Plexiglass or lexan ?

[Scratch]

I have a customer that wants an outdoor 4’x8’ sign For their dance studio. They knew I did them so they went out and bought a sheet of plywood, painted both sides of it white, THEN brought it over and asked me to put some vinyl on it. I showed them with a sample how there will be imperfections in the paint (it was full of them) that will show up in the vinyl and now they still want to use their plywood, but put a layer of plexiglass or lexan or something on top of it.

What are the pros And cons of each, and do you have any suggestions on where to get it? I’m also unsure of what thickness to use and am open to suggestions.

 

[Stacey K]

You can use ACM board which is cheaper than 3/8" acrylic. If you use 1/8" you might have to put some screws in the center, I would think it would warp? You can use the 3m ACM and screw it to the plywood to make it more rigid. Gosh...painted plywood, must not be a real high end dance place, more like break dancing or something LOL You seem to get all the crazy jobs!

Glantz pricing
3m ACM $67.93
6m ACM $131.90
Acrylic 1/8" thick $86.64, 3/8" thick $260.66

 

[Gino]

Where you're located, that's a terrible idea. Moisture buildup will cause many different problems, plus plywood is not really meant for this kinda application. Not to mention, the cost of 2 pieces of acrylic or poly will be very high and cause quite a bit of weight as mentioned.

Tell them to forget what they already did and continue with a solid piece of 2-sided ACM board of 10mm. Either do it right...... or go home.

 

[letterworks]

I sell Plexi and ACM is the way to go.

Oversized holes, screws with washers should avoid any warping, although if you can get a screw in the middle it wouldn't hurt. Better yet, use 6mm and don't use the plywood at all.

 

[gnubler]

I would also skin it with 3mm ACM, 6mm is too heavy and not needed. Also, charge them an extra hour or two shop time for having to accommodate their crappy plywood. When it warps, and it will, they can put the ACM on a fresh panel.

 

[Billct2]

NO.

 

[ikarasu]

You can use ACM board which is cheaper than 3/8" acrylic. If you use 1/8" you might have to put some screws in the center, I would think it would warp? You can use the 3m ACM and screw it to the plywood to make it more rigid. Gosh...painted plywood, must not be a real high end dance place, more like break dancing or something LOL You seem to get all the crazy jobs!

Glantz pricing
3m ACM $67.93
6m ACM $131.90
Acrylic 1/8" thick $86.64, 3/8" thick $260.66

You guys pay 68 usd for 3mm ACM?! We're in the $45 range Canadian.. about $35 usd. You can get even lower if you're using the cheap, thin skinned stuff - but we don't touch it, bends too easy.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Trump tarrifs

 

[letterworks]

Trump tarrifs

Seriously? Hardly any aluminum in the cheap stuff.....

 

[ikarasu]

Aren't the tarrifs only like 10% or something stupid?

Usually everything is way cheaper in USA than here with the buying power USA has. It's surprising that something is double the price than it is here

 

[Scratch]

Ok… only been here a few days and I'm already learning something new. I’ve never even heard of ACM before today! I've been doing some research on ACM and I still have some questions, but I'll start another thread.
Thanks!