Bigger sign... need a little advice

[Kevin Gunn]

Hi guys!

I'm making my first bigger sign for a neighborhood that is about 5 feet across (the sign, not the neighborhood). :p

Here's the sign in progress with a bonus picture of my lovely employee (OK, my wife who gets paid in BBQ and beer):

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It's going between a pair of 2x6 posts and is made from 1.5-inch HDU. I realize I need to add a backing to it to give if structural support. I've been leaning towards marine-grade Baltic Birch plywood cut to match the shape of the sign with the edges sealed in a marine epoxy. I want this thing to last! This is the first sign I've done of this size, so it's fresh territory for me.

Any recommendations from the ever-helpful experts here?

Thanks, everyone!
Kevin

[joe]

Kevin,

Nice, clean looking sign. Congrats.

For a backer I'd use MDO. It will probably outlast the HDU and costs about $50.00. As we all know HDU doesn't do well with screws but the MDO does. Baltic isn't for exterior use.

To cut down on damage to your borders, which will be the first to show nicks, I'd suggest a light texture coat. I do this to all my HDU panels after they have been rounded over with a bearing bit.

Weldwood Plastic Resin glue is a good option for your backer. It's available at most hardware stores and is cheap. Mix it up thick. Because Gorilla Glue expands, it's not ideal for this purpose.

[Kevin Gunn]

Thanks, Joe!

The Baltic Birch I was looking at is actual marine-grade stuff. You have to find a specialty shop to get it and it costs a lot -- $69 for 1/2 inch -- but it has a ton of layers and is beautiful stuff. I have some 3/4 inch in my shop right now (doing work for a home theater enthusiast) -- it has 13 layers. This was the first time I'd encountered Baltic Birch produced sold as marine-grade. I have some left over from the home theater work, so I think I'll nail up a sample outside and see what a year in the elements does to it (coated and uncoated just for kicks).

I'll go with your recommendation on the MDO.

[joe]

Kevin,

Do you have anything special for your posts. A sign this nice deserves some good looking legs.

Joe

[Kevin Gunn]

Still working on that. I'm fitting it between two 6"x4" posts which I'll top with custom crowns of some sort. I'm creating routed slots within the posts so that the sign isn't simply mounted in front of them. Like most large projects I've tackled in my life, I ended up doing a lot of the work before knowing what the final bits will be. It's a process that's worked out more times than it's failed, and when it has failed, I've learned a lot!

I'd prefer to mount it into stonework, but it's for my own neighborhood and out of my own pocket! :-)

[tri4sale]

I'd prefer to mount it into stonework, but it's for my own neighborhood and out of my own pocket! :-)

Just finished up the sign for my own neighborhood and installed it few weeks back. I ran a GoFundMe drive and raised enough money to cover the sign and have some left over to do some landscaping at the entrance around the signs.

[joe]

What's the chance of getting a peek at your sign?