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can anyone advise me of a board thats like aluminium?
I’ve been asked by a customer for 2 x 16ft by 8 ft signs. the last couple of signs they had (not from me) have blown down and shattered so they want something a little more substantial. I thought about using aluminium but they want it grey. (not the aluminium colour, Ive already thought of that!) can anyone advise me of a good quality board thats like aluminium but that I can get in a dove grey type colour. I thought about rynabond, dybond etc but don’t really know anything about them as 99% of my work is vehicle signage.
Thanks in advance
Stuart
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18 Replies
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Robert did a demo on this, ie big signs made from Reynobond
http://www.uksignboards.com/viewtopic.php?t=1622
There are several suppliers, Reynobond, Dibond and Europoint display do both AluColor and Le Board (I think thats what its called 😕 )
All these materials are easy to work with, easy to drill, cut and fix and they’re very lightweight for the size of signs you can make with them. You’ll probably manage with a thin material (2 – 3mm) and plenty of fixings.
Quite easy to apply to, especially if you’re used to applying to metal anyway 😀
Cheers, Dewi
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Hi Stuart
If you want to use ally you can change to colour to anything you want by covering in vinyl.
Paul R
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Wouldnt recommend Reynobond or Dibond for 16ft by 8ft as it is not strong enough (from experience) would only use 11swg (3mm) aluminium plate. f you buy thsi from Ashby you can have this in any RAL colour you want at no extra cost
REgards Adrain
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Thanks everybody for your help.
Signco. Do you have a number for Ashby? Do you know any rough prices for 8×4 sheets? Do they deliver?
Thanks
Stuart
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Stuart what are the signs for?
If its part of a post and panel set up then as Adrian says it would not be suitable but if they are to be mounded on the side of a building I cant personally see the problem as long as they are installed correctly.
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Adrian
Why do you say that dibond is not strong enough for 16′ x 8′ ?
Like Martin, I can’t see a problem and I’ve got them out there a lot bigger than that. Biggest so far is 40′ x 8′ (10 sheets)
John
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Sorry guys brain goes faster than the fingers. I was assuming that the 16ft by 8ft sign was going to be mounted on 4 poles (214mm). If they are going to be mounted against a wall then obviously dibond/reynobond is fine so is foamex. But if it is mounted on poles dibond/reynobond flexes too much and it will work its way off its fixings through time.
Ashby can be found at http://www.ashbytrade.co.uk yes they deliver and they will tell you exactly the diametere of poles you need for different sizes of sign taking into consideration the height above the ground that you need, they also supply all the fixngs and accesories required to install a professional sign professionally
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Aside from the strength issue (its worth noting though that Robert put the 25ft x 10ft sign up about 2 years ago, and its still up there, good as new) there is also price.
For the 3mm sheet ally, its going to be over double the price of Dibond/Reynobond/Alucolor, possibly more than that on products such as Le Board. Considering the guy wants 2x 16ftx8ft, you’re looking at 8 sheets of whatever material you choose, and if there is a price difference of £40-£50 a sheet, that could be as much as £400 dearer!
As Martin points out, if the sign isn’t wallmounted, it makes matters a little different, but I still wouldn’t use 3mm ally… I’d have a problem lifting it, let alone fitting it! 😮
Cheers, Dewi
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quote Dewi:.. I’d have a problem lifting it, let alone fitting it! 😮
Cheers, Dewi
English you see ! not had your porrige this morning
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Dewi you might be surprised at the price of aluminium panels, it wouldn’t be much more expensive and could work out cheaper. Aluminium comes in an 8′ x 4′ size so 4 sheets per sign is fine.
Most composite board like alucolour come in a 3mtr by just over 1.5mtr size so lots of offcuts.As for the weight I have to agree with you 8′ x 4′ aluminium panels would be quite heavy.
I’ve lived in Scotland for 30 years but must still be English and not eat my porridge.
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Thanks everybody for your replies
The signs are to be mounted to the side of a building. don’t know whether it is corrigated steel or brick as I haven’t been on site yet.
