Treated 4x4 with post sleeves

[SW101]

Hey fellas,

I'm doing some smaller max metal signs and I intend on using two treated 4x4's per sign and covering them with the vinyl sleeves. Now from what I have read on here most guys were saying that they buried the treated post and then went back and sleeved the above ground part only. My question is what would be the issues if you ran the post sleeve all the way to the bottom of the wood 4x4? Is it a expansion and contraction issue or moisture issue?

At first glance it looks like it would help the 4x4 not soak in all the water from your concrete footer, and that by doing it this way there would only be one point of contact at the very bottom of the post which I could seal and of course line the bottom of my hole with 6'-8" of gravel.

I also read some guys were saying that they used only the post sleeve as their mounting post, but for a long term sign that doesn't seem like a sturdy logical option. Is my thinking wrong here? And aluminum is out of the budget for the client fyi.

Thoughts?

 

[jfiscus]

You have to bury your posts per local code below the frost line (usually 36" around here) in cement.
Then you have a few inches still underground w/o cement on them that you can sleeve to hide the sleeve end.
There are caps also to make the tops look nice.

 

[Z SIGNS]

When time becomes money you will find the aluminum post the way to go.

How could it be out of the budget ?
An 8' wood post cost $10 plus what ever it cost to cover it and an alum cost $30
Is $40 really to much to put out a superior job ?

The difference in the cost pittance.

We stock 24' lengths of 4" sq alum tube so we.......

Never go to the lumber yard.
Never bust our lugging timber.
Never have sawdust.
Never get splinters.
Never have to spend time trying to make them look nice.
Never have crooked nasty looking posts.

 

[SW101]

When time becomes money you will find the aluminum post the way to go.

How could it be out of the budget ?
An 8' wood post cost $10 plus what ever it cost to cover it and an alum cost $30
Is $40 really to much to put out a superior job ?

The difference in the cost pittance.

We stock 24' lengths of 4" sq alum tube so we.......

Never go to the lumber yard.
Never bust our lugging timber.
Never have sawdust.
Never get splinters.
Never have to spend time trying to make them look nice.
Never have crooked nasty looking posts.

Some valid points Z Signs. If you don't mind me asking how do you guys finish your bare aluminum posts? Do you paint or powder coat? And do you paint/powder coat in house or outsource?
We live in a one horse town and have no metal suppliers inside of a 45 mile radius, but I could always go buy a truck load and stock it to get some better pricing, so thanks for that simple yet good idea!

 

[BFsigns]

The pvc sleeve is decorative. The pressure treated is structural. No need to spend $ running decorative more then a few inches below grade. Also, the pressure treated is slightly smaller then the pvc sleeve and will float loose inside other then where the mounting screws hold the sign to the post. Because of this the structure will be much stronger if the pressure treated is in direct contact with the cement instead of the pvc being in contact with the cement. We do hundreds of posts this way each year without any issues. We also paint many of them to match the sign for a nice look. Zsigns makes a good point that aluminum is a nice choice as well. We use plenty of aluminum posts also. But not all shops can take n 24’ lengths and cut and paint them as needed. Using standard white pvc and pressure treated posts you can take off the shelve materials, cut to length without any prep or painting required, and get a nice clean look. And as for using only the pvc sleeve without a pressure treated insert, we only do this for temporary job site signs that are smaller in size and not cemented. They are not strong enough for long term installations and in climates where freezing temps are possible, can shatter under impact or torque.

 

[CanuckSigns]

When time becomes money you will find the aluminum post the way to go.

How could it be out of the budget ?
An 8' wood post cost $10 plus what ever it cost to cover it and an alum cost $30
Is $40 really to much to put out a superior job ?

The difference in the cost pittance.

We stock 24' lengths of 4" sq alum tube so we.......

Never go to the lumber yard.
Never bust our lugging timber.
Never have sawdust.
Never get splinters.
Never have to spend time trying to make them look nice.
Never have crooked nasty looking posts.

Where re are you finding a 4x4 aluminum post for that price?!? I've called around up here for this and I'm looking at around $400 for a 24' length!

what grade of aluminum are you using? All I can find is anodized, which I don't need.

 

[visual800]

metal posts is what I would do OR my new favorite if pvc round posts, primed and painted. I dont bother with treated wood if I can help. what you are doing here is overkill. what size is your sign

 

[TXFB.INS]

Where re are you finding a 4x4 aluminum post for that price?!? I've called around up here for this and I'm looking at around $400 for a 24' length!

what grade of aluminum are you using? All I can find is anodized, which I don't need.

same question, most of our dealers are also in the 400 range also for a 4 x 4 x 1/8 x 24' delivered

 

[Billct2]

I also don't think I can get aluminum anywhere near that cheap.
And it still has to get painted.
There is a place that sells a limited selection of pre-painted white aluminum pots, but they're not cheap.
We often use steel because it's cheaper that aluminum.
But for a basic job a 4x4 PT with a sleeve cover is till quick & cheap.

 

[Z SIGNS]

Some valid points Z Signs. If you don't mind me asking how do you guys finish your bare aluminum posts? Do you paint or powder coat? And do you paint/powder coat in house or outsource?
We live in a one horse town and have no metal suppliers inside of a 45 mile radius, but I could always go buy a truck load and stock it to get some better pricing, so thanks for that simple yet good idea!

Sometimes we send out for powdercoat.
Most of the time we paint in house

Where re are you finding a 4x4 aluminum post for that price?!? I've called around up here for this and I'm looking at around $400 for a 24' length!



what grade of aluminum are you using? All I can find is anodized, which I don't need.

same question, most of our dealers are also in the 400 range also for a 4 x 4 x 1/8 x 24' delivered

I also don't think I can get aluminum anywhere near that cheap.
And it still has to get painted.
There is a place that sells a limited selection of pre-painted white aluminum pots, but they're not cheap.
We often use steel because it's cheaper that aluminum.
But for a basic job a 4x4 PT with a sleeve cover is till quick & cheap.

Wow you guys are paying way to much.
We pay $131 for a 24' $43 for an 8'
It's about $30 for a 3" post

It's $25 for an 8' pvc plus $10 for the wood post.

Painting aluminum is not complicated.
Just ordered some today

 

[Jillbeans]

I have a "real job" working for a fence company.
We ship 4"x4" PVC posts all over the US and Canada.
https://www.pennfence.com/vinyl/post-sleeve-c253
We have really good prices and they are made in the USA.
For fences, posts do not require any wooden insert but go directly into the ground.
A hole is routered into the bottom, and the post is inserted into concrete.
We also sell some nice post caps.
Love....Jill