USED TO BE A WOOD GUY
Metal posts reduce sign maintenance!
I used to always make signs with treated wood posts, and they make great posts, that’s for sure. But here are six good reasons to consider an upgrade to painted aluminum posts for your next exterior sign project.
REASONS I CHANGED TO METAL
First, they just look good. Treated wood posts are never perfectly square on the corners. There’s always an imperfection somewhere. It may be a knot, or it may be a place that’s splintered, or sometimes a big nick in the wood, (no not Santa!) Painted aluminum signs on the other hand are always perfectly square, all sides always perfectly smooth. And they’re easy to clean without worrying about getting splinters!
Second, the bottoms don’t get eaten up by weed-eaters. I can’t tell you how often I see wood posts that were once 4X4’s or 6X6’s reduced in size at the bottoms by lawn equipment. It detracts from their visual appearance, and eventually the posts may fail at the base because of the weakened areas. Metal posts don’t seem to be affected much (if at all) from weed-whackers.
Third, metal sign posts never warp or twist. Planting wood posts in the soil is kind of like playing Russian Roulette. Every now and then a post goes wild. I’m working on replacing a sign panel in a sign right now originally constructed of a wood post and beam system; and one of the 6X6 posts has twisted about 30 degrees. The posts are at least 15′ out of the ground, so instead of replacing the post, I’m just designing the new panel accordingly. But it’s just not the greatest thing to look at. A metal post will never warp as far as I’ve ever seen.
Fourth, you really are never supposed to paint a wood post, especially pressure-treated yellow pine. Besides leaving it natural, you can stain a wood post, but you should never expect paint to last very long. I do it all the time though and tell my customers to expect bi-annual maintenance. Metal posts are painted with acrylic enamels which are the same product cars and trucks are painted with. These types of paints are meant for endurance! You shouldn’t have to worry about repainting for 10 years or more, and you can wash and wax periodically to extend the lifetime even longer.
Fifth, with metal posts, you can easily incorporate strong cross beams into the sign design to hang the sign panel(s) from. I included a few pictures of this type of sign design which I am leading customers to more frequently. The aluminum cross beams match the posts and attach with machine screws firmly into each side. Wood posts require notching and heavy bolts, and you just never quite know for sure if everything’s going to stay nice and square after years in the weather. Aluminum post systems don’t have to dry; wood systems do and they tend to move a lot during the drying process.
Sixth, aluminum posts are much lighter in weight than heavy wood posts. This makes installing them easier and sometimes less expensive, especially if the signs are large and high off the ground.
MAINTENANCE FREE POSTS WORTH CONSIDERING
So next time you’re having a sign designed for your business or organization, consider using painted aluminum posts!
Mark Hackley owns and operates Augusta Sign Company in Staunton VA, serving Staunton, Waynesboro, Augusta County and beyond! Contact him at 540-943-9818 for your next signage project.