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Installing ACM letters on "exterior" stucco wall

Billct2

Active Member
I'm going to be mounting some 12" custom cut 3mm ACM letters to a pedestrian tunnel wall. The tunnel goes under a street so it has some protection from the weather but not from temperatures which can run from zero to 100 degrees.
The walls are a sand texture like stucco, maybe drivet? They look like they could be pre-made panels that were installed over the original concrete walls. The finish is hard.
The tunnel is "private" and locked at night, so vandalism isn't too much of a concern, but they may get whacked by people walking through the tunnel, which is why I'm using ACM instead of plastic. The letters may have to be removed in the future to repaint the walls.
I was considering using a foam mounting tape and dots of Lexel. I figure if they have to be removed a "piano wire slicer" would work.
Any alternate suggestions?
 

Billct2

Active Member
It will if it fails and injures someone. You have to know what you are doing.
Sorry, I don't understand. I don't think the method I suggested will fail, I'm just asking for additional ideas that may be the equivalent but using
different or more specific materials. And how a 12" letter mounted 5 or 6 feet off the ground is going to hurt someone if it falls off the wall I don't see.
 

visual800

Active Member
Silicone flat to the wall nothing else needed unless you wanted to vhb it, so it stays there till silicone sets. And dont forget the sand the hell out of the back
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
How high off the ground are these letters going to be ?? In other words, can anyone touch them while the gates are open ??
 
How high off the ground are these letters going to be ?? In other words, can anyone touch them while the gates are open ??

"Sorry, I don't understand. I don't think the method I suggested will fail, I'm just asking for additional ideas that may be the equivalent but using
different or more specific materials. And how a 12" letter mounted 5 or 6 feet off the ground is going to hurt someone if it falls off the wall I don't see."
 

Billct2

Active Member
It a pedestrian tunnel so it's only about 7-8' high.
Which is why I'm going with ACM instead of plastic, in case someone whacks them. But it is a "private" tunnel that goes under a road between athletic fields at a college and is locked at night, so I'm not too concerned about vandals.
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
"Sorry, I don't understand. I don't think the method I suggested will fail, I'm just asking for additional ideas that may be the equivalent but using
different or more specific materials. And how a 12" letter mounted 5 or 6 feet off the ground is going to hurt someone if it falls off the wall I don't see."

It a pedestrian tunnel so it's only about 7-8' high.
Which is why I'm going with ACM instead of plastic, in case someone whacks them. But it is a "private" tunnel that goes under a road between athletic fields at a college and is locked at night, so I'm not too concerned about vandals.

Let's forget about them falling for a minute.

Okay, here's where I'm going with this. These letters are probably going to be sharp along the edges, even if you file them down. Someone could be doing a high five [as you put it whacking] or walking with a kid on their shoulders and lose an eye or cut deeply into some part of their body. If someone wanted, 3mm is very easy to bend and the corners could be slowly.... or quickly re-shaped, thus having ends stick out further than intended. These tunnels will always have more traffic than anticipated and that's when our foresight comes in handy. Better to be safe, than sorry.
 

Moze

Active Member
I would also vote for VHB tape and silicone for what you're doing.

I agree that it isn't the best choice of material - primarily because of peoples lack of common sense and inability to keep their hands off things. I would opt for acrylic with eased edges.
 

Billct2

Active Member
Well that's something to consider, though I thought acrylic would be more prone to breaking or snapping off and the idea of easing the edges on 70 or 80 letters would add quite a bit to the cost.
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
With Gemini, you'd get a pattern and could stud mount them, making installation a breeze..... it's a breezeway, right ?? :rolleyes:
 

Moze

Active Member
Well that's something to consider, though I thought acrylic would be more prone to breaking or snapping off and the idea of easing the edges on 70 or 80 letters would add quite a bit to the cost.

If someone is going to grab the edge of a letter and pull on it, it will either bend (ACM) or break (thin acrylic). Either result will require a new letter. The ACM letter though would cause more of a injury concern if a letter were bent and poking out.

Nothing is vandal-proof obviously, so anything you put up there is subject to damage. If you could put the ACM letters up out of most peoples reach, that should be fine.

You could also do vinyl lettering - the stuff for rough surfaces.
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
How about 3mm pvc? Lightweight, cheap and easily replaced. Komatex comes in a range of colors. Nobody is getting cut or hurt with that stuff.



The OP is in Connecticut. The job is probably in his vicinity. None of that stuff holds up to cold temperatures. It becomes super brittle and if you look at it wrong, it will snap. Also, it expands and contracts quite a bit and would most likely let go regardless of what method of glue, tape or whatever you use. Until you get to about 3/4" or 1" PVC, it moves all over the place. Sorry, not a good idea.
 
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