Properly prepping plywood or some other wood grain showing material

[redcanary01]

Hi there!

So a client has a design she'd like for a sandwich board that intentionally let's the wood grain show through in some parts as part of the design--so MDO isn't an option. I've heard people say they've used plywood before (and that it takes a lot of work) and it can last as long as MDO. What would I need to do to make sure it lasts? I am guessing I will be doing a lot of sanding and sealing...Or would you suggest some other type of wood?

Thanks much,
Red

 

[fresh]

CNC some HDU with a woodgrain, paint, profit.

I'm assuming you don't have a CNC (we don't either, YET...) but i'm sure you can find someone who can do it for you. It ain't cheap, but it will last and be awesome.

 

[Jillbeans]

What I did when I made a sign out of T-111 was to prime it with boiled linseed oil.
That seals the wood. It takes a LONG time to dry like 3 days.
Then I painted it with Ronan block-out white.
Then I let that dry.
Then I sanded the bejeezus out of the edges with a DA sander hooked to an air compressor.
Then I cleared it to make sure the raw edges I'd exposed were really protected.
I'd make sure to seal your edges with Titebond 2 wood glue too.
Letter with regular lettering enamels.
Love....Jill

 

[ChicagoGraphics]

Use birch, I would go with 3/4" not much prepping either, it comes smooth so you won't need to sand it.

 

[Billct2]

I'd try exterior graded AC plywood. Seal with a marine 2 part varnish.

 

[CanuckSigns]

a few years ago, SignManiac posted some pics of a sign he made from a PVC product that had a wood grain embossed into it, I believe it was some type of siding or something.

 

[Letterbox Mike]

We've been experimenting a lot with flatbed printing to plywood lately and the results are really cool, that may be an option for you here. I would think with a few coats of some sort of polyurethane a sandwich sign like this would be durable enough, as long as everybody has a realistic understanding that it's plywood...

Attached are a couple flower images we just ran as a test, kinda gives you an idea how it prints on wood. These were crappy home depot plywood scraps too, we've done some others on higher grade material that looks a little less grainy.