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I have several white pvc signs that have been up over 5 years and still look good. Since I have bought various brands from different suppliers throughout the years I don't know which brands are the "good" ones. One of my suppliers is selling 1/2" thick pvc 4x8 sheet for $63 and another supplier sells a brand name same size for $99 per sheet. I read last night that some people have experienced pvc turning bad on outdoor signs. How long will it be before it begins to break down?
-------------------- Jean Shimp Shimp Sign & Design Co. Jacksonville Beach, Fl Posts: 1291 | From: Jacksonville Beach, Fl. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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PSS has 4x8 sheets of 1/2" Sintra at $83.76, dropping to $78.02 in volume. That's a delivered price. $99 sounds way high.
We have not had good luck with colored PVC outdoors. Colors fade fast. White is OK. PVC will not take a blow the way a piece of MDO will, but other than that we have not had problems with any of the leading PVC brands. If you hold a piece of Sintra next to any other brand, you can see the difference in finish quality.
If you click on the Alusuisse link at the top of page, there is a short writeup on PVC with a place to EMail for further info. Vic G
-------------------- Victor Georgiou Danville, CA , USA Posts: 1746 | From: Danville, CA , USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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PVC is not recommended for permanent outdoor use. Depending on where you are at, it can last between 2 weeks to a couple of years. It warps, fades, and gets brittle. For exterior I spec. aluminum panel, or if temporary, MDO. Sintra being the best, the others brands last about as long as the others in my experience, though I only use Sintra (PVC) as a substrate for printed graphics for indoor exhibit graphics. Rick
-------------------- Rick Chavez Hemet, CA Posts: 1540 | From: Hemet,CA U.S.A. | Registered: Jun 2001
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Expanded PVC sheet material expands and contracts greatly in temperature swings. It also has a tendency to expand in extreme heat and not necessarily contract all the way back, leaving the substrate "smeared". When very cold or rather old, it becomes quite brittle. It is attacked by UV. Paint will help the UV problem but not the high expansion coefficient.
I have had PVC signs on North faces that held up quite well, ones on South or West faces that didn't last at all. To me, I'm taking too much of a risk to use it outdoors. I quit using any brand of PVC outdoors a good ten years ago.
[ October 18, 2002, 07:52 PM: Message edited by: David Harding ]
-------------------- David Harding A Sign of Excellence Carrollton, TX Posts: 5114 | From: Carrollton, TX, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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