bugzmaxx

sign on top of building

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i have been asked to redo a sign on top of a diner. the old name has been spray painted over. i believe it is a lexan panel, 4 foot by 8 foot. will vinyl stick to the painted area? also how much should i charge for this. the graphic is 18" by 78" single color oracal 650 white.

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if you have been asked to re-do it why not sell them a new lexan panel?

1. it will look like crap. even if it does stick.

2. 4x8 shouldnt run more than 150-175 bucks

dont put vinyl on top of a crapped out spray painted old face, thats not how you want to make a living or show your work.

the lexan will come off a roll just over 4' tall and cut to 8' you will need to trim it with a jigsaw to the actual height.

mark the material up by one hour shop time for trimming plus 15-25 percent.

go get actual field measurments of the old face.

apply your vinyl and either give it to them to install or charge them to install it.

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They don't have that kind of money. Priced the lexan in new York and it's about 330. They want there name up there soon. Will it stick?I have to square off the paint job

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yes it will stick for now. but in the end your name is one the job, and you will get the bad name if it starts peeling.

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They don't have that kind of money. Priced the lexan in new York and it's about 330. They want there name up there soon. Will it stick?I have to square off the paint job

Where are you trying to get this from? I am in new york and never had to pay that high for my lexan.

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it is 4' by 8' 1/2 inch lexan? is there a cheaper place in new york to get this? I live in Albany

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your gonna have to do some research and find a more reasonable supplier.

lexan isnt half inch material, it comes about 5/16ths which is much thinner.

if they dont have the money for a decent sign they dont have the money to be in business, to look good, to look profesional they should be allocating budget to a decent sign.

a business with no sign is a sign of no business.

worse case scenario the sign needs to be fully painted with a good rollable bonding primer like zinser then a gloss topcoat applied to that, then the vinyl applied to that.

it will no longer be able to be lit, it wont be translucent, but you have a better chance of the job looking profesional that way and having it last any length of time. and no warranty be clear about that.

otherwise if they dont want to spend the money, as someone who has been in the sign business for over twenty years my advice is politely decline the job.

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If they can't budget the lexan then they will need a good primer, good paint, good vinyl, and a good installer. I would never place my work in jeopardy of being considered "shoddy" because the substrate was not ready to have my vinyl applied. Sometimes it is best to walk away from a job if the customer is unwilling, or unable, to ensure an adequate surface for you to apply your work.

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I run into this a lot, business moves out then the landlord comes in and has someone paint over the name of the old tennant. Probably latex paint in which case I use latex paint remover from HD and clean it up to start fresh. Usually I get a new one though since it's only about $65 for a 3/16th" thick sheet of 4X8 "Made in China" lexan here in Los Angeles.

For the graphic that size I get $300-$400 each side depending upon color, clean-up is $200 and new is $200 each sheet.

As for the whole "It's your reputation", maximum respect to the commenter that posted that ideology however I've got kids to feed and a mortgage to pay so if my customer has a poor method of prioritizing his allocated budget and chooses to skimp on his main source of advertising I work with what they have and warranty accordingly.

If I absolutely need to replace materials that are not in his budget I offer terms and take all my costs up front plus $200 and spread the rest out over 4-6 months... remember to make up a contract.

My thoughts on integrity is this, I'll assess the project, recommend the best solution and then leave it in the hands of the customer to decide if they want to cut corners and save a buck or two. If they need it done for less than I did my part by offering the longest lasting and correct way to make it happen, sometimes you just gotta make lemonaid...

RG

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I charge more to clean up old junk than for a new substrate.  There is usually way more time involved in cleaning up the junk to where it's usable than the cost of a new panel.

If it's a lighted sign and it's painted already, then it's no longer a lighted sign.  If they are OK with that, use a cheaper non-translucent material, like alumacorr.  If it is a lighted sign and they want to keep it lighted, then you have no choice but to replace the panel.

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If they want to cheap out sell them a banner and mount over the lexan. If they dont have the money to do the sign right they probably wont be around very long anyway.

Dan

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If they want to cheap out sell them a banner and mount over the lexan. If they dont have the money to do the sign right they probably wont be around very long anyway.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

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