Helping Waynesboro Find The Cook Colonnade

January 24, 2025 By jalexspringer

HISTORIC HERITAGE

There were 23,182 people considered Waynesboroites in 2024. You see, when I am not making signs or playing music out somewhere, or hanging around doing fun things with my wife Jennifer and dog Cooper, I am hand-writing the Bible. Pretty much on a daily basis I am writing about the Reubenites, or the Danites or the Gileadites, or the Perizzites, etc., but today I get to feature a story about the Waynesboroites! Waynesboro, Virginia was officially recognized as a town in 1801, and incorporated in 1834. However, the area’s history dates back to 1739. That is about the same time the early settlers began settling the area where my sign shop is located over at Arbor Hill.

www.augustasigncompany.com-waynesboro-va-colonial-wood-signs — *The Old Sign on Broad Street Prior to Rehab.*

LOTS OF TOURISTS

Direct visitor spending for Waynesboro reached $77.8 million last year! That is a lot of dough!! I am not exactly sure how many annual tourists it takes to spend that kind of money, but several meals, a hotel or bed and breakfast, and a tank of gas would cost at least $200-300 per visitor meaning there could be an average of 5,000 strangers in town each week looking around, trying to find things to do.

By building a set of brand new signs for a few long-time customers last fall, (Cook Realtors, Cross Stitch Station, South River Watershed Coalition, and Waynesboro Music), I hope I was able to help many of those thousands of visitors and residents alike find the cool shops located at the Hamilton-Cook Colonnade, a local specialty shopping center located at 520 West Broad Street in Waynesboro, Virginia,(established way back in 1910, when my late grandmas were age 21 and age 7).

www.augustasigncompany.com-waynesboro-va-crimora-tree-street-signs-540-943-9818 — *Mark working on building the signs in his workshop in Staunton, VA*

ROB HAD A DREAM

It all started when Rob Seal, the owner of Waynesboro Music located at the Colonnade, reached out for an estimate on making a free-standing sign for the back entrance to the center off Lumos Plaza. Rob thought it would be very cool to have a new sign at the back so Appalachian Trail hikers wandering through town could see the advertising signs for the stores in case they were interested in those kinds of things. Rob had spent some time investigating Downtown Redevelopment Grants and found out that the shopping center was eligible for financial help from the City of Waynesboro for sign and landscaping upgrades.

www.augustasigncompany.com-waynesboro-va-22980-shopping center signs — *Installing the new sign that was paid for with Downtown Redevelopment Grant funding.*

CHOOSING THE BEST MATERIAL FOR THE JOB

I met with the owner of the complex, Jim Cook, about what type of materials he wanted to use for the new signage. After some discussion, we determined that painted aluminum signage was the best investment for durability and ability to make changes and updates through the years. So I was able to come up with conceptual drawings and pricing for the new sign at the back, and Jim requested that while I was doing it I should also give a quote and design to update the large tenant sign out front on Broad Street.

www.augustasigncompany.com-aluminum signage-22980-24401 — *The finished aluminum sign with updated landscaping.*

STEP RIGHT UP AND SEE THE COOL SHOPPES AT THE HISTORIC COOK COLONNADE!!

After a few back and forth communications, we settled on a design and cost, and Rob was able to secure some funding for Jim! Wouldn’t it be great if all commercial landlords could harness the inititiative of tenants like Rob Seal? Once the deposit was received, I applied for the permits needed from the city and began ordering materials for the project. At this particular time there was a blip in the supply chain for aluminum and it took a little longer than the usual 6-8 weeks to get the posts and framing materials in; but once everything was in, it only took a week or two to complete the new signs.

www.augustasigncompany.com-cook-colonnade-signage — *The updated tenant sign on Broad Street still waiting for the two hand-turned wooden spindles like before.*

As I get older, I opt not to do some of the high installation work that I used to do when I was younger. Jim was able to find a sub-contractor for the rebuild of the wooden sign and a sub for the background painting for the large sign. I only provided the design and manufacture of the individual ACM panels with cut vinyl graphics. At this time, Jim is still waiting on the two decorative colonial wooden spindles for the sides. The Lumos Boulevard sign was up just in time to catch the usual 20,000 visitors at the Waynesboro Fall Foliage Festival in October, 2024. I hope they will do a good job in helping many people find these great small businesses over many years to come. As a small business myself serving Waynesboro, Staunton, and Augusta County, I thoroughly enjoy building signs that can help others succeed in business.

