I've had a few inquiring about how that big job I've been working on is going. Here's some pics.
This is what we started with. A local contractor poured this from a detailed drawing I gave him.
First day I was off to a bit of a slow start. I was by myself and took awhile to get my confidence. I got about 1/2 a pillar done.
Day two I had the help of my sister and my hubby Don. We completed the first pillar and finished the whole second one as well (this sucka is double-sided)
Day three was a great day. We got the sign applied on both sides. Nice of them to hold it while I snap the pics isn't it? I told my sister her butt may be on the internet!!
By the end of day three we had all the signs mounted and most of the brickwork done on one side.
Today was day four and we hoped to get the second side bricked, but we ran out of sand. We made a quick trip to get some (2hr round trip) and was too late to finish so tommorrows another day.
We still need to grout all the joints and apply post caps and wheat sheafs to the pillars.
This has been a real learning experience, and a great amount of fun.
Thanks for your support! It helped me get at it!!!
Suelynn
-------------------- "It is never too late to be what you might have been." -George Eliot
Suelynn Sedor Sedor Signs Carnduff, SK Canada Posts: 2863 | From: Carnduff, SK Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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Go SL - I'm impressed. (my back would've been killing me after day one) Can you give us a little more play-by-play on installing the stone? And a pic when the plastic comes off.......
-------------------- www.signcreations.net Sonny Franks Lilburn, GA 770-923-9933 Posts: 4117 | From: Lilburn, GA USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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great Job Suelynn! The pics almost make it look easy. Probably a dumb question, but do you have to do a lot of cutting to get things to layout? Do you do that with a sledge & chisel, or a wetsaw?? It looks great however you did it.
-------------------- Frank Magoo, Magoo's-Las Vegas; fmagoo@netzero.com "the only easy day was yesterday" Posts: 2365 | From: Las Vegas, Nv. | Registered: Jun 2003
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That is so cool! I can't wait to see what it looks like when it is done!
-------------------- Bruce Bowers
DrCAS Custom Lettering and Design Saint Cloud, Minnesota
"Things work out best for the people who make the best of the way things work out." - Art Linkletter Posts: 6454 | From: Saint Cloud, Minnesota | Registered: Jun 1999
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Very nice Suelynn..Looking forward to seeing the final pictures.
I hope this project gets you more of the same! (if you want them, that is?)
-------------------- Dave Grundy retired in Chelem,Yucatan,Mexico/Hensall,Ontario,Canada 1-519-262-3651 Canada 011-52-1-999-102-2923 Mexico cell 1-226-785-8957 Canada/Mexico home
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You take my breath away Suelynn, the stone masons are going to be looking for you. A truly beautiful job. I am with Doug on the question of the placement of thr stones. It appears that they were precut to fit the sign.
-------------------- Bill Riedel Riedel Sign Co., Inc. 15 Warren Street Little Ferry, N.J. 07643 billsr@riedelsignco.com Posts: 2953 | From: Little Ferry, New Jersey, USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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The cultured stone is in a pattern called cobblefield. Every piece is individual, and they come in a huge box of assorted sizes. We try not to cut them as much as we can, so most of the day is spent wandering around with a brick in each hand, trying to fit them in. The pattern is one of the reasons I was nervous. To look natural, it needs to look level in a "random" sort of way.
Originally, we were going to build the base out of treated lumber and cover it with tar paper and then metal lathe. It was only a couple thousand more to have the contractor switch from a wood base to building forms and pouring it, and we got scared that with a sign this size, the wood may have been a mistake. Because it is concrete, we could skip the metal lathe, and stick the stones directly on. Some recommend applying the mortor to the wall and then pushing the stones on. Some of these suckers are pretty heavy, and the supplier recommended buttering the back of each individual stone and applying it. We wet each stone in a bucket of water and sprayed the concrete with a spray bottle before applying. We are making cuts with a masonary blade on a circular saw, or nipping corners with nippers or a chisel and a hammer. It's usually better to use the saw, ask me how I know
I'm learning lots. In hindsite, I kinda wish I'd gone for stucco for the background and just done the pillars. It's almost too much with the whole thing stone, but who the hell knows how to stucco??? LOL
Suelynn
-------------------- "It is never too late to be what you might have been." -George Eliot
Suelynn Sedor Sedor Signs Carnduff, SK Canada Posts: 2863 | From: Carnduff, SK Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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Just thought I'd add that the stones come in "flats" and "corners". The corners are preformed in all different sizes, so you start by applying them, and then fill in the centers and the background with the flats. You can get river rock, stacked shale, all kinds of beautiful stones.
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What a great job Suelynn!! Now we know why you were so nervous; this is a huge job. Very nicely done done and one gutsy girl that pulled it off.
