I have a repeat client who is opening a tavern. Among the many projects he's hired me to do for the place, there's one that I'm not completely sure how best to tackle. There's a large awning across the front of the building. I think it was originally a burgundy color, but has been painted black several times. The black is scuffed away in several places showing the burgundy, the largest spot being about the size of an Oreo cookie. You can see traces of old lettering from previous repaints (not cool, IMO). The current lettering is a combo of white vinyl & green brushwork. Due to budget constraints, replacement of the awning material is not an option, according to my client. So I have several questions...
1. It looks like the awning is made from canvas, or a plastic coated material. (Hard to tell with all the re-use this thing's seen.) Can I remove the vinyl lettering, clean this with a degreasing product, scuff it well, prime it & repaint it black? What product would you recommend for the repaint? I was considering One Shot lettering enamels, as there will be airbrushed old school flames on it. I don't want to run into any kind of compatability issues.
(As a side note, I'm wondering if replacing the material would be less expensive than stripping/priming/painting...? The fabric itself is holding up well, just not the last paint job.)
2. If it winds up being cheaper to use vinyl for the new lettering instead of painting, what vinyl would you recommend? I do have a 24" Roland cutter, but I mostly use it to create stencils or window stuff, so I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to exterior vinyl for lettering awnings.
Any insights or suggestions you can offer will be massively appreciated!!! Thank you!
[ May 08, 2010, 07:11 PM: Message edited by: Marge Cameron ]
Posted by Marge Cameron (Member # 11336) on :
[ May 08, 2010, 07:14 PM: Message edited by: Marge Cameron ]
Posted by Harris Kohen (Member # 2139) on :
Hey Marge. Hows the robinson ....
Posted by Marge Cameron (Member # 11336) on :
HARRIS! Hahaha! Great to see you! You know me & those robins... Posted by Harris Kohen (Member # 2139) on :
Something I will NEVER forget. One of the coolest mornings of my life with some of the coolest poeple on the planet. We need a reunion.
Posted by Marge Cameron (Member # 11336) on :
No doubt. That was SUCH a blast!!! Would love the chance to hang out with you again.
I think we scared away the help I needed! LOL!
Posted by Sonny Franks (Member # 588) on :
Robinson?
I wqould strip the vinyl, paint the sucker with black DTM paint (Sherwin-Williams) then letter with latex - use a fitch or stiff cutter. Make it clear from the start that if he's too cheap to do it right, there's no guarantees of durability......
Posted by bruce ward (Member # 1289) on :
I would have it recovered with vinyl the whole awning. by the time you peel, clean, scrub, prime , repaint and THEN make sure where you peeled vinyl STILL didnt show thru you could have simply had it recovered.
my opinion. I would rather start fresh then to start with crap. making this new would really help snap the business storefront
Posted by Marge Cameron (Member # 11336) on :
Hey everyone! Just wanted to thank you for the great advice on the awning project. I wound up having the owner strip the old vinyl, clean it, sand it back to good adhesion where it was peeling, double prime & double paint with black exterior latex. He followed my specs well, except for the top coat. He used semi-gloss instead of flat or satin! Made my vinyl stencil nearly ineffective, as it just did not want to adhere to the latex.
I waited a week for the awning to cure a bit, then hand painted the lettering in white exterior latex with my stencil taped to the awning. Couldn't use a roller because it just squooshed paint under my stencil. Took 2 brush coats, but was able to smooth out any strokes by rolling on a 3rd coat very lightly. I taped off the stripe & used exterior latex rattle cans to spray the color. Then using a small round brush, I outlined the white lettering by hand with black One Shot & a little hardener. Can't really see it in the photo, but it gave it that nice finishing touch.
Any & all critiques are welcome! Can't improve if I don't get feedback on what could've been done better. (Like I wish I'd dragged out the guns for more graduated fades on that stripe!)
Couldn't have done this confidently without you guys! Thank you so much!!!
[ June 05, 2010, 05:44 PM: Message edited by: Marge Cameron ]
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
Lovely, Marg! (I wonder if the guitar or K couldn't have had an italic type of forward lean, to give it a bit more emphasis & size)
Posted by Jon Butterworth (Member # 227) on :
Nice one Lady!
Posted by Sonny Franks (Member # 588) on :
Excellent Marge - don't see anything to critique - good job........
Posted by Glenn Taylor (Member # 162) on :
Looks great!
Posted by bruce ward (Member # 1289) on :
from a distance looks great and if thats what he wanted he got it. nice color fade on the front
Posted by W. R. Pickett (Member # 3842) on :
..In the long run, learning how to paint (things like this) with a brush will serve you better than learning how to use stencils.
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