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!
I started and ended the year off doing what I like best: restoring old wood signs. Some of the signs weren’t worth restoring and needed to be replaced, but usually if they were built from woods like cedar, redwood, or mahogany, then restoration was the best option for my customers. MDO plywood signs that aren’t framed may not be good restoration candidates and replacement is usually best. Such was the case with a sign I replaced as a signage subcontractor for a local landscaper. Last January, I replaced the oval panel for the 
Unframed edges will allow moisture into the panel over time. It doesn’t take Mother Nature very long to penetrate and destroy unprotected edges! For metal signs, I try to make sure the framing and support structures are strong enough to help the signs stand up to the sometimes harsh Augusta County winds and rains and other forces of nature.
and fire lane signs and striping for the parking lot after the fire inspector recommended them.
business or non-profit with limited capital for signs, banners can be a good option to get your name out there for a few years. If your banner is not being used for temporary advertising, you’ll probably need to investigate whether a sign permit for the banner is required.
When I owned and operated Tree Street Signs in Crimora in the 1990’s, I did my share of vehicle graphics. Lettering the vehicles for service contractors with fleets of commercial trucks was a large portion of the workload. Now that I downsized with Augusta Sign Company, my shop can only facilitate small vehicles. The fleet of cars I lettered for Valley Vital Care fit perfectly in my 14′ X 30′ garage. I can also handle decals and magnetic signs easily from my smaller shop, and have done many of these for customers over the past year. In warmer months from spring through the fall, I can also letter larger trucks and vans in my side lot, and I also utilize my customer’s places of business to install vehicle graphics year-round on larger units.
doing signs on a part-time basis. During my period of hesitancy, one thing pastors and counselors would tell me over and over was, “You can make a mission of your business.”
