But lately we’ve done several jobs using some aluminum/PVC laminated material we put together, cut with CNC equipment, and installed in a slightly different way. Using materials we laminate gives us all kinds of surface options, from metallic finishes, to any of the prefinished colors of aluminum available today.

 

Of course, there are always things to learn and mistakes to avoid doing most any type of signwork, and those are always worth sharing. So, this month we’ll take a look at a couple of these jobs and how they were done, and, what’s probably more important, a bit of what we’ve learned not to do.

 

So far, all of the jobs we’ve done this way used PVC panels and .040 metal faces, and the PVC has typically been black and ½" thick. Virtually all of them have gone indoors, and though there are special two-part epoxy glues available for laminating these dissimilar materials together, for concerns of deadlines and cost, we have used locally available adhesives to bond the materials together. 

 

For some projects we’ve used plain 100% silicone as our adhesive, which works pretty well if you can spread it fairly evenly before it begins to air dry at all. We have also used “Liquid Nail”-type construction adhesives available at any home improvement store, “Gorilla Glue,” and even plain contact cement used to laminate countertop materials. 

 

One thing we accidentally did was use some new construction adhesive (caulk tube-style) that had an enviro-friendly water-based formula. Big mistake! This type of adhesive must dry by evaporation, as the water evaporates out of the mix. But between sheets of PVC plastic and metal, the evaporation never happens. It will literally stay uncured indefinitely. “Liquid Nails,” and possibly others—having the old tried and true oil based formula—have worked fine.

 

Of course, no matter what adhesive is being used, it is imperative to scuff up the PVC surface with fairly coarse sandpaper before applying the glue, and also scuff the back surface of the metal as well, then wipe clean and dust free.

 

As shown in the photos, sometimes we have set weights on the sheets for several hours while the glue sets, but I am not really sure this is necessary. Lately, I’ve used a small heavy-duty roller, made for applying laminated flooring or counter top surfaces, to force the laminated layers together evenly and make a uniform bond across the surface of the laminate. The material still needs to sit undisturbed for several hours, or overnight, but weighing it down probably is not required.

 

These custom interior wall displays, made from laminated materials we make from PVC and pre-finished aluminum, are favored by customers and not complicated to make and install.

Ever been given a T-shirt for art to work from? This was what was given for this project to be made of brushed silver and red metal faces over ½” black PVC sheet. Once the design was cleaned up, it was then separated into two cut programs for CNC cutting.

 

So, avoid any water-based adhesives and do the prep work correctly, then allow plenty of time for the glue to set up. These seem to be the rules that must not be broken to have good lamination to work with.

I am sure the final cured laminate could be cut using basic tools, like bandsaws and scroll saws, but this fairly tough composite can be cut with CNC equipment quite easily. I believe a CNC router would do a fine job, but we have access to a waterjet, and that is what we used. 

 

PVC foam, however, is not a perfectly consistent structure, and there can be some chipping or flaws in the finished letters or components. These are usually minor and can be repaired, but it is best to have a bit of extra material for mistakes and surprises. If you are working with a vendor to perform the cutting service, it is best to take more than enough material required to do the job in case some extra is needed.

 

For waterjet cutting, the cut settings for solid PVC work fine, and compensate for the thin, hard metal surface it is also cutting through (the PVC signmakers work with is actually a PVC foam). Keep the masking on the front of course, or if you cannot trust it at all, you can recover the material with transfer tape before cutting. The material cuts fairly quickly, and cutting costs should be reasonable. 

 

Here’s a very important consideration: If the surface is a brushed metal finish, be sure whoever sets up the job for cutting does not turn items at different angles to nest them better. You should, if possible, do the nesting yourself before giving the file to the cutting vendor, and warn them that the orientation of the items is very important. 

 

If possible, make all brushed metal letters or logo pieces from the same sheet, or at least from sheets of the same batch. Again, keep them all oriented the same direction. Otherwise, you may see the difference once installed because they may reflect light slightly differently and look inconsistent or even like two types of metals.

 

For colors, the orientation of parts being cut is not significant, but being sure they are all cut from one colored sheet or at least from sheets from the same manufacturer and batch still is. 

 

Before bonding metal to PVC plastic, both the front of the PVC and the backs of the metal panels must be seriously scuffed with 80 grit sandpaper. This simple tool was made from .040 aluminum, nibbled with a hole punch, to use to spread the adhesive.

For interior signage, we’ve used several locally available adhesives with good results, including silicone, contact cement, and construction adhesive like Liquid Nails. With construction adhesive, avoid any water-based version like the plague. Old-style oil-based types work fine. We have sometimes weighed the sheets down like this while the glue cures, but this approach is probably not necessary. In any case, the lamination is best left alone for several hours or even overnight.

Here, for another job, a small, heavy-duty hand roller normally used for applying laminated flooring or countertop material is great for forcing the two materials in good contact with each other. Though jobs like this could be saw-cut on a bandsaw or scroll saw (or both), the materials are tough enough to be cut on a waterjet, which we have access to, or CNC router.

