Cut-out lettering is finished with Benjamin Moore Acrylic Regal Select, and the ampersand is copper leaf over Ronan oil-based lettering enamel, clear-coated with 1 Shot clear. The cold-rolled steel background is finished with Matthews 42 900SP matte clear and mounted on a black aluminum composite backer panel. Mike Leary, Sundance Sign, Dover, New Hampshire
CNC-routed PVC prismatic letters on a panel of two layers of PVC board, finished with Matthews acrylic polyurethane paint. Bob Stephens, Skywatch Signs, Zephyrhills, Florida
“We primed this sandblasted 1½-in. high density urethane sign with Jay Cooke’s Sign Primer, then masked the background and sprayed the border with black exterior acrylic paint. We then masked off the black border and sprayed the white background. The lettering was hand painted, and the logo is a digital print. Finally, everything was clear-coated with PPG automotive clear. We laminate the print with 1060 Gloss laminate then scuff it lightly before applying the clear.”
Carved high density urethane panel finished with Low Luster Benjamin Moore exterior acrylic paint, with the 23K gold leaf over a base of 1 Shot enamel. The black backer panel is painted with 1 Shot enamel. Mike Leary, Sundance Sign, Dover, New Hampshire
Carved 1½-in. high density urethane panel primed with Jay Cooke’s Sign Primer, finished with Rustoleum enamel, then clear-coated with PPG clear and gilded; by Braun Bleamer, Jet Signs, Palmerton, Pennsylvania. “When you clear coat the sign then gild,” says Braun, “it makes a great gold job. The clear finish is so smooth and makes a perfect base for the gold size. Another plus is that if you get any stray bits of leaf that stick to the background, you can wipe them off with lacquer thinner or other solvent without harming anything as long as the clear has dried for two or three days. We mask before gilding, but we still sometimes get a little stray gold out there. With the clear coat, clean up is easy.”
The background and lettering on this interior wall were painted in oil-based eggshell enamel. “I then spattered the walk and stippled with paint to create an aged effect,” says Darren Lloyd, Darren Lloyd Signs & Graphics, Seaham Harbour, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom. “When it was dry, I sanded it back to the brick in places to get the desired effect, then sealed it with a coat of satin varnish.”
CNC-cut brushed aluminum ACM lettering clear-coated 1 Shot clear on a ¾-in. PVC panel finished with black Benjamin Moore exterior acrylic paint. The fan panel is HDU board coated with Ronan enamel and finished with 23K gold leaf and copper leaf. The red diamond plate panel was primed Matthews Ultra Low VOC epoxy primer and finished with Matthews paint. Mike Leary, Sundance Sign, Dover, New Hampshire
Copper letters with a forced patina that’s done by spraying on muriatic acid and letting it stand, then blowing some of it off with compressed air. It was then sprayed with Matthews Paint clear to prevent further oxidation. Redgie Adams, Adams Signs, North Little Rock, Arkansas
Hand lettered with 1Shot lettering enamel and clear coated with Spies Hecker High Solids Clear, mixed 2:1 with their Warm Weather Activator. Lane Walker, Solo Signs, Reno, Nevada
Both of these signs are finished with PPG exterior acrylic paint over acrylic primer, with 23K gold leaf on the lettering.
“To use oil size over acrylic paint,” says David Hassan, Hassan Woodcarving & Sign Co., Cohasset, Massachusetts, “we apply Chromatic’s Ti-Cote over the acrylic base before sizing. I’ve done that for years with great results.”

Use paints and finishes to add value

Want the sign to last? Want to turn heads? The right finish can make it happen.

By signcraft

Posted on Wednesday, June 26th, 2019

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Source list: Paints and finishes

1Shot Paints: Lettering and bulletin enamels, background finishes, specialty finishes
www.1shot.com

Akzo Nobel: Base coat/clear coat paint system and single-stage finishes
www.signfinishes.com

Alpha 6: Lettering enamel
www.alpha6.bigcartel.com

Alsa Corp.: Candy airbrush colors, Spray Chrome and specialty finishes
www.alsacorp.com

Axalta Coating Systems: Hot Hues, Standox, Nason, Cromax and Spies Hecker finishes
www.axalta.us

Coastal Enterprises: Primers, hard coat and texture finishes for HDU board
www.precisionboard.com

Createx Colors: Airbrush colors for all applications
www.createxcolors.com

Design Brilliance: Axalta Hot Hues urethane paints
www.designbrilliance.net

HAR Adhesive Technologies: Jay Cooke’s All Purpose Sign Primer
www.haradhesive.com

House of Kolor: urethane paints for pinstriping, plus specialty finishes and clears
www.houseofkolor.com

Matthews Paint: Base/clear coat paint system and single component sign finishes
www.matthewspaint.com

Modern Masters: Specialty and patina finishes
www.modernmasters.com

Nova Color Paints: artists’ acrylic paints for graphics and murals
www.novacolorpaint.com

Sign Arts Products Corp.: Primer for HDU board
www.signfoam.com

Sign Life Products: stains for wood signs
419-524-7446

Sculpt Nouveau: Textured and specialty finishes
www.sculptnouveau.com

Sherwin Williams Co: Base coat/clear coat paint system and single-stage finishes
www.sherwin-automotive.com

T.J.Ronan Paint Corp: Lettering and bulletin enamels, waterborne and specialty finishes
www.ronanpaints.com

Triangle Coatings: Sophisticated Finishes metallic finishes
www.modernoptions.com

Vivilon Coatings: Clear coating to restore faded paint and protect against graffiti
On Facebook as Vivilon Coatings
One of the best ways to overcome the customer’s price objections is to break the sign’s cost down over the life of the sign. Over an eight-year life, a $1200 sign costs a mere $150 per year—for 24/7 advertising. Being able to say confidently that a sign will look like new for several years is a great selling point.

That’s why durable, high-quality paints and finishes benefit both the customer and the sign shop. It’s true of all the materials used on a sign. Quality materials add value to the sign— and usually at a very small additional cost over materials of lesser quality that won’t last as long.


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