Thanks Jim.
I just thought a top coat over everything. There will be numerous colors and I don’t want to have to buy quarts of exterior paint for each. Plus some of the sign will be natural wood.
Thanks Jim.
I just thought a top coat over everything. There will be numerous colors and I don’t want to have to buy quarts of exterior paint for each. Plus some of the sign will be natural wood.
You can get "sample sizes" of Behr exterior paint at Home Depot. You may also find small containers of "basic" colors at HD, Lowes, True Value, etc., of exterior colors...hobby/craft focused products. There really isn't a coating you can put on to accomplish much in the way of "protection" for the paint. You'll also find that some colors fade faster than others. I remember TR (Roger MacMunn) mentioning that in a sign class I took with him awhile back, but forget the specifics.
Last edited by Jim Becker; 08-06-2021 at 9:03 AM.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
I didn’t know you could get exterior smaller sizes. Good to know.
Now what would you do for the wood portions of the sign? Maybe spray the whole board before routing?
Wood is a tough choice for an outdoor sign because you have to account for weather/insect resistance as well as the fact that no matter what you put on it, it's going to turn grey, sometimes faster than you might prefer. Many signmakers do faux wood using CNC and HDU. I believe that Roger uses western red cedar or something like that for the wood signs he does when HDU isn't acceptable. The conundrum here is that the "better" outdoor finishes for wood are penetrating oil products like Sikkens but those might not be the best when paint is going on features. So maybe sealing with resin from Total Boat, West Systems, etc., may need to be considered. I'm not totally sure about that, however. I didn't realize that you were not painting the whole surface.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Thanks Jim, it’s an every changing design…..but my parents have switched it a couple of times. We will take it indoors for the winter. If I have to make it again in 4-5 years so be it.
Late to this conversation but have a look at Tricoya MDF: https://tricoya.com/projects/
We did a few projects with it at the architectural millwork firm I was at and it's the real deal as far as weather resistance. OP, if you are in CT, it looks like they have dealership near you: https://www.rexlumber.com/locations/south-windsor-ct/
Hope this helps,
Erik
Ex-SCM and Felder rep
Hey Erik Thanks.
I will try them, only about a 1/2 hour away.