Exterior sign

[xtremek]

I want make an exterior sign for the place. SWMABO wants to call the place "Lilac Lane" and put a sign down at the first fence row. I want to paint a picture of lilacs and then put the title on it. I'd like to leave the "natural" wood grain visible. So I have two questions, what kind of wood should I use and what should I coat it with? The budget is always tight, so some kind of exotic, pricey stuff is out of the question. I'd rather not use some kind of sealer that needs to be done every year, but if that's what I get, then so be it. Another thing, I used screw eyes on the last sign. Can I go the same route, or should I do something different?

Also, I built a sign when I was in junior high wood shop. It's built out of Curly Maple and Oak. I put some Min-Wax Ureathane on it. Will this survive outside? Or do I need to strip it and coat it with something else?

 

[Krash Kadillak]

Old cedar fence board?

 

[JakeKohl]

As a sign maker speaking to someone looking to save a buck, use cedar. You can buy a piece of cedar siding at most home improvement stores. When someone demanded a natural wood sign from me in the past, this is usually where I would start for a small sign. If you are going to coat it with something, use a spar urethane. It's designed to expand and contract at a rate closer to that of the wood which results in less cracking of the finish. You will probably need to refinish it every year or two unless you dig the weathered look.

High end materials would be a foam board that is machined or sandblasted to look like wood. The foam board expands and contracts at a nearly identical rate as the paint and finishes so it lasts a lot longer.

I'm currently working on two 4 foot mahogany quarter boards for a classic motor yacht that will be stained to give the mahogany a more aged appearance, sanded (with wet stain) to fill pores, and then it will be coated with a couple coats of a clear epoxy (West Systems with 207 series hardner) followed by a couple coats of spar urethane. The spar urethane gives the epoxy added UV protection and serves as an exterior coat that will be easier to refinish periodically than the West System epoxy. I'll probably have $130 to $150 of materials in those two quarter boards not including my time or tools (which also includes finishing and sizing the rough sawn mahogany boards)


20140822_175236 by Green Room Graphics, on Flickr


20140823_170336 by Green Room Graphics, on Flickr