Tonality terracotta facade tiles withstand graffiti

Graffiti characterize the cityscape of many German cities. They are found on walls, power boxes, trains and facades. For local authorities, flat owners and residents, graffiti can often be a nuisance, and its removal is costly and time-consuming. Thus, it makes sense to take this problem into account when choosing the facade cladding, especially in heavily affected areas or residential neighbourhoods. Thanks to their integrated, permanent graffiti protection, Tonality facade tiles are a well-suited choice. They are easy to clean and are resistant to external influences as well as weathering influences. At the same time, the tiles give buildings a high-quality and architecturally sophisticated look.

Is it art or can it be removed? When it comes to graffiti, the opinions differ. As a result, the paintings, lettering and symbols are considered as either vandalism or modern art by the public. Illegally-created graffiti can often be found in less crowded places – such as old railroad stations or underpasses. On building facades, graffiti can be particularly annoying. The smears are especially undesirable there and impair the cityscape. Depending on the facade material used, removing graffiti can be very expensive and time-consuming.

Integrated graffiti protection

With their terracotta facade tiles, Tonality from Weroth (Rhineland-Palatinate) offers an efficient and economical solution. The tiles already have integrated graffiti protection. This ensures that the building envelope remains visually appealing over the entire service life – regardless of how often it is painted or sprayed.

High surface quality thanks to the sinter firing process

Graffiti itself cannot be prevented in the majority of cases. However, depending on the surface it can be easier to remove the graffiti. Therefore, a graffiti protection layer is often applied to the facade at a later date, which needs to be renewed regularly. This also needs to happen after the removal of graffiti and usually changes the appearance of the tiles. This is different with Tonality facade tiles: Here, the integrated graffiti protection is included from the very beginning and remains in place throughout the entire period of use. The products receive their special surface quality already during the production process. In this process, finely prepared high-quality clay is first compressed under vacuum. Following that, the coating is carried out with a special glaze – including particular glass minerals and colour pigments. After drying, the terracotta bodies are fired at temperatures of over 1,200 degrees Celsius using the TONALITY sinter firing process.

Easy cleaning

Unwanted smears can easily be wiped off the surface of the facade tiles with a soft cloth and a solution containing alcohol or solvent or appropriate graffiti removers. The surface of Tonality tiles is resistant to acids and alkalis and is not damaged by the cleaning process. This reduces maintenance work to a minimum. Saving time and costs is a decisive factor for flat owners, businesses, cities and municipalities. The sinter firing process also gives the facade tiles other important properties like their resistance to pressure, impact and scratches as well as frost-resistance. Their unique smooth surface is also the result of the unique manufacturing process. It is colour- and UV-resistant as well as dirt-repellent.

These characteristics ensure that the terracotta tiles are also used for the design of subway stations, underpasses or train stations. In addition, graffiti on house walls is a well-known problem in social housing. In that case, Tonality products are also proving to be a durable solution. The variety of colours, surface finishes and formats offer architects, planners and builders a great deal of scope when it comes to realizing high-quality building envelopes.