Securing 3mm PVC to Painted Wood

[jochwat]

I've got a project in the works for an 80" square sign, printed on two pieces of 40" x 80" butted-up 3mm PVC, going up on an outdoor wall space made of painted wood. Would screws and washers suffice for this, or should I also use an adhesive? And if I need the latter (and of course, a ladder), what's a good choice? I was poking around Menard's yesterday and found "FlexGlue" as well as several varieties of Gorilla Glue, but still didn't see a 100% definitive "adheres PVC to wood"-type answer.

Thanks!

-Joe

 

[eahicks]

I don't advise 3mm PVC for a sign like this. Switch to 3mm ACM, and screws alone will suffice.

 

[jochwat]

Very much appreciate the material input! Alas, at this point in the project between time and price, we have to go with PVC as the substrate...

 

[SeeEmWhyKay]

PVC is going to warp over time- there's no way around it, especially on a south or west facing sign. I would use a little bit of liquid nails/ silicone, perimeter screws and washers, and let the customer know it's a temp solution. Good luck with your project!

 

[Gino]

3 mil pvc is a no-no and should never have been offered or considered for such a sign. Quoting to get a job, then trying to fit some substrate into the equation is a sure way to the bottom of the barrel. Any place you put a physical fastener, will warp/belly, unless you put them about every 4 inches in all directions. Gorilla glue and any other adhesive breathes at a totally different rate than the PVC and will eventually break loose. Besides, you need an adhesive which bonds the type paint which is on the wood to PVC. Good luck with that combination.

 

[Pixels Are Bad Mmmkay?]

I think the general consensus is that you should never use PVC under 1/2" thick for outdoor applications.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

It's easier to fix it now than later

 

[jochwat]

This is why I was glad to be "unbanned" to take part in this forum: to help school, and be schooled.

Honestly, I thought the thin PVC was a good solution that fit in with the customer's budget. But if this is just wrong, then I'll work it out and go another route as suggested.

Thanks for the hints as well as the hammers over the head, everyone.

-Joe

 

[Gino]

What were you banned for...... and when ??

No hammers were used in these lessons. These are all things you should already know without asking questions like this.

 

[visual800]

IF you cant get away with 3mil pvc i would drill holes slightly larger than screws and start at top and do NOT screw all the way down. Come down halfway and do 2 more and then to bottom. I would not use any adhesive you want to "hang" this sign on the screws if that makes any sense

 

[jochwat]

What were you banned for...... and when ??

No hammers were used in these lessons. These are all things you should already know without asking questions like this.

I was banned on, let's see, my sign-on date says October 15th, 2016. So that would mean I was banned on October 15th, 2016. And it was due to (short version) asking about printing equipment recommendations for a company that hired me on for pre-press work and wanted to take its printing in-house. It stirred up a controversy that I guess would have been avoided had I mentioned it was a trade show company, and the ban came down. No longer with that "company", thankfully.

Didn't mean that the hammers were a bad thing. Since I've seen PVC used in similar fashions (albeit usually in frames), I made an assumption that I could meet the budget and use that substrate. Definitely more well-versed in design and production than installation at this stage.

 

[jochwat]

IF you cant get away with 3mil pvc i would drill holes slightly larger than screws and start at top and do NOT screw all the way down. Come down halfway and do 2 more and then to bottom. I would not use any adhesive you want to "hang" this sign on the screws if that makes any sense

Thank you for the option, very much appreciated!

 

[Gino]

Where you're located. 3mil PVC is never an outdoor possibility, unless it's temporary for a few days or so. Heat warps and bows the stuff, regardless of ink, vinyl or paint on it and outside in the cold for more than 3 days will make it brittle and a snowball will bust it into pieces. Making oblong holes will help, but it's still not a good substrate choice.