Mark Hackley is owner/operator of Augusta Sign Company, 1619 Middlebrook Road, Staunton, VA

540-943-9818

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Branding a Non-Profit

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I’ve Been Working On The Railroad

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Using Dimensional Wood Signs-Advantages and Disadvantages

January 12, 2024 By jalexspringer

www.augustasigncompany.com-wood signs-va-virginia

STRATEGIZE WITH WOOD

Using dimensional wood signs as part of your organization’s marketing strategy may be a successful approach of blending the distinctive character of carefully handcrafted custom wood signage with your own distinctive image and brand. If your brand would benefit from the ambiance of natural, stained, or painted dimensional wood signage products carefully designed and finished in Virginia, you may want to consider the advantages and disadvantages of wooden signs.

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

If you picture your building or office as a “box”, then thinking outside the box relates to your exterior signage attached to the outside areas of your building or campus. The wooden signs that I manufacture are typically 1.5” thick cedar panels with lettering/logos/emblems carved into the outside face of the boards. They can be fabricated at any size, and sized to fit the area in which they will be attached to the wall or ground-mounted support in the case of free-standing monument and post and panel type signs.

In the case of wall-mounts, signs can be mounted flush to the wall or can also be hung perpendicular to the wall using scroll brackets. For free-standing signage, the wood signs are typically attached to some type of post system or low-wall of masonry or wood. Sometimes the wood signs are set into recesses in masonry structures for a permanent impression. Sometimes to save cost, flush vinyl graphics can be substituted for recessed or raised graphics (see Claybrook sign, a few snapshots down.)

As mentioned earlier, the major up-side of exterior wood signs is connecting with customers. If your brand is aligned with “natural”, “earthy”, “down-home”, “old-fashioned”, “high-quality”, “rustic”, or “hand-made” messaging, then wood designs can help promote that overall feel. You may wonder how a wood sign can project both a high-quality and rustic image simultaneously: it depends on the finishing of the end product. Hand-painted and polyurethaned precision carved lettering and branding can produce a nostalgic feeling that signals a high-quality brand in the customer’s mind.

Consider a quaint New England town with hand-carved wooden signs adorning the picturesque streetscape! A dentist office, a law firm, a gift shop, a bed and breakfast, a book store: they are all inviting you to come in and experience top-notch service and attention. Another advantage to v-carved wood signs is, if utilizing 23 karat gold, they can really catch your eye and draw attention. There aren’t many sign lettering options that surpass the quality of signs with real gold leaf.

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The biggest potential down-side of exterior wood signs, especially in areas south of the Mason-Dixon Line, is exposure to the elements: humidity and UV exposure being the two biggest threats to the longevity of wooden signs in Virginia, where most of my customers operate. The cost of regular maintenance is a definite consideration when planning to purchase a wood branding image. Cleaning the signs each spring and fall can extend the overall impact of your investment and lengthen their effective lifetime, and repainting or re-finishing wood signs on a three to five-year maintenance schedule is recommended. The initial cost of designing and building wood signs is also greater than using alternative signage materials, but the value of visual impact may be higher than other material options.

INSIDE THE “BOX” APPLICATIONS

Wooden signs are great for outdoor applications, but don’t overlook their suitability for interior signage projects as well! I have not regularly promoted interior usage, but have worked on a few projects where the customer determined the look of the natural wood fit the identity of their product better than other traditional wall lettering options like dimensional metal letters and flush vinyl graphics. A few years ago I worked with Jon Styer, who at the time was the brand administrator for Eastern Mennonite University, to create an interior wall sign for the university’s coffee shop. An awesome graphic designer, Jon was able to blend the natural aura of stained cedar with a clean, clear, glossy acrylic cover that formed the background for the vinyl branding. It was a neat approach that utilized wood, plastic and vinyl lettering. Usually a sign is made of one or the other substrates, but this case blended all three signage materials into a great looking sign that was spot lit from above.