-------------------- Ricky Jackson Signs Now 614 Russell Parkway Warner Robins, GA (478) 923-7722 signpimp50@hotmail.com
"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Issac Newton Posts: 3528 | From: Warner Robins, GA | Registered: Oct 2004
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That "ROCKS". Now I really do wish I had come down - what a learning experience . That beats the pants off sheet metalling your own roof. I gotta go wear a dress for a while - you da girl Can't wait to see the finished project....Proud of you Linnie.
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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We've done quite a bit of work with that type of stone over the years on signs and other projects of that size. Speaking from experience... your project looks fabulous! Each project, like you say, is a learning experience and then some.
Hold your head high, for there aren't too many folks who could tackle a project like this from start to finish and pull it off.
I can hardly wait to see the finished pictures!
Great stuff!
-grampa dan
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8740 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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Let's get back closer to the beginning.... Did you spec out the size of the columns and face to accommodate an even number of stones to minimize cutting? What is the foundation under it? How broad and deep? Did you need to get it engineered? What is the background behind the letters? Can you receive our words of praise without getting unreasonably puffed up with pride? Thanks much for sharing your life with us.
-------------------- The SignShop Mendocino, California
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6736 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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quote: I'm learning lots. In hindsite, I kinda wish I'd gone for stucco for the background and just done the pillars. It's almost too much with the whole thing stone, but who the hell knows how to stucco??? LOL
Oh, come on, Suelynn, we all KNOW that you will be doing stucco very soon. Who or what can stop you?
That is a terrific job! I'm so proud of you. Hey, are those Gemini letters?
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WOW! I'm impressed! It takes guts to jump into something like that. I have always wanted to work with that type of stone but have been intimidated. Now I have been inspired..and by a GIRL!
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There are many posts here about who's good and whose not. And there are many posts about what's profitable and what's not, but the pride that you can have with this job is priceless. You just can feel good about a job well done. You don't have to ask whether you are good, your fellow letterheads make it abundantly clear that you are to be respected for your work.
-------------------- Bob Nugent Hotrodsonline.com Gainesville, GA 30506 hotrod@hotrodsonline.com Posts: 46 | From: Gainesville, Georgia | Registered: Mar 2003
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You mentioned STUCCO. Here is one we finished a few months back. We laid concrete block on a poured foundation. We used cultured stone and applied stucco for the background. The stucco was DRYVIT brand and was fairly easy to do. Sign face is carved urethane.
(my niece helped me lay all the block)
[ September 12, 2005, 05:07 PM: Message edited by: Jerry VanHorn ]
-------------------- Jerry VanHorn, Pres. Pure Sports Designs, LLC Pro Sign Design / United Wholesale Signs www.prosigndesign.comwww.unitedwholesalesigns.com West Liberty, OH 937-465-0595 866-942-3990 Since 1990 Posts: 925 | From: West :Liberty, OH | Registered: May 2004
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I noticed you started at the bottom and worked up with the stone. I started at the top and work down. If the last piece you applied happens to fall it will not knock off 8 others on the way down.
( ask me how I know )
-------------------- Jerry VanHorn, Pres. Pure Sports Designs, LLC Pro Sign Design / United Wholesale Signs www.prosigndesign.comwww.unitedwholesalesigns.com West Liberty, OH 937-465-0595 866-942-3990 Since 1990 Posts: 925 | From: West :Liberty, OH | Registered: May 2004
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-------------------- Terry Baird Baird Signs 3484 West Lake Rd. Canandaigua, NY 14424 Posts: 790 | From: Canandaigua, New York | Registered: Dec 2002
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Suelyn, you are awesome! I can't believe you tackled that stone work alone. From you picture, you just look too "dainty" for the job. Again, you are awesome.
-------------------- Kathy Joiner River Road Graphics 41628 River Road Ponchatoula, La.70454
Old enough to know better...Too young to resist. Posts: 1891 | From: Ponchatoula, LA | Registered: Nov 2000
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Thats beautiful work! Maybe you were a stone mason in another life, if you believe that kind of stuff. Thats definitely top-notch signwork and masonry to boot. You sure are talented Suelynn, along with being so doggone pretty too. Guys, the girls on this board are making us all sit up and take notice!
-------------------- Maker of fine signs and other creative stuff. Located at 109 N. Cumberland ave. Harlan, Ky. 40831 606-837-0242 Posts: 4172 | From: Ages-Brookside, Ky. Up the Holler... | Registered: Jul 1999
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My mind wanders. And that's not a good thing, 'cause it's too small to be out there alone. Posts: 3129 | From: Tooele, UT | Registered: Mar 2005
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Now I really do wish I had come down - what a learning experience . That beats the pants off sheet metalling your own roof. I gotta go wear a dress for a while - you da girl 
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No wonder you were a little freaked-out about no help that day startin' this job!!!!
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