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This sign that currently is about 78" x 120" is going to go on the interior wall of a gymnasium. We plan on doing the name and gymnasium text raised, probably of MDO for durablity.
How would you make this to minimize the horizontal seam I am assuming I will have between the two panels? Could you do it without a seam-as one piece? I am not used to working this large.
My thought is two horizonatal panels just butted together, roughly halfway up(behind gymnasium)
-------------------- Phil Steffen, 29 Van Rensselaer St City of Saratoga Springs DPW Saratoga Springs NY 12866 Posts: 563 | From: beautiful Saratoga Springs NY | Registered: Aug 2001
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Phil/ Letter it on the wall....save the material cost...use the school's lift for changing bulbs, project it off a ladder...need help, I'll drive to you.......
-------------------- Mike Meyer Sign Painter 189 1st Ave n P.O. Box 3 Mazeppa, Mn 55956
We are not selling, we are staying here in Mazeppa....we cannot re-create what we have here....not in another lifetime! SO Here we are!!!!!!!
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If you are going to paint this - Wall Dog- I'd love to come help- e-mail me on when you'd be doing this! Catharine
-------------------- Catharine C. Kennedy CCK Graphics 1511 Route 28 Chatham Center, NY 12184 cck1620@taconic.net "Look at me, Look at me, Look at me now! I't's fun to have fun, But you have to know how!" Posts: 2173 | From: downtown Chatham Center, NY | Registered: Feb 2004
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Philip: If you cut your seam edges on an angle they will hide themselves beautifully. It doesn't have to be a 45. A 60 degree angle is plenty. It's what trim carpenters do when they have long runs of baseboard or crown mold. Honestly, though, even a butt seam is not objectionable. The bricks have lots of seams! And you're going to cover much of the seam with letters. It will look great!
Or, have you thought of lettering it on the wall?
Brad in Kansas City
-------------------- Brad Ferguson See More Signs 7931 Wornall Rd Kansas City, MO 64111 signbrad@yahoo.com 816-739-7316 Posts: 1230 | From: Kansas City, MO, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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I agree with all the above. Seriously, painting something like that on the wall isn't that hard, even if you haven't done something like it before. Its so big that any "little" mistakes don't show.
If you are going to use premade panels, the issue isn't so much where the two panels butt together -- the seam becomes visible only if the two panels aren't both aligned flat to one another. If the top panel is a little wavy, you'll see the shadow line, not the seam. Cutting (a router is great for this) the angled join is one way to minimize that. Something else that can help is having a plate behind that the two panels attach to. Even a long flat metal plate with some 3/8" or 1/2" screws will keep the two pieces flat, flush and tight.
-------------------- :: Scooter Marriner :: :: Coyote Signs :: :: Oakland, CA :: :: still a beginner :: :: Posts: 1356 | From: Oakland (and San Francisco) | Registered: Mar 2001
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Here's the deal. The wall is Fuzzy, like velcro receptive fabric. It is accustical panels ontop of of foam on top of lath on top of brick. Can you paint on fuzzy cloth AND have it look good?
I already warned them about basketballs. They figure because this is a middle school the kids won't hit the sign... I figure, because this is a middle school, the kids WILL TRY to hit the sign, but maybe not that hard. Seriously, I thought painted plywood would hold up to it. Text would be .5" or 1" off the background. What do you think?
I have them prepped to pay between $2000 & $3000. So what other options are there?
We were going to have a 1940's style basketball player on the sign too, but it was to retro for them. Too bad.
<MIKE> You would really want to come out to paint on a fuzzy wall?
-------------------- Phil Steffen, 29 Van Rensselaer St City of Saratoga Springs DPW Saratoga Springs NY 12866 Posts: 563 | From: beautiful Saratoga Springs NY | Registered: Aug 2001
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Another solution is if it's really velcro-recpetive fabric on the wall, you could have the entire sign digitally output on fabric and then use foam letters on top. Affix it like a trade show display. It would probably take a hit pretty well too.
I imagine it would be a lot less expensive to boot.
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I don't think foam letters are good competition for persistant 5th graders- Now, if I could get concrete on the wall...
I'm calling the manufacturer of the accustic panels to see if customers have painted or stained them in the past. I just went over to the school and the surface vertically ribbed- about 1/8" wide ribs tight together projecting about 1/8", covered with fuzzy fabric.
How do you permanently paint on fuzzy fabric? (is there a smilely that is scratching his head)
-------------------- Phil Steffen, 29 Van Rensselaer St City of Saratoga Springs DPW Saratoga Springs NY 12866 Posts: 563 | From: beautiful Saratoga Springs NY | Registered: Aug 2001
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Seems to me the easiest place to make this sign is in your shop. For large pieces that dont have a seem I have had good success using Linolium, you know vinyl floor covering, Build your shape using plywood with 1x backing or cross seam two layers of 3/8" ply and laminate them. Cut your shape and then use cheap flooring, use flooring adheasive and glue the good side to the ply. The back of the lino is smooth, prime and letter, if you like you can use trim cap on the edge for cleaner fit. This is the method we used for really big stuff on stage shows and Disneyland, Universal Studios and Themed casinos.
Easy and works good.
John
-------------------- John and Diana Grenier Up North Studio Les Cheneaux Islands Art Gallery P.O. Box 83 Hessel, MI 49745 906-322-2886 www.lescheneauxislandsartgallery.com Posts: 50 | From: Hessel, MI (Eastern U.P.) | Registered: Apr 2003
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I work in a school and I can tell you for sure a middle school will distroy raised lettering.Paint it with One shot,mask it and roller it. Kids-
-------------------- Randall Campbell Randy's Graphics, 420 Fairfield N. Hamilton Ontario Canada Posts: 2857 | From: Hamilton Ontario Canada | Registered: Jan 2002
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Another issue is the load of a heavy sign hanging on the acoustic panels. You'll have to know what kind of weights and loads you're dealing with then call the panel manufacturer to see if they're strong enough to support that load.
Paint/vinyl on aluminum or other lightweight substrate might be your only option. It's lighter and provides for easier removal and reinstallation in the event they have to service or replace the acoustic paneling.
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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If you do paint on panels, how about using the seams as a design element rather than hiding them.... A quick look at the proportions of your sign looks like a 120" x 44" panel would fit the Robert J Nolan GymnasiuM section of the sign. Call that the front panel. Shape the bottom to fit GymnasiuM. Paint the edges dark blue. Then put the two smaller signs behind the main panel and use lap joints. The shape of the sign may need to be tweaked a bit, but the general form would be the same. You can install a cleat on the wall, then hang the sign for final bolting. Might be a little more dramatic than a flat sign, and allows working with smaller panels for much of the construction.
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