Normally I would use foamex or something similar but they have had 2 signs blow down and I think they’re assuming its because of the material.Also the other main reason is that ther are 3 sign companies quoting for the job and the others have quoted in 2mm Ally painted in 2k paint so I think I should also quote in Ally. Money isn’t the ‘be all and end all’ on this job and I think it will be decided on the best material.
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If competition is quoting 2mm go for sign colour which is 2mm ally sheet and you can get in various colours and is much cheaper than 11swg (3mm) it can be bought from Amari plastics who also deliver http://www.amariplastics.com
The great thing about the sign plates from Ashby is that they are interlocking so when you have to join panels together the Ashby ones are the biz (fitted for life)
Regards Adrian
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Dibond or aluminium would both be suitable materials, i personally prefer dibond for flat panel signs because of its weight and finish. The factors to consider is that if you use dibond your choices of finishing are either laminating or wet spray, or if you go aluminium you could powder coat which is a lot cheaper than wet spray. Regarding thickness a 3mm panel would be preferable because they maintain a flatter appearance.
without checking rough price should be about £50 3mm 8’x4′ about £30 coat each sheet. -
the link dewi posted shows a 25 foot x 10 foot flat sign being fitted to cladding. i used rynabond and fixed using tech bolts and a cordless, lifted with glass grips. it was a dooddle! the sheets are far lighter than alluminium, they came self coloured so no need to paint. each fixing when into sheet and fastened in seconds. these type of materials are perfect for this type of signage. and very easy to fit due to weight etc. see demo, our fotter easily holds a 3m x 1.5m sheet of the material while its being hoisted into position to be fixed.
the sheets coupled with the special fixings, make this a very easy fitting indeed…the job shown is situated on the glasgow clyde side docks, that area in particular takes heavy winds/weather conditions. i see that sign often as i delever signs there pretty regular. its still in perfect condition and that was a year and a half ago!
rynabond, alu-colour, di-bond, le-board are basicaly all same sort of product but with various finishes and prices.
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All these types of board being quoted – are they based on aluminium? I could do with a pretty basic description in laymans (?) terms of them because ,firstly, I’m not 100% sure of what they are and secondly I have to describe the material to the customer.
Also do they have an expected life span – I know they will probably last forever but this particular customer needs a life span for all materials used including vinyl, sign board etc.
I know this is getting very complicated but this is for a massive company and I’m dealing with a ‘purchase manager’ so they need every bit of information I can get hold of.
thanks
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Dibond, Reynobond, Alucolour and Le Board are all aluminium faced foamboard. I think they have an expected lifespan of 7 years+ but without checking, unsure.
Basically they’re a tad lighter than aluminium sheeting as they are like a sandwich with the centres filled with a clear foam… I wouldn’t recommend them for picnics though 😮
I’ve had a scout about on prices for aluminium sheeting locally and Martin/Adrian are right, it is a little cheaper than I’ve been quoted through sign supply companies, but products like Le Board are still cheaper in my opinion.
If you ring anyone who sells Dibond, they’ll send you a fancy little box with DiBond samples in (takes about 3 weeks though as they come direct from Germany) or if you ring Europoint, they can supply you with samples of both Alucolor and Le Board. Well worth having them as you’d be amazed at how many signs are made from this type of stuff.
Cheers, Dewi
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Dont think Im having a go at you Dewi but a technical correction. Dibond and Reynobond are a composite material comprising of a sheet of polyethelyne sandwiched between two skins (0.3mm) of aluminium. There is no foam
Regards Adrian
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Thats the one! 😀 I was looking at a piece while I was typing Adrian, and I thought foam wasn’t really an accurate description, for a start off its clearish, like hardened glue 😳 My excuse is I’m suffering from something resembling flu at the moment, I’ve had to do the same job 3 times today as I keep making mistakes 🙁 The joys of being a one man band, if I take a day off, it’ll take me a week to catch up 🙁
As Adrian says Stuart, its poly-wassit in the middle, still wouldn’t recommend it for a picnic though :lol1:
Cheers, Dewi
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