Bus Shelter Mural Program - Frequently Asked Questions

Who Can Participate?

Schools, community groups and individual artists can participate in Metro's Bus Shelter Mural Program. If you are a school or community group, we encourage you to involve an artist or coordinator to guide the composition and lead the painting of the mural. Well-done murals attract far less graffiti and tend to last longer than murals that look hurriedly done.

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How does the program work?

Metro contributes pre-cut and primed plywood panels and paint. Community groups, school and individual artists contribute their artistic talent to create murals for Metro bus shelters. Requesting a brochure is all it takes to start. After returning the application form and your design, we will get your panels and paint ready. You will need a pickup truck, mini van or station wagon to pick up and return your panels (See below for panel sizes). If you are arranging transportation, keep these facts in mind when scheduling your project.

For more program information and application form, read Starting a Mural Project.

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How Much Time Will It Take?

Metro must receive your application at least one month before your desired start date. Painting a mural usually takes one to three months depending on the number of painters in a group and the number of hours per painting session. Many participants are surprised that it takes longer than they thought it would to create a quality mural. If your project exceeds the three-month completion date, please call us to request an extension.

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How big are the panels?

The largest panel size for murals designed for the lower area of the shelter is approximately 24" by 92". These 1/4" plywood panels can usually be loaded by one person into a mini van, pickup or large station wagon. If your project has been approved for upper wood panels, the full window-sized 1/2" panels are 31"x 53", half-sized panels for a "checkerboard" design are 31"x 26".

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Who picks the design or theme?

You do. This is why we have such a wide range of styles and themes in the bus shelter murals throughout King County. Shelter murals have used Northwest, environmental, historical and cultural themes. Designs include abstracts, patterns, landscapes and cities. Your design is reviewed for general appropriateness and to evaluate the scope of your project. Advertising or offensive designs cannot be accepted. Metro reserves the right not to display the artwork if the quality is less than what Metro feels is appropriate for a public bus shelter site.

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Can we put our name on it?

You can paint your name or group name on the mural using 2" letters or smaller. If you include your name in the mural, it is best if you incorporate it into the design in an artistic way. For example, one school put its name on the banner of a boat, and a Native American school put their names on feathers. Your return form includes a space to write your story about the mural. This story is a written description of your project that we use to make an information sign to mount in your shelter with the mural. This sign will describe who created the mural and the mural's theme. You can include poems, a short story, quotes from the participants, comments on the theme, the creative process, your own biography or recognizing sponsors that you want to acknowledge. You can view samples in our on-line gallery.

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Where do we paint them?

The murals are painted at your facility: in your classroom, recreation center, your home or studio. The pre-cut primed plywood panels are lightweight and manageable, and can be painted on the floor, on tables or across desks. Participants do not paint at the bus shelter site or at Metro facilities.

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What kind of paint is it?

Metro supplies a pre-packaged case of 100% Acrylic Latex paint. This case contains 12 quarts, consisting of 2 white and 1 each of black, green, red, vivid purple, pink, bright yellow, orange-yellow, brown, deep blue and teal. The paint is water-based for easy cleanup and requires no solvents or thinner; so it is safe for classroom use. Some of the colors are semi-transparent, like yellow, which can be made opaque by adding white to it. Some colors will require more than one coat to make them opaque, so allow time for this in your scheduling. Don't forget to shake or stir the paint before using it. Paint that appears thin, splotchy or quickly applied can be perceived as lower quality and can attract graffiti and vandalism. Outlines should be painted with a small brush or Latex Paint Pens, available from art supply stores. Do not use felt pens, even if they are "permanent markers" because the protective clear coating that Metro will put on your mural will cause the ink to melt and smear.

Participants can choose to supplement the paint that Metro provides (i.e., custom colors, gold, silver, fluorescent, pearlescent) at their own expense. If you use additional, custom or specialty paint, make sure that it will be compatible with the 100% Acrylic Latex Semi-gloss Enamel paint, such as Artists' Acrylic Paint. Instead of using the supplied Latex paint, some artists have successfully used other types of paint materials, like aerosol lacquer (spray) paint, black gesso (background) with oil pastel drawing or oil base paint.

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What about graffiti?

After you return your mural panels to Metro, we coat your artwork with epoxy-type polyurethane. This clear, protective coating allows Metro to clean felt marker ink, spray paint and other graffiti off the murals without damage to the artwork, should they happen to receive graffiti.

Metro uses a 2-Part (Part A, Part B) Epoxy-type, Polyurethane called "Skythane". Skythane is manufactured locally by Far West Paint Manufacturing Company. For more information on Skythane, call Far West at 206-244-8844. To report graffiti on Metro bus shelters or bus shelter murals, please call 206-684-1800.

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How long do the murals last?

Although some murals have continued to look attractive for almost 10 years, most murals last from 4-6 years. Just like a house that needs repainting every few years, Northwest weather extremes and continual washing of the shelters eventually take their toll on the painted wood panels. Sometimes extreme conditions cause some of the panels to deteriorate more rapidly. Occasionally, a bus shelter is damaged by accident or by vandalism. In general, Metro will maintain the mural on the bus shelter as long as it looks reasonably attractive. If a bus shelter is removed from use, Metro will reinstall the mural in another location, provided the mural is still in acceptable condition.

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