YOU MAKE THE CALL

If you’re looking for a way to incorporate natural or painted wood signs into your business or organization, please reach out to Mark Hackley, owner, Augusta Sign Company, serving a large geographic area of Central Virginia seeking quality signage products and services. Using wood signage for branding certainly has advantages and disadvantages, but perhaps Mark can help you determine if wood is a good fit for your signage needs. And how much does it cost to go with wood versus less expensive urethane and aluminum composite options? Mark will be happy to meet with you to discuss!

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Contact Mark Hackley, Augusta Sign Company- 540-943-9818; [email protected]

Custom Estate Signs for $2,000

January 12, 2022 By Mark Hackley

Last fall Augusta Sign Company was contracted to make a low profile entrance sign for a home in historic Rockbridge County, Virginia. The customer wanted a carved wood sign. He had found us on a Google search and liked a few of the black and white carved cedar signs we had manufactured for other customers, so we agreed on a design and the cost came to about $2,000.

I found the customer had a similar living situation as my family, where two families are sharing the same house. In their case, a mother/mother-in-law resided with them, in ours its a father/father-in-law situation. The customer recently built a new home and the customer’s mom dreamed of having a nice entry sign with the name of the property and address. These signs are very commonplace and popular here in Virginia, and I remember reading a magazine article decades ago that you can actually increase the value of your country property by giving it a name! After learning about his mother’s sign idea, my customer was excited about getting the new sign up by Christmas.

A carved or sandblasted wood sign generally takes approximately 6-8 weeks to complete, especially if there are posts and installation involved like in this particular case. After receiving a deposit and final proof approval, I ordered a cedar blank and cut the outside shape with a jig saw, and had the V-carved letters cut on both sides with a CNC router. The next step was to thoroughly sand the panel, ease over the outside edges of the sign and then prime with a stain-killing exterior oil-based primer. Once the primer was dry, I chose to use an oil-base sign enamel for the background finish and then lettered the recessed lettering with a squirrel-hair lettering quill and black lettering enamel.

The customer liked the look of an iron scroll bracket, so I ordered a standard black 36″ wide bracket which conformed well to the 30″ wide wood sign that would hang below. I inserted 2 stainless steel eye bolts and epoxied them into the cedar. I fastened the scroll bracket to the custom 4X4 post I made. The custom post was adorned with a nice CNC-turned cedar ball finial at the top and included a build-out portion at the bottom to give it more meat at the base.

After having the underground utilities marked, I dug a 42″ deep hole and planted the sign post in 800 pounds of concrete to keep it plumb. The rural area gets lots of wind so I wanted to make sure the sign and post could endure years of harsh environmental treatment. The cedar wood should last a lifetime, but will need maintenance to keep it looking like new every 5-10 years or so. The treated post should last at least 30 years and probably more, and the iron bracket and stainless steel hardware should easily last a lifetime.

My customer was very happy to see the sign installed by Christmas and I am sure his mom was too!

If you are interested in having a custom carved cedar sign designed and fabricated for your home or business, please contact Mark Hackley at 540-943-9818, or e-mail him at [email protected].

Simple Estate Signs for Around $1,000

January 11, 2022 By Mark Hackley

How a New Sign Made Happyland Much Happier

If you’re looking for a simple home, farm, or estate sign in the ballpark price range of $1,000, then Augusta Sign Company could be a good starting point in your search! Last spring, a commercial sign customer contacted me about upgrading the wood sign at the driveway of his home in Augusta County, just a few miles from where I live in Arbor Hill, VA.

First I took a look at his existing sign. It was very deteriorated, but the 4X4 treated posts were salvageable and I quoted the customer a new sign that would be mounted between the existing posts. The old sign was a hand-painted board with white background and black letters. The customer liked the simple black on white design, so I came up with a few mock-ups. Once I made a few tweaks to the design option he liked best, things were ready to go.

