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  • help please need some advice on fitting a sign?

    Posted by Marcella Ross on 31 July 2006 at 13:13

    Wrong forum I know – but I need to post pics with this…. sorry! 😀

    I am looking for some advice/suggestions please. I have a customer who requires new signs at his new premises. The building, inside and out is very contemporary. At the entrance there is a wall that has been purposely built to house the signs. BUT, the initial idea of stainless letters fitted to the wall has been dropped as there will be a hedge running in front. What the client wants to do now is have the sign on top of the wall, but again he’s decided not to have individual letters. So the canvas is blank at the minute. I have a idea but don’t know if it will work.
    I thought of an ali sign shaped like the basic pic below, with a polished ‘pedestal’ type fitting fixing it to the wall. Is there a way of bolting this type of thing directly onto the top of a brick wall? If so, who would be the best suppliers for manufacturing this kind of thing?
    If this all sounds like a bad idea….. I’d welcome other suggestions!!!


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    Alistair Richards replied 19 years, 2 months ago 7 Members · 12 Replies
  • 12 Replies
  • Phill Fenton

    Member
    31 July 2006 at 13:22

    Best bet is to contact a local engineering firm to fabricate this for you in something like brushed aluminium. I did something similar a few years ago with very pleasing results.

    In my sign I had a pedestal made up by a local firm and bolted an aluminium signcase to the top.
    The base consists of a rectangular plinth which accepts bolts through into the base – Have a look at a Mcdonalds sign to get an idea how to install this. Good luck 😀

  • Peter Normington

    Member
    31 July 2006 at 13:24

    Marcella you dont mention size, but it would not be acceptable to bolt a sign like this to the top off the wall. it would only be as strong as one layer of mortar, and any moderate wind could bring the wall down, along with the sign. The pedastal would need its own footing, then the wall built in front or around the pedastal to make it appear that it is on top of the wall.

    Peter

  • Marcella Ross

    Member
    31 July 2006 at 13:47

    thanks guys.
    As for size, I can make that more or less any size really. The wall is 4m wide, I was thinking something along the lines of 1800 wide or thereabouts.
    The walls (there’s another at the other entrance too) are already in place, so rebuilding these is not an option he’d entertain.

    Phill, what was your sign fixed too?

    Peter ….. what would you do here then?

  • Nick Minall

    Member
    31 July 2006 at 13:58

    How about this way?


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  • Peter Normington

    Member
    31 July 2006 at 14:00

    Unless the wall has been built to support a pillar. its just not strong enough.
    I suppose you could put in a concrete base with a post to the same hieght as the wall, and behind it then, box it in with brick, in the form of a pier.
    I f you cant see what I mean will gladly do you a drawing later.

    Peter

  • Marcella Ross

    Member
    31 July 2006 at 14:10

    My only concern with putting a post into the ground is that the founds for the wall might stop us getting close enough. He wasn’t really keen on a posted sign, he really wanted something on the wall.
    Perhaps he’ll have to rethink……

  • Nick Minall

    Member
    31 July 2006 at 14:23

    if you fit the sign to the top of the wall is there room to fit steel cables from the ground to the sign to hold it in place?

    just a thought?

  • Andy Davis

    Member
    31 July 2006 at 14:54

    Hi Marcella,

    Try http://www.metsec.co.uk/product_range.html

    I think they make the large steel signs you are after

    🙂 x

  • Marcella Ross

    Member
    31 July 2006 at 15:05

    The more I think about this the more I think he should forget the hedging and keep to the idea of stainless letters on the face of the wall!!!!!
    I think it would be the less costly option in the long run.

    I’ll think I’ll give him some gardening advice next! 😉

  • Phill Fenton

    Member
    31 July 2006 at 16:08
    quote Marcella:

    Phill, what was your sign fixed too?

    It had it’s own concrete foundation, but then it was a pretty big heavy sign – 8ft x 4ft on a 12 ft high pedestal (similar idea to the Mcdonalds Illuminated signs but not as big)

  • Dave Bruce

    Member
    1 August 2006 at 12:16

    Two posts bolted to the wall at the back (using st/st bands)with your curved sign (brushed Stainless) bolted to the posts as close to the wall top so that the posts are hidden by the bottom curve of the sign. The sign will look like it is sitting on the wall but projecting forwards.

    just my view 🙂

    Dave

  • Alistair Richards

    Member
    1 August 2006 at 16:03

    If you go for Dave’s idea about two posts and hiding them with the sign, (which I think is the best idea i’ve heard yet), I would concrete the posts in the ground as well. Don’t worry about the foundations of the wall as you mentioned earlier, you can just kango through them where the two posts will be, and then they will be filled back up agin with concrete when you put the posts in. I am a builder (part time Sign-er), and we have to underpin foundations like this allot, it is only a small wall, and doing this shouldn’t affect things.

    Failing this idea, how about having some kind of stainless saddle made up to ride over the wall as a sort of decorative feature.

    Ali 😀

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