Coroplast life outdoors?

[abadsvt]

Does anyone know a general rule of thumb for the life of coroplast outdoors for a sign? Long story short. My competitor bid a trader joes monument with using coroplast for the background of the monument and coroplast for all the store signs on the monument and there deal went south. Not sure on all the details but now the company who is trying to get the sign done came in and talked with me. He briefly explained what the other company was going to provide and was hoping for a price from me. I don't want to use coroplast. I would prefer dibond and am going to try and sell them on a cleaner longer lasting product. So i was wondering if i could use the life of coroplast outdoors to presuide them to do it right. I think there only thinking is $. Thanks

Josh

 

[WhiskeyDreamer]

all depends on exposure and weather really....coro is a temporary sign substrate...it is not meant for extended outdoor use....

 

[Marlene]

you can tell the customer that coroplast is considered a substrate for temporary signs and the other shop's idea to use it was not a good idea. the dibond is the way to go.

 

[Finishline Signs]

I know here in NW Florida 4mm coroplast will only last about a year before it starts cracking. 6mm and 10mm last longer, probably up to 2 years depending on sun exposure. I would turn the job down if they insisted on using coroplast.

 

[CentralSigns]

I get this all the time. My competition always tries to lower the bar and beat my quotes with coro. What I tell my customers is the coro is short term material only. With a 1 year outdoor lifespan. Then I show them the math. A coro sign lasts 1 year costs $240 for a full 4' by 8' and a diabond lasts 10 yrs, with a cost of $600. The coro costs them $240 a year for advertising and the diabond is $60 a year. Which one would you choose ??

 

[mark in tx]

Lucky to get 6 months out of coro around here.

 

[Rick]

Not enough info... like.. is this backlit... I'm thinking there is more to this sign than is being revealed to you.

Anyone offering coroplast for a permanent monument sign panel is a nimrod and is not in the sign business. The only reason I can see is that they are trying to stay under the limit for using a contractors license.

They could need dibond, lexan or heck, if it's a temporary sign (a couple of months), then coro will work. Who cares what the other company spec'ed until you have all the facts. Bid only if you have the proper documentation, spec according to usage, price for profit.. simple as that.

 

[TheSnowman]

I have seen coro around here last YEARS. Even just yard signs that are moved around a lot. I suppose the hotter areas it doesn't last as long, but we have used some 10MM coro on some temporary stuff that has been up years, and still holding up great.

 

[Bill Modzel]

Here in Michigan too. Put a roof on my deer blind with it and got 4 years out of it.
I use 10mm for a roof over my kayak rack and got 5 years out of the first one and am
3 into the second.

 

[JasperST]

Around here we can get 7 years out the the stuff. But that's no excuse to use it. It looks cheap, it is cheap and will expand like crazy when it heats up, turning it into a warped nightmare.

I wouldn't consider someone like that a competitor.
Worse case scenario, they get the job and the customer gets an education very quickly.

 

[Gino]

Doesn't matter how long it lasts.... it's even marketed by the manufacturers as a temporary outdoor material good for maybe 6 months. However, I've seen it last a few years. It all depends on exposure and to what kind and where you're located.

 

[G-Artist]

I am in west central Florida and a few years ago I ran a specific test.

I applied scraps of various colors of cast Arlon onto 3mm Coroplast™ and we overprinted the entire thing with an image that was on the press using NazDar 7900 series ink.

Put it on a wire frame and set it outside facing west to get the afternoon sun. I know the worst sun would have been a southern exposure but we have too many trees blocking that sun.

3 years into the project the coro started cracking where the wire was inserted into the flutes.

I was completely satisfied with the performance of the Arlon as well as the print. The print lasted the longest as there was next to zero noticeable change when compared the the base line sheet (a dupe we stored in a cabinet). The vinyl held up well and as expected there was slight fade in the "red" type colors. Very little fade in the dark colors.

After the 4th year we discarded the test coro sign. We now give a full 365 day warranty on all coro signs whether printed or vinyl applied. We will also do the same with some of the other brands of polypropylene we get from time to time. All have passed a 2-year test with the same methods as above.

I suspect the 10mm would last quite some time. How long depends on whether it faces an east-west axis or a north-south axis. Expect the southern exposure to be the worst.

Would I use any sort of polypropylene on that job? Not a chance!

 

[Jillbeans]

Colors like red start to fade in about 1 year.
I have seen a corosign used out by the road which was splashed with salt, it literally looked like it had a bad case of worms.
Coro can degrade until it is just ribs.
It can also warp in the heat.
Coro is a temporary substrate.
Anyone who would propose using it for a monument sign, or anything long term, is due for quite a rude awakening. As is the cheap customer who requested it.
Love....Jill

 

[abadsvt]

Thanks alot everyone! My appointment got rescheduled so i didn't get a chance to meet up with her. You guys and girls have given me the tools i need to talk them out of the coro. Also i have decided that if she still insists on the coro i will pass on the job. I was just blown away that this large sign company chain would do that. I guess not everyone cares for happy customers a year or two down the road like i do. Thanks again everyone!

Josh

 

[Gino]

That's nothin'......

We recently replaced an electric sign face with poly that had a piece of Cor-X lettered up with changeable track on it and they told me it was that way for a few years.

What some sign shops will do to cut corners is unbelievable. Nice to hear you won't follow in the other guy's footsteps.

 

[gnemmas]

When we digital print on vinyl and apply to sustrades, the ink and vinyl are the first line of attack by UV and other elements.

So we can only warranty as long as the ink mfg stated 3 years. Be it aluminum, acrylic, MDO or even coro. Coro will last longer than intended if it is protected by full vinyl.

 

[skdave]

I use truck load of black coroplast in my bird houses. skmfg.com

We use black because it is recycled and last the longest outside because black is a natural uv inhibitor.

 

[DarbySign]

hmmmm.....I think I'll undercut the whole monument industry by putting up a website selling cor-x headstones and grave markers.

"Coro-headstones, for when you just don't care"

 

[hoerth]

I hardly know what I'm doing but know enough that coro would be a cheap looking option for that application. With that sort of thinking, I'm surprised they don't offer to screenprint old blue tarps.

 

[Salmoneye]

I didn't even know you could screen blue tarps. I just happen to have a screen that the neighbor walked thru. I could open up a whole other division.