Large sign pricing help

[cjs 14]

I'm having a hard time coming up with pricing on a job that a customer has asked for, its not something I would normally do, but I do get repeat business from this guy.

 

Here is what he wants.... he has two 5' x 10' backlit signs. Faces have been taken down already.

 

they need to be picked up by me and brought to my shop, they have 2 layers of vinyl applied to the back side that has to all be removed, as well as all the glue (ugh!) as he wants to re use them. New art work has to be drawn up and 2 colors applied to the back side (full 5 x 10 coverage) with a 3rd layer of white applied over top of it all...

 

My cost on materials to do this is already at $440

 

 

What does everyone think?

 

 

[mabscotthandyman 1,410]

why not back paint

[signyouup 178]

Removal as an hourly charge because it could take 10 minutes or 10 hours. You never know until you get started.

[Wildgoose 4,200]

Couple questions and comments:

 

Is each substrate 5' x 10'? If so are your graphics such that you can build them without tiling? Backlit signs need translucent vinyl which will show any overlapped tiling seams as a dark line. Why the back-side rather than the front? 

 

I am surprised these are going to have a third white layer on there rather than just using white plexi-glass/acrylic and putting the vinyl on the front which is more standard. I think you have your work cut out for you trying to salvage the acrylic rather than just going new but it's his money. Just be sure and cover your self with signed documents that you can't guarantee the product will be worth saving. You might spend 5 or 6 hours trying to clean them off only to find you wanted your time. What will you do then?

[mabscotthandyman 1,410]

I order my replacement faces and lighted signs with back painted faces they last and look so much better and professional looking. I almost never use old faces the time it takes to clean them out weighs the savings.  like was said any seams will show on lighted signs

[Wildgoose 4,200]

I order my replacement faces and lighted signs with back painted faces they last and look so much better and professional looking. I almost never use old faces the time it takes to clean them out weighs the savings.  like was said any seams will show on lighted signs

Good to know on future builds. So it's worth the cost of the white back cover vs just white substrate? 

 

I did a 30"x 72" rebuild recently and pulled the old off but I just flipped it over and installed on the clean side at that point without trying to scrub all the glue. These were white acrylic and the owner is cheap. I don't know if the residue will collect a bunch of dirt and get dark on him or not. I drive by it every day so I am watching to see if there are any negative effects. 

[mabscotthandyman 1,410]

it will probably be ok I have reversed the flat faces also. the back painted starts with a clear face that they apply stencil and do the graphics, then the background color and finished with white all are translucent.  the look and quality are worth the cost in my opinion.

[rdrgrafix2 30]

I have come to the point where I will not reuse faces.  If you charge a flat rate to scrape and clean them you get screwed.  If you do it hourly then issues a rise with the customers when they get the hourly bill mainly because they are cheap and dont realize ahead of time exactly how much it is going to cost them when you say up to five hours each.  If they dont want to pay for new acrylic send them down the road to the backyard sign shop and let them deal with it

[Wildgoose 4,200]

I have come to the point where I will not reuse faces.  If you charge a flat rate to scrape and clean them you get screwed.  If you do it hourly then issues a rise with the customers when they get the hourly bill mainly because they are cheap and dont realize ahead of time exactly how much it is going to cost them when you say up to five hours each.  If they dont want to pay for new acrylic send them down the road to the backyard sign shop and let them deal with it

The problem I have is I AM THE BACKYARD SIGN SHOP! BWAAAHAAHAA! I definitely see your point with it though. It's sooooo much nicer to work on new substrate. 

[jmiller 5]

Quote a new substrate and hope you get the bid. Explain there's more cost to them with cleaning the old signs then getting new. They will appreciate that and if they don't tell them to stop being cheap lol

[Jburns 239]

Quote a new substrate and hope you get the bid. Explain there's more cost to them with cleaning the old signs then getting new. They will appreciate that and if they don't tell them to stop being cheap lol

 

Not to mention "ghosting" may occur-where you can still see the old design in the base material from sun fading surrounding area. 

[knucklehead 530]

I told a guy, I wouldn't re-use his faces, (a penny pincher) and if he wanted them re-used, he should clean them till there was no trace of anything left, and save himself some money. He came over a couple weeks later, told me to go ahead and order a couple new faces, no problem.

[Go-C Graphics 856]

I told a guy, I wouldn't re-use his faces, (a penny pincher) and if he wanted them re-used, he should clean them till there was no trace of anything left, and save himself some money. He came over a couple weeks later, told me to go ahead and order a couple new faces, no problem.

 

It's easy work until you have to do it yourself. 

[cjs 14]

Thanks for all the replies! I agree with all of you 100% I walked away from this one, the guy was a pain in the butt right from the start. I suggested most of what you guys posted above to him, and then he just started playing the ignorant card, and wouldn't listen. He was persistent that the old ones be re used, and it had to be done how the previous ones were done. I'm quite happy that I straight out told him NO. 2 weeks later he showed up at my doorstep, wanting to pick his old ones up to take them else where.... shows how well he listened to me.. I never had them in the first place, they were still at his shop where I visited to measure to quote.