What’s it cost to produce this 5-by-12-ft. storefront sign?
Blasting through a shield creates an interesting plank background
By Braun Bleamer
Posted on Saturday, December 31st, 2016
Materials:
5-by-10 panel of 1.5-in.
15-lb. Sign-Foam HDU: $525
Black Beauty abrasive: $40
30-mil sandblast mask: $100
Primer and paint: $75
PPG clear coat: $100
¾-in. CNC-cut PVC letters: $150
Fasteners and hardware: $25
Total materials: $1015
Labor:
Design and plan: 1 hour
Assemble/cut panel: 2 hours
Mask for blasting: 2 hours
Sandblast: 1.5 hours
Spray paint: 1 hour
Apply finish colors: 3 hours
Spray PPG clear coat:: .5 hours
Install letters: 1 hour
Delivery/installation: 2 hours
Total man hours: 13 hours
This sign was for a small coffee shop at a nearby ski resort. They wanted a 3D sign that would create a warm, appealing look. I knew that cutout letters and an interesting shape would help achieve that, but I also thought that the texture and look of wood would add a lot.
We began by cutting the top left corner off the 5-by-10-ft. sheet of HDU board. We used it as an extension for the right end of the panel to get a little extra length. We bonded it to the main panel with epoxy then sanded the face smooth. We laid out the tree line using an overhead projector, then cut it using a ¼-in. Roto-Zip bit in a hand-held router.
Braun Bleamer’s shop, Jet Signs Inc., is in Palmerton, Pennsylvania.