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how long to wait after painting plywood

shuv76

New Member
I am doing a sign where I have to remove 2 eight foot pieces of plywood, remove the vinyl letters that are about 12 years old and peeling like crazy. Then I am going to prime it and then paint it. After I paint it, I don't know how long to wait before applying vinyl. Any suggestions? Thanks,Paul
 

Rydaddy

New Member
I see some other potential issues arising before you get to that point, but generally speaking I would wait 48 hours.
 

JR's

New Member
Hi shuv,
it would most likely be cheaper to replace the MDO.
When customers want me to repaint their old MDO signs, I price it so I can replace the MDO.
They never know the difference and I throw away the old MDO.
But to answer your question 24 to 48 hours depends on your paint humidity and temperature in your shop and airflow.
Although there's probably moisture inside the MDO so make sure it dries out well before you repaint. If not it will fail within a year or two not 12 years.

JR :)
 

artsnletters

New Member
why would you put yourself thru all the headache, unless it's for a cheap customer? Educate the customer that this plywood is ready to be replaced. Sell them on a nice new piece of Alumalite or any of the other excellent 'no paint' substraites. Me, i won't / don't screw with old wood or customers too cheap to know the difference. Bulletin enamels don't last like they used to and the labor to fix the crappy plywood still doesn't guarantee a good product from you....
Tim
 

Mosh

New Member
Letter some aluminum and put that over the plywood. It is going to look better and last longer and no need to wait for the paint to dry. Labor to scrape and paint will be more than the price of aluminum blanks any day!
 

Jillbeans

New Member
100% aluminum reface if possible.
To hell with d!cking around with someone's old plywood sign.
(coming from someone who used to do this in the early days)
What you have in labor/time costs surely makes a new face seem like a bargain.
You are going to have to use an oil based paint like Ronan, 1-Shot, even Rustoleum in order for the new vynull to stick, God forbid if you make a mistake and have to pull up a letter because the new paint is going to come right up with it.
Love....Jill
 

jfiscus

Rap Master
I agree with the others, especially with you having to do on-site to remove the sign, bring it back, clean, strip, prep, paint, etc BEFORE you even get to apply the new graphics. All the while this customer is without their sign.

Even just buying a new piece of plywood is going to be cheaper & longer lasting than an OLD piece with hours of labor involved; but as stated see if you can replace it with another longer lasting substrate. This way you just make the sign & go out ONCE and remove/install.
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Answering your question.... you'll need at least two or three coats of paint. From the time of your FINAL top coat, I would wait a day or two when fully dried.

However, like the others have said, you're not doing yourself or your customer any justice using wood that is at least 12 years old. You're inheriting the old shops substrate which you don't know if rot and decay have started, oil or latex based paint were used or delamination has started.......... you're better off starting with new MDO or doing an overlay from sheet aluminum.
 

shuv76

New Member
Answering your question.... you'll need at least two or three coats of paint. From the time of your FINAL top coat, I would wait a day or two when fully dried.

However, like the others have said, you're not doing yourself or your customer any justice using wood that is at least 12 years old. You're inheriting the old shops substrate which you don't know if rot and decay have started, oil or latex based paint were used or delamination has started.......... you're better off starting with new MDO or doing an overlay from sheet aluminum.

Ok you guys have talked me in to it. If I go with aluminum overlay, how would you mount it to the plywood? Wouldn't it have buckles in it? Now the MDO board , I don't know,,,, for one thing I need 16 ft x 3ft & I have a feeling that that will be a lot of cost. But I don't know so I am still listening. Oh by the way , the plywood looks in great shape. It was primed and painted well. That is why i thought I could just paint over it with some enamel paint. But now I don't know. Thanks for your input.
 

Billct2

Active Member
We usually clean the background, run beads of silcone around, then either pop rivet or ss screws,to hold till the glue sets up.
2 sheets of aluminum is cheaper than several hours of prep & paint and you eliminate take down/reinstall laber plus end up with a better product.
 

shuv76

New Member
We usually clean the background, run beads of silcone around, then either pop rivet or ss screws,to hold till the glue sets up.
2 sheets of aluminum is cheaper than several hours of prep & paint and you eliminate take down/reinstall laber plus end up with a better product.

What thickness of aluminum would you use and would you paint the aluminum? Thanks ,, Paul
 

Idea Design

New Member
That's the whole idea of using aluminum to re-face the sign, there's no need for painting or preparation. Most if not all aluminum comes with a pre-baked finish that needs cleaned with d-alcohol just as anything else and away you go.
 

Mosh

New Member
.040 aluminum, silicone it on. Be done with it. If you are worried aboud buckling use some max metal it diabond instead of the .040.
 

Jillbeans

New Member
Shuv I was thinking if you need 3'x16' you should add whatever thickness the wood on the existing signs is to the .040 before you have it cut. Say ½" extra for example.
(I can get my supplier to cut my aluminum for a small fee)
The sheets are 4'x8' so you will have leftovers.
The have someone with a brake bend it on the top edge so it makes a lip that would go over the top of the existing sign. That way water would not be getting under the new face when it rains. As for attaching it, I would use both VHB tape and self-tapping screws. I had a sign buckle once using just silicone.
You could make little white circles out of vinyl to cover the screw heads.
(although .040 does come in several nice colors if you don't want a white background)
Hey it's just a thought and may not be practical. Also I am not a carpenter or engineer.
Love....Jill
 

petrosgraphics

New Member
you can use .040 alum. scuff the back with an orbital sander, 120 grit paper, it will give
the adhesive something to bite into... we have always use PL400 constuction adhesive
any hardware store will carry it... if you are cutting the alum. make some 1''x 3/4" angle
to place over the alum. attach this to the edge of the plywood, it will finish off the plywood and give you a little 1" bdr. on the face, along with hiding any fasteners you might want to use....
 

jiarby

New Member
and make sure the OLD plywood is not warped, cracked, or peeling apart....otherwise your new face will not have anywhere flat to sit.
 
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