posted
I've got a 7-year old sign holding up well for a customer, but it is now badly chalking. The sign is all oil-based enamel paint, no vinyl. What's the best way to restore the shine?
Thanx guys!!!!
-------------------- Michael Gene Adkins The Fontry 1576 S Hwy 59 Watts OK 74964 Posts: 845 | From: Watts, OK USA | Registered: Jun 1999
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Hi Michael. What I'd do, is to firstly remove the chalky surface film by washing the face down with a mildly abrahasive cleanser (like Comet or Ajax). Rinse off the surface, then apply a good coat of 1-Shot UV clear coating. This should fully restore the shine, and give some added protection against fading. The one thing that I wouldn't do is to wax the face with any car wax preparations, since most of those have some silicones added. If there's any future possibility of a repaint, the silicones would become a problem for paint adhesion at a later time.
Hope this helps you out.
-------------------- Ken Henry Henry & Henry Signs London, Ontario Canada (519) 439-1881 e-mail: kjmlhenry@rogers.com
Why do I get all those on-line offers to sell me Viagara, when the only thing hardening is my arteries ? Posts: 2689 | From: London,Ontario, Canada | Registered: Feb 1999
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I do exactly what Ken recommends not doing. What would your car look like if you parked it for seven years and it took all weather and diesel soot and acid rain, etc. I like to see the signs get waxed. When most of my customers have a choice of buying a new board or being without a sign for two weeks while repaint is happening, most all go for the new board. I would.
-------------------- The SignShop Mendocino, California
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6810 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Beware of bleed colours (red next white etc) when washing or finishing. Best to be sure you can remove any colour migration, by trying a small area, before committing to the whole.
-------------------- Arthur Vanson Bucks Signs Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England arthur@buckssigns.co.uk -------------------- Posts: 805 | From: Chesham, Bucks, England | Registered: Mar 2002
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Make sure it is your sign and not the paint from the building. This happened to us, but the chalking all came from the paint on the building running on to 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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Yes Roger I have recieved samples at several meets and find them quite useful,..especially the rapid prep as I paint alot more than I use vinyl.,...Incidently,...thank you!
-------------------- fly low...timi/NC is, Tim Barrow Barrow Art Signs Winston-Salem,NC Posts: 2224 | From: Winston-Salem,NC,USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6810 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
7 years on a painted finish? That's great! Especially if it is facing south or west (here in the northern belt). I had one of those 2 years ago, pre 9/11. Customer wanted to replace with nice sandblasted sign, was running out of funds. I offered to clear it for him to get "another year" on it. It still looks BRAND NEW! (Boo Hoo). Here is the low down:
1. GENTLY use a damp cloth with water only to pick up any really loose chalking and minor flaking. I find scrubbing a chalked surface can literally take it off. 2. Get the aerosol version of the One shot UV Clear. Spray several mist coats. (Maris used a whole can on a 2 sided 4x8 sign. 3. Tell customer this is a TEMPORARY maintenance step, and it is time to plan a new sign in the budget.
The main reason this sign got the aerosol version is that it had a few peeling areas as well as the general chalking. I did another one around the corner that got a coat rolled on instead of spray. It also still looks almost new, 2 years later.
posted
Boy, so much information! What to do? Yeah, I guess I was lucky to get the 7 years i got. There is absolutely no peeling, even! It IS under a bit of a porch, but FULLY exposed to the west and easily rained on when the wind blows.
It's unlikely that the chalk came from the building, but then again, who really knows? It would be possible after that mean years.
I'm going to see what the owner wants to do (and explain to her how lucky she is) and go from there. Thanx all!
Any more ideas out there?
-------------------- Michael Gene Adkins The Fontry 1576 S Hwy 59 Watts OK 74964 Posts: 845 | From: Watts, OK USA | Registered: Jun 1999
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Here is my experience with clearing over chalking paint. Clean with mild dish soap and water, rinse. You will see that the cleaning only removes some, but not all of the residue. Therefore when you use a brush or roller, they often drag some of the chalk into other areas, giving the coating a hazy look. Therefore I prefer to spray on the finish.
1-Shot now makes both the UV clear, and a sign restoring clear. I agree the letters UV sound like the right choice here, I am wondering why 1-Shot recommends the restore clear for brightening up older, chalking signs. In a paint store, they would tell you to use a bonding primer over chalky surfaces, so does that mean 1-Shot sign restoring clear has bonding properties different than it's UV clear. Maybe someone from 1-Shot would like to clear that up. In the past we used to use XIM clear bonding primer on a surface that was old like that, but usually that was under a repaint. I have never waxed a sign, and have dismissed people who do as not knowing what they were getting into with the silicone problem. However the things Timi said about using mequires has got me wondering, so I may have to try that on something. It seems to me like you would still be spreading the chalky parts around by rubbing it, but I have read enough about Timi's posts to know that it must have some merit. It certainly would be more convenient to be able to wax a sign.
I would like to know what exactly is different between the UV clear and the sign restoring clear though, in case anyone in the know reads this.
-------------------- Jeff Ogden 8727 NE 68 Terr. Gainesville FL, 32609 Posts: 2138 | From: 8827 NE 68 Terr Gainesville Fl 32609 | Registered: Aug 2002
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Jeff,...A few things I left out about "waxing" a sign,.....First wash it just like you would a car,...then prep it with a pre paint prepsolvent,...Rapid prep is one that comes to mind,...Then and only then,...I wax it with meguires using a mild polishing number. "Chaulking" is an interpretive term as I have seen signs chaulking way beyond the point that repair is possible also,.....I tell my clients a painted sign needs maintenance just like their car paint,...if they don't wash it and wax it once in awhile it will dull just as a car finish would and eventually disintegrate.
-------------------- fly low...timi/NC is, Tim Barrow Barrow Art Signs Winston-Salem,NC Posts: 2224 | From: Winston-Salem,NC,USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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