Vinyl on wood

I have a customer that wants two 4x8 foot signs made. I figure I would use a couple sheets of plywood but I need something cheap to put on the wood that the vinyl will stick to. Any ideas? Plexiglass is too expensive. Coregated plastic is too cheap looking. Maybe countertop laminate?

you can get colored aluminum for about $60-80 4x8

I'll keep that in mind. Is a little more than I would like to spend but possible.

why not just paint it?

I don't think vinyl will stick very well to painted plywood will it? Seems like it could fall off with a hard rain.

I've done it lots....I drive by one everyday, that I did about 8 years ago, and it looks great! tell the paint company what want and what you are doing with it....you wont have a problem.

Hmm...well, Ill try some out this week and see. I don't do many signs. I mostly do automotive work so I've never mesed with much sign stuff.

My personal large sign for my business is made out of painted plywood. We stick vinyl letters on it. We keep our primary name at the top of it. We have had several strong storms and our vinyl hasn't come off of it, and the vinyl still looks great!. We constantly change the center of our signs using vinyl and none of our letters have come off during storms. We do signs for a living and trust me. If you rub the vinyl really well, it won't come off unless you spend the time to take it off. Our sign has been through two tornado watchs and several severe thunderstorms, and our letters haven't budged.

another thing you could do is paint the plywood, then reverse weed your vinyl...then just paint over the vinyl and remove it...the letters will be painted on.

Contact you local sign supply house and tell them to quote you on

1) Omega Board - Marine plywood w/ 1 smooth vinyl side (you must edge seal the edges tho)
or
2) DiBond - double aluminum faced board w/ plastic core... very light weight and durable (my personal choice)

we regularly print 4x8 on our versacam printer/cutter,, its 54" so 4 x8 can be printed in one piece... regularly we install on crezone, which is a plywood with a good one or two sides... the good surface is a hard paper coating,, we dont paint the surface, just apply....direct...

Thanks for the relplies guys. I will look intot he Omega board or just sand and paint the plywood.

Mine too.

I would have uesd 3mm PVC board, when bought in 4x8 not to expensive - light weight everything sticks to it. You can make a nice print and Run it through a lamnator. Looks great do it all the time as long as you use your plywood for a backer.

Just an observation.
But, I'm curious as to how someone gets 7yrs. experience and doesn't know you can stick vinyl to paint.....
Or knows nothing of the MANY other substrates available....

Blows my mind I tell ya.....


Just curious.........

I just assume the dude is new to vinyl.....

It is funny tho...

maybe its 7 years tinting....and just new to vinyl?