• I want to thank all the members that have upgraded your accounts. I truly appreciate your support of the site monetarily. Supporting the site keeps this site up and running as a lot of work daily goes on behind the scenes. Click to Support Signs101 ...

First time PVC user - Can I flat glue small pieces to wood signs/ exterior

Jessmuhname

New Member
Hi, I make exterior wood signs. I have never worked with PVC and have some exterior grade 1/4”. I was thinking of gluing small pieces (3” wide x 5.7” high) directly to exterior wood/ flat lay. Would this last? I was looking at some different types of exterior glues and figured to check here first for best methods & recommendations. My signs ship all over. Some could be in direct sun and harsh seasonal weather. I was wondering about the possibility of the small cut outs popping off/lasting.
 

Jessmuhname

New Member
543879932952393

This is probably a "stupid" question, considering probably most of you are experts in this area...So, here's a little peek into the typical kind of signs that I make- 100% wood. I know some - things, just little about this field.
:) I could use some newb' help, please

JXBlCF
 

Attachments

  • 1.jpg
    1.jpg
    116.6 KB · Views: 456

Notarealsignguy

Arial - it's almost helvetica
I don't have a real answer for you but when gluing anything together, you will always have more luck with common materials than mixing them up. Could you drill and epoxy in a small dowell in the pvc to help it hold itself? Then you would have a little mechanical fastening to help the glue.
 

Jessmuhname

New Member
I don't have a real answer for you but when gluing anything together, you will always have more luck with common materials than mixing them up. Could you drill and epoxy in a small dowell in the pvc to help it hold itself? Then you would have a little mechanical fastening to help the glue.


This is what I would do for wood and makes sense to me. I am just not sure if I could come up with something for the PVC I am testing out. It’s 6mm thick, foam center. I really only think gluing or using a pre-drilled hole and nailing it in some spots would work. , but again, this stuff is new to me. I’m guessing gluing straight to
wood is not common?
 

visual800

Active Member
yes you can. Ive had great luck with priming the rear of PVC and placing dots of silicone on rear of PVC and laying them on the wood. Try your best to scuff the wood where the pvc will lay. IMO laying dots of silicone is better than running stripes, if you will. BTW nice clean sign
 

Jessmuhname

New Member
yes you can. Ive had great luck with priming the rear of PVC and placing dots of silicone on rear of PVC and laying them on the wood. Try your best to scuff the wood where the pvc will lay. IMO laying dots of silicone is better than running stripes, if you will. BTW nice clean sign

The dot-method is exactly what I thinking! What do you use to prime? Sorry, for the basic question, and thanks for the compliment.
 

Ian Stewart-Koster

Older Greyer Brushie
PVC has a much greater expansion/contraction rate than timber, as temperature changes during the day.
It is generally regarded as unsuitable in many exposed/sunlit situations like that, if you want it to last, glued, without falling off.
You might get it to work, but you will be in precarious waters.
 

Ardor Creative

New Member
First, great looking sign! I assume the wood has a clear coat? If it does, then it creates a great surface for adhesives to adhere to compared to straight onto the wood. Second, the pin/dowel method Notarealsignguy mentions plus Lexel would be a good combo. Pins keep it in place while Lexel can deal with the longer term adhesion. Plus Lexel has silicone properties so it will do better with expansion and contraction. I generally do screws instead of dowels because they're generally hidden against a wall or building.
 

Chuck B

Riff Meister
100% silicone (haven't tried Lexel yet) has worked well for me...gives you a window to "scooch" into place before setting. If I don't need the "scooch" time window, my go to is a 3M VHB...the stuff sticks mad...but you get one shot on placement.
 

Laci

New Member
[QUOTE = "Jessmuhname, hozzászólás: 1477756, tag: 82618"]
543879932952393

Ez valószínűleg "hülye" kérdés, tekintve, hogy valószínűleg a legtöbb ön szakértője ezen a területen ... Tehát itt van egy kis betekintés a tipikus jeleimbe, amelyeket készítek - 100% fa. Tudok néhány dolgot, csak kevés erről a területről.
:) Használhatnék néhány newb segítséget, kérlek

JXBlCF
[/IDÉZET]
 

Attachments

  • 312293_1.jpg
    312293_1.jpg
    54.2 KB · Views: 394

player

New Member
[QUOTE = "Jessmuhname, hozzászólás: 1477756, tag: 82618"]
543879932952393

Ez valószínűleg "hülye" kérdés, tekintve, hogy valószínűleg a legtöbb ön szakértője ezen a területen ... Tehát itt van egy kis betekintés a tipikus jeleimbe, amelyeket készítek - 100% fa. Tudok néhány dolgot, csak kevés erről a területről.
:) Használhatnék néhány newb segítséget, kérlek

JXBlCF
[/IDÉZET]
Translated: "This is probably a "stupid" question, considering that most of you are probably an expert in this field ... So here's a little insight into my typical signs that I'm making - 100% wood. I know a few things, just a little about this area.
:) Could I use some newb help, please"
 

visual800

Active Member
The dot-method is exactly what I thinking! What do you use to prime? Sorry, for the basic question, and thanks for the compliment.

I use a part epoxy auto primer you may check also with automotive supplier if this is available in spray can!!!
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Sure, anything will work, but why are you gluing 2 pieces of unrelated materials together ?? What are you trying to accomplish ?? Also, how long is something like this supposed to last ??

Most anything will work temporarily, but when looking for the long haul, you might want to reconsider your substrate choices.
 

rossmosh

New Member
It would help to know what part of that sign is going to be PVC and what part is going to be wood.

For example, if I was looking to make that sign out of non-organic materials, I'd buy wood grain PVC (1/2 or 3/4") for the backer board and then cut the letters out of 1/4" or 3/8" matte black acrylic.

I would absolutely not recommend cutting the letters out of PVC. Black PVC is not outdoor rated so you'll need to do white and then paint it. Cutting it out of P95 black acrylic will be way more cost effective.
 
Top