Although this media cuts easily, it does not need to be cut super fast or the edge quality will suffer. It is very important when cutting materials with a brushed metallic surface to be sure all elements are nested in the correct orientation. Parts cannot be rotated to different degrees because the brush pattern will be angled and not look right, or reflect light the same once installed.

So, what’s wrong with this picture of cutting our second job for this article? Right, the “L” and the “I” have been rotated when nested, and in this brushed gold material, they would have to be re-cut. After the correction and re-cutting, the pieces are lined up for viewing on the floor of the waterjet room.

I needed to include this photo to mention the small nails carefully placed in the backs of jobs like this. Small, ribbed paneling nails are best, though here we are using some small finish nails. In either case, they are only placed about ¼” deep, and are trimmed with just ¼” or so left protruding to go in the wall. Most often, though the PVC edges are already black, we paint the edges with satin black latex trim paint for a better look, partly to paint the metal edges of the alum skins after cutting.

 

Once all our pieces are cut, we usually paint the black edges with satin black latex paint by hand. This covers the metallic edge of the .040 aluminum after it is cut, and makes the black look a bit nicer than the unfinished cut edge of the PVC. We have once just used a permanent (Sharpie) black marker and carefully went around just the edge of the metal facing, which actually worked pretty well and was quite a bit faster.

When painting the edges with a brush and latex paint, it is nice to know that the water-based paint really does not bond with the metal face well at all, and any paint that bleeds over the face is easily wiped off while wet, or gently scraped off when dry. 

 

Finally, we’ll turn over the letters, face down on a cloth or paper towel, and very carefully drive small finish nails in the backs of each letter. By experience, we’ve found that the small, ribbed paneling nails work best. They drive in a little slower than a smooth nail, which gives you more control, and they are not easily pushed deeper into the letter when the letter is pushed in place on the wall.

 

These nails are clipped with nippers where only about ¼" protrudes from the back of each letter or logo element. This means only small amount of double-sided tape will be needed to secure them to the wall, as the nails or prongs actually hold all the weight of the mounted pieces. 

 

Very important: Do not force a letter into place on the wall if one or more of the prongs on the back will not penetrate the wall. Take the letter down, use a pin or small finish nail to probe the holes in the wall to determine which prong will not go in, and then remove that prong from the letter back and re-apply. After all, there are plenty of sheet rock nails or screws in any wall, and sooner or later you will find a few. Forcing the letter in place on the wall may simply push the prong on the back of the letter further through the PVC and put a “ding” or flaw in the metal face of the letter itself. This is a very unpleasant surprise and has happened to us once, and once was enough.

 

On the job location, patterns drawn on paper using a pen-equipped plotter are used to position everything accurately. Often I will put the whole pattern on the wall, and then trim most of it away, leaving just enough of it in place to line the letters and/or logo parts up. After the elements are all installed, I can easily remove the partial pattern without disturbing anything.

 

Or, in some cases, and one is shown on the previous page, we will trace around the image on the back side of the drawing with chalk (on a dark wall), or Stabillo or No. 2 pencil, and then put the pattern in place on the wall and trace each character with a ballpoint pen. The pattern will leave a carbon paper type image on the wall, which is just enough to use to line up each part of the job.

 

Installations of this type usually go fairly easily, and should be right the first time. Of course, diligent care must always be taken in measuring everything twice and placing the pattern correctly on the wall to begin with. 

 

These shop-made dimensional letter and/or logo jobs, cut from laminated materials we assemble, have been real client pleasers, and are a valuable addition to the types of projects we can offer our customers. More creative laminations, using materials not often incorporated in signmaking, are something we’ll be looking into in the future. And when we have done some experimenting, and then completed a project or two to discuss, we’ll be sure to share that information right here in “Shop Talk.”  

 

Here the final wording is added to the graphic using basic high-performance vinyls. The logo for “Elite Fitness” was to be mounted on a black wall, so before taping the pattern into place, the image on the back of the pattern is traced over with plain white chalk.

A quick tracing over the pattern from the front with a ballpoint pen will leave a fine white outline in chalk on the wall to follow. Very small pieces of double-sided tape are all that’s needed to secure the graphic elements to the wall since the weight of each piece is supported by the short prongs (nails) we left on the back of each piece.

The pieces are pressed in place by rapping them with the palm of my hand. If any piece will not lay flat on the wall, it is because we hit a sheetrock nail. Once determined which prong will not pierce the wall, it is removed and the piece is installed without it. Forcing a piece in place may shove the prong through to damage the face, which is an unpleasant surprise. It goes without saying that being sure your pattern is in the exact place becomes priority one out on the job site.

For some jobs, like this one, after placing the pattern on the wall, most of the pattern is trimmed away and only just enough is left in place to use to line up the elements to be installed. No marks need be made on the wall at all. Letters or logos made with this type of laminated material are not that light weight. Because of the small prongs we installed support the weight, once again very little adhesive is needed to keep them in place on the wall indefinitely.