Tired of having my signs with post look like garbage using pressure treated posts. Splits cracks and warped. I know some suppliers use cedar posts which are nice but just dont have the size selections. Whats a good alternative. Seem some nice smooth ones out there. Was wondering if shops were plaining p.s. post or they are facing them with pine or using pvc sleeves which seems like a lot of work. Thanks as always....
Posted by Dan Streicher (Member # 4515) on :
When I had my sign co. we also had a real estate post placement service (the white "colonial" style that look somewhat like a upside down "L" . And we always used PT posts but we gave them a skim coat of water putty to fill the voids, when dry we would take a 6" drywall knife and run it over all of the sides to knock off any material that had raised, sometimes because of the moisture in the poststhe filled voids would rise but just slightly, we also made MANY decorative posts that we routed designs and such into and just never had results that i was happy with on PT and used tight knot cedar posts. just another note on the subject if you are going to be using 4X4 posts often buy more than you need and stand them on end in a corner of your shop leaning against the wall and let them dry out completely (our old shop was a old franz bread bakery with a HUGE commercial oven with rotating racks we would put posts on the racks at around 200 degrees overnight pull them out in the morning to cool and paint at the end of the day) VERY NICE to work with no moisture in them at that point, alot of problems of cracking and warping come from moisture being locked in the core of the wood and put out in their final resting place and then over time they cure, and pop, and crack, and force the paint off. that's my experience with PT posts good luck
Posted by jimmy chatham (Member # 525) on :
i use pvc post i can get them 3.5x3.5x8 4x4x8 5x5x12 have not used wood in years Posted by Dave Sherby (Member # 698) on :
With the rising cost of the new pressure treated wood, I'm seriously considering going with steel. With the new wood it will be unwise to attach anything made of aluminum, and the approved fasteners are going to be more expensive also.
The new PT wood will come with various amounts of treatment which means various amounts of protection from rotting. The new main ingrediant is copper. The more copper, the higher degree of protection. The high cost of copper is the main reason for the increase in cost. They will be marked on the ends. Be careful, alot of this wood will not be rated for ground contact.
Posted by Sheila Ferrell (Member # 3741) on :
PVC is very good . . .
wet pressure treated is a bummer when in a hurry... Try to buy posts and all ahead and lay flat in a dry and SHADY place for several days to let them SLOWLY dry out. (ex. interior concrete floor is "cool" even in summer) If they are very wet I turn 'em and wait a few more days. It is the sunny heat that sucks the moisture too fast thereby causing splits and warps.
Posted by Tony Vickio (Member # 2265) on :
Speaking for myself............I would go out there, stand by the business of a client and hold the sign up with my bare hands before I would use a pressure treated post! Its like buying a Ferrari and putting lawnmower tires on it. You build a beautiful sign and hold it up with "junk"! If I need wood posts, I go to Home Depot and use the 4x4s they sell. They are Spruce posts. I paint them with the "best" materials and seal the bottoms with roofing sealer before installing them. Have signs out there with these posts 7 years old, and look like the day I installed them!
Jimmy is on the right track also! When the word pressure treated comes into your mind......RUN, run until you are gasping for breath and the oxygen flow to your brain shuts off. When you wake up the thought of using pressure treated garbage will be gone!
Posted by Rick Whitmire (Member # 3443) on :
So where can you buy PVC Posts or wraps... I would love to get away from treated lumber... any suggestions. Thanks
Posted by Laura Butler (Member # 1830) on :
I had the same problem. I would go to Home Depot and the posts were junk. I ask the guy at the counter if they could order a better grade of post for me but was told no. I then went to a professional barn bulding company that has lots full of different size posts. I found them to be Grade A or premium grade and they were a little were about the same price as H.D.
Posted by jimmy chatham (Member # 525) on :
i buy mine from a fence supply co. Posted by Robert Thomas (Member # 1356) on :
P/T post, love them or hate them. I use a deck paint that calls for wet P/T post, If they are too dry, it says to wet them.
I also buy ahead of time and slow dry inside to prevent cracks. I look for straight, decent post & if I can't find it I go elsewhere.
There is a sign outside my shop, that has been there for 10 years, 6"x6" cedar post & they are all rotted at & below ground.
I would use PVC more if I could find 9-10', If you put 8' 2-3' in the ground that puts a 4'x8' sign mighty close to grade.
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