Gluing the end caps on the 2-sided carved cedar panel.

It is my policy to ask for 50% of the total project cost up-front. I received the deposit and ordered a chunk of cedar large enough to do the job. The sign was v-carved on both sides using a CNC router. After the routing and sanding were complete, I primed the raw cedar with a dependable primer and stainkiller that is great for blocking the tannins in the wood, and then top-coated the entire sign and inset letters with white sign enamel. Once the background was painted and completely dry, I then moved on to lettering the sign with black sign enamel.

The freshly hand-painted sign out on the shop table.

When it was all ready to be hung, I traveled to the site, removed the old sign, sanded, primed, and repainted the two posts, and then installed the sign between the posts using four long galvanized lag screws. Some people in my industry call these end-pins.

www.augustasigncompany.com-wood-signs-estate-signs-staunton-va-waynesboro-virginia — An updated sign is now complete!!

The customer was happy! Now the name Happyland resonates well across the property!!

Mark Hackley is owner and operator of Augusta Sign Company in Staunton, VA. Mark hopes you have a blessed day; take a slow, deep, breath, and say a word of thanks to the Creator that you have been given the opportunity to have a happy day, no matter the situation around you!

How to Finish a Sandblasted Sign

January 11, 2018 By Mark Hackley

How To Finish a Sandblasted Sign

“How to finish a sandblasted sign?” is a question people may ask after seeing a sign of this type at a local business. In the early 1990’s I attended a hand-carved sign workshop taught by master sign carver, Jay Cooke. Lessons learned from that instructive workshop are still used in my sign-making and sign-finishing practices today.

I am the owner of Augusta Sign Company located near Middlebrook, Virginia. In this blog I will try to explain the steps in finishing a sandblasted cedar sign. These same steps could apply to the finishing of similar products which might include carved wood signs and also routed wood signs, both of which I sell here in Virginia to a variety of companies, organizations, and individuals. These signs are frequently used as the primary identification signs for medical offices, parks and recreation sites, museums, resorts, theme parks, city entrances, churches, professional offices, bed and breakfasts, retail stores, and subdivision entrances, just to name a few.

Before the finishing process begins, you must start with quality wood. Consider choosing mahogany, redwood or cedar for your sign panel, as all three choices are great for resisting rot and insects. They also hold paints and stains well, and they can all be finished natural and look great over long periods of time with regular maintenance.

Once you have the sign panel glued up and blasted, carved or routed, here’s what you need to do to preserve the wood and make an attractive, eye-catching sign:

Mix up your own homemade oil stain by adding 30% of oil-based exterior enamel paint (I use One-Shot or Ronan brands) with Penetrol.
Apply the homemade Penetrol solid-color oil stain to the raw wood surface. Allow it to soak overnight. Apply a second coat in 24 hours if the first coat is well dry.
Using 100% enamel, paint the lettering.
Second coat lettering if necessary’ and allow to dry at least 24 hours.

That’s all there is to it. Of course, you want to use quality brushes that don’t lose their hairs in your paint work! No clear coat finish is required, but you can expect to have to repaint the sign every 5-10 years. With proper maintenance the sign will look great all the time and last a life time.

COST OF WOOD SIGNS

When you consider the cost of a wood sign remember to calculate the annual cost over a long period. Here’s an example: Say a finished plywood sign costs you $34 a square foot and lasts 5-10 years and then it needs to be replaced. Based on a 20 SF sign, this sign would have an annual cost of $68-$136 a year. Now say a sandblasted cedar sign costs $150 a square foot. A 20 SF cedar sign with a 50 year lifespan would have an annual cost of $110 a year when figuring on the initial cost and $500 every 10 years for repainting. Not only is the pricing in the same ballpark as the plywood sign, but the three dimensional elements achieved by using carved wood far exceeds the value of a plywood sign.

Next time you need a sign, consider a sandblasted wood sign!

Mark Hackley is owner of Augusta Sign Company, the best place for wood signs in the Shenandoah Valley!

If you enjoyed this article, here are a few more that may be of interest:

How Long Do Cedar Signs Last?

Thankful for Sign Talents