Cleaning of Finnish Parliament facade estimated to cost €15,000 due to paint vandalism by activists

The cleaning of the facade of the Finnish Parliament building is estimated to cost around €15,000. This information was shared by Sari Turunen, the property manager of the Parliament. The costs cover initial cleaning, a test cleaning, and the actual steam cleaning, which began this morning. The work is expected to last until Wednesday, although Turunen noted that the cost estimate might change if the schedule is altered.

The granite columns of the building, particularly in their joints, still bear traces of paint that environmental activists sprayed on them. The steam cleaning was tested last Monday. Activists from the environmental group Extinction Rebellion and Sweden’s Återställ Våtmarkerna vandalized the columns with red paint on September 25 in protest against the continued extraction of peat.

The cleaning process continues today, employing high-pressure steam cleaning in accordance with recommendations from the Finnish Heritage Agency. A strongly alkaline detergent, reported to be biodegradable and diluted during the cleaning process to avoid environmental harm, will also be used for the joint cleaning.

According to Juha-Pekka Ryynänen, the building’s construction master, the red paint has particularly absorbed into the mortar joints of the facade. A company specialized in conservation, restoration, and demanding renovation work has been selected for the job, and it has previously participated in the building’s renovation. The activists claimed the paint was water-soluble, but it has penetrated the building’s porous areas, such as the joints of the columns.