Options for Renovating/Rehabbing Wood Signs
GOLD OR NO GOLD
What are options for renovating/rehabbing wood signs? Well, if they have gold leaf, the options are to either save and restore the gilding or repaint with paint only. This customer saved thousands of dollars in cost of gold by repainting the sign with only paint materials.
I received an e-mail in response to a sporadic newsletter I send to customers and prospects requesting an estimate on rehabilitating a wood sign for a local bed and breakfast establishment. The owners of the B&B needed an old sign repainted. The sign needing attention was built in the 1990’s. It was well-built from quality exterior marine grade plywood that was framed with hardwood and mounted to solid wood posts. I remember reading a news article about the sign fabricator, Frank Hawkins, who used to operate a sign business in Fairfield, Virginia near Lexington. Frank was from New England somewhere, maybe Vermont, where signs are well-built and maintained. When I first started in my own sign business back in 1990, I attended a sign 
carving class in Stowe, Vermont, taught by expert carver, Jay Cooke. I remember thinking that I could share some of the craft I learned with businesses in Virginia, perhaps improving the aesthetics of our area with nice signage. From 1990-2000 when I owned and operated Tree Street Signs in Crimora, I believe I was able to do just that!
GO STEELERS!
Getting back to my story about the B&B sign rehab project: The old sign was framed plywood, hand-painted with gold leaf letters and accent borders. The paint was chalking, fading and peeling a little after 25 years of service, and the gold leaf on the south side was pretty bad. The north side was salvageable, but the side with most sun exposure needed to be replaced. The client was most interested in making the sign background brighter, several times stating they thought
the colors of the old sign were just too drab. They wanted a white background with a black and gold color scheme. (Later on I found out they were originally from Pittsburgh, so the Pittsburgh Steelers’ black and gold color scheme was in the back of their mind in this decision.) They weren’t worried about losing the gold leaf as long as the renovated sign popped so people could read it well.
OLD-TIME SIGNPAINTING TECHNIQUES
I’m posting a few pictures of the sign renovation process. First, I made a pattern from the old sign, which had a very neat design. I sanded and bleached the whole sign, both sides. Then I filled in any big problem areas with an epoxy filler. After that, I primed both sides with oil-based Zinsser Primer, and finished with One-Shot Bulletin Enamels. I pounced the pattern with chalk to use as a guideline for the re-lettering process. I used two coats of primer, two coats of white bulletin enamel and then two coats of black and gold enamel lettering. 
I and my helper, Marshall, installed the sign back onto its 6X6 wood posts after sanding and painting them in the field with Sherwin Williams white latex enamel house and trim paint. Since they were previously painted, the latex house paint will work well on the posts giving them a flexible finish to last a good long while.
The customers were pleased with the work. I recommended washing and waxing the sign every 6 months or so (Fall and Spring). I hope it helps get more attention than the old sign which was severely faded.
Mark Hackley owns Augusta Sign Company, Waynesboro, VA
540-943-9818
Looking for a simplified way to use old electric sign cabinets? I bet I have had a dozen calls about sign face replacement since I restarted my commercial sign company here in Waynesboro, Virginia two years ago. Many people who go into business for themselves will rent or purchase a former commercial building. When they get the building, most times they also get the old signage. Jurisdictions usually make businesses remove or reverse or otherwise block out the old sign faces in electric sign cabinets until new owners or tenants come along.
Need help installing interior signs out there?? Last week I got a call from the local Window World retail store asking if 
metal, and wood at schools, medical offices, corporate headquarters, government facilities, and pretty much anywhere people want to show off their brand to the visiting public!
quality oil-based enamel, in this case, One-Shot Brand Bulletin Paint. After that dried well, we cut a rubber stencil on our plotter and applied to both faces of the panel for sand-blasting. After blasting, we stained the background with our own homemade oil stain (70% Penetrol Oil with 30% Bulletin Enamel). This homemade stain works well on exterior cedar and redwood signs and does not peel and flake over time like paints would tend to do.
wraps, the two best advertising bangs for their bucks these days.
The customer chose what I term “partial vehicle wraps” where in this case the bottoms of the vehicles boast bold, blue wavy stripes that cover the entire lower portion of the vehicles, while the tops sport traditional cut vinyl graphics. The renovated fleet of vehicles is eye-catching. Every day I see one of the new vehicles on the road and they now keep up with competing companies’ vehicle advertising out there on the streets of Augusta County!
Renovations, Heating and Air, Plumbing, Pools and Spas. Their old vans suffered what we termed “brand crisis” and it was hard for customers to figure out what Vailes was all about as their vehicles sped down the road or pulled up in their drive.
Every day I go to Lowes or Wal-Mart or any place that has a big parking lot in town, I notice the many brands of area businesses on parked vehicles. It’s hard to miss them unless you’re blind. They are everywhere and are becoming the new way to spend advertising dollars. When you letter your car, truck or van you create a moving billboard that is out there working every day!
community. It’s your choice to keep up or not. I personally don’t want to be swamped with business that I would not be able to keep up with being a small sign shop. But if you want more work, then professional vehicle wraps are a great way to go!