Utility box wraps

[ikarasu]

Yep, you're past your character count for today.

You'll never silence me!

 

[Notarealsignguy]

You'll never silence me!

Hey, sorry to interrupt this abortion here but did you say I can use calandared laminate on that reflective.

 

[ikarasu]

We use calandered all the time, so long as it's not cheap monmeric stuff you'll be fine.

 

[GAC05]

So what? Just, look away. Quit being such a picky b@sturd. You think flowers are lame too.

Maybe he just needs a more relatable motif

 

[UKSigns]

I've done several transformer and electrical panel wraps for the University I work at. We wrap them to camouflage them into the surroundings more, not make them stand out. I've wrapped them in about every temperature range, even 90° heat, which is a bit challenging but still doable. My tips if you take the job are as follows:

1) Definitely wrap the top. If you don't, it will be much easier for the wrap to fail from water penetration.
2) Use a matte laminate.
3) 3M edge sealer will be your best friend.
4) They will not be opening the boxes up for you, so don't worry about adding that unknown to your cost equation.

 

[garyroy]

The ones wrapped in camo make sense. Real Tree or Mossy Oak, they blend in well.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

I've done several transformer and electrical panel wraps for the University I work at. We wrap them to camouflage them into the surroundings more, not make them stand out. I've wrapped them in about every temperature range, even 90° heat, which is a bit challenging but still doable. My tips if you take the job are as follows:

1) Definitely wrap the top. If you don't, it will be much easier for the wrap to fail from water penetration.
2) Use a matte laminate.
3) 3M edge sealer will be your best friend.
4) They will not be opening the boxes up for you, so don't worry about adding that unknown to your cost equation.

That's the way to do it

 

[citysignshop]

OK, loving the discussion; I've done quite a few of these classic Econolite 'P' cabinets myself!

to relate to the original post; these take me about 2.5 hrs to do a 'nice' tight wrap IN THE SHOP!
Including cleaning twice, once with general purpose cleaner, then Isopropyl to degrease. We leave the tops bare to improve heat rejection.
In order to price installation, I'd be inclined to offer a cost to apply 50 square feet of graphic to all the 'flat' surfaces. That would only take about an hour, and look just as good from across the street, and would accomplish the grafitti resistance. yes, lots of edges, but trim them back 1/8" from the edge, and tape if you desire.
Version two would be opening the doors, ( get the common key from the utility, if not a power box) and go over all the rivets, and seams and louvres etc. with a heat gun and foam roller or whatever your preference.
That takes me at least an extra hour!...and more material...so price accordingly.

I'm no expert, just what I've experienced....really not my favourite thing to do on a hot, windy, dusty day in the field...
....but them maybe....

maybe Brandon will come and do them for us? I'm in awe of some of you guys that make it look easy!

 

[gnubler]

Excellent info...thank you Ikarasu and others. I'm going to submit my bid today, willing to give it a shot just for practice.

Graffiti is a non-issue where these boxes are located. More of a vanity project, I think. Someone mentioned using a matte laminate - what's the reason? Does it make it easier to work with the vinyl?

 

[gnubler]

Another question about the safety/warning stickers in some of the images posted here. Do you reproduce the stickers already on the boxes, then reapply them over the wrap? Or does the utility company handle re-stickering them? On the boxes I'm bidding on there's a few engraved plaques on the doors, so I would just wrap over them and then cut away the vinyl laying over the plaques.

 

[ikarasu]

For the safety stickers it all depends. Up until last year they forced us to cut around them... We even offered to reproduce them for them for free because we thought that looks tacky, but they were of course under contracts to get them from somewhere else and won't allow us to do that.

Now however they supply them to us, so there is a bit of a removal in them and then we apply over top in the same location.

It'll likely vary based on who you're doing them for.

 

[Dan360]

Another question about the safety/warning stickers in some of the images posted here. Do you reproduce the stickers already on the boxes, then reapply them over the wrap? Or does the utility company handle re-stickering them? On the boxes I'm bidding on there's a few engraved plaques on the doors, so I would just wrap over them and then cut away the vinyl laying over the plaques.

Ask the client, we've done some where they put new ones over the wrap and others where we had to cut them out.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Why on earth would they want the breaker panels wrapped? Seems like an excellent opportunity for a service guy to wander around for 45 minutes looking to shut off a breaker.

are you making jokes burton?

 

[Johnny Best]

are you making jokes burton?

He tries.

 

[UKSigns]

Why on earth would they want the breaker panels wrapped? Seems like an excellent opportunity for a service guy to wander around for 45 minutes looking to shut off a breaker.

Because the panels are located near the front desk of the campus IT department which has students in and out all the time. We have our own electricians as well that are assigned to certain buildings, so their locations never come into question.

 

[UKSigns]

Another question about the safety/warning stickers in some of the images posted here. Do you reproduce the stickers already on the boxes, then reapply them over the wrap? Or does the utility company handle re-stickering them? On the boxes I'm bidding on there's a few engraved plaques on the doors, so I would just wrap over them and then cut away the vinyl laying over the plaques.

We make new safety stickers and place over the top of the wrap.

 

[UKSigns]

Excellent info...thank you Ikarasu and others. I'm going to submit my bid today, willing to give it a shot just for practice.

Graffiti is a non-issue where these boxes are located. More of a vanity project, I think. Someone mentioned using a matte laminate - what's the reason? Does it make it easier to work with the vinyl?

We use matte laminate because the boxes aren't glossy to begin with and we're going for camouflage more than anything else.