environment. If you are facing design approval, this will make things easier in terms of the success of your project.
- Prep your wall correctly. Make sure you know what is going on above or behind the wall that might affect the future of your mural. Some tips:
- Make sure that the wall is clean before you apply the first coat of sealant, gesso, or paint.
- If a wall is pressure-washed, allow enough time for it to dry.
- If mortar is missing on a brick or masonry wall, replaced it with similar materials and let it cure.
- To lengthen the life of the mural, prime the wall with the appropriate material.
- If iron or steel is embedded in the wall, their impact on the mural should be considered as salts and staining from metal corrosion may creep out of the wall and cause pressure on the mural.
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Painting the Wall
- Paint on days where the temperature is no cooler than 50-60°F. If it is necessary to paint on a cooler day, make sure the temperature is at least 45°F and paint in the middle of a sunny day so the wall has a chance to warm up. Painting on a cold or frozen wall will prevent the paint from properly adhering and may trap moisture underneath the paint layer, which will cause a greater likelihood of flaking, degradation, and fading in some pigments. For the same reason, you should not paint on a day when it is raining or the wall is damp.
- Be careful about your palette! Avoid the use of titanium oxide white. It tends to speed up the fading process of the paints that you mix with it. Use paints all from the same manufacturer, and read the ASTM standards on the labels so you’ll know if they are likely to fade (when possible use paints with a lightfastness rating of one). No fluorescent paints!
- Work from top to bottom so that you don’t drip onto finished areas of the mural.
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Maintaining Your Wall
- Take pictures to document your work as you go along. A "time-frame" series of images will be very useful to you in the future. Shoot photos from the same spot, although there can be several places from which photos are taken.
- Keep track of the materials you use and how you use them.
- Protect your work against vandalism. Paint the mural high enough above ground level so that taggers can't reach it. Think about applying an anti-graffiti coating, or using security lighting at night.
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