Best approach outdoor weatherproofed sign?

I need to make an outdoor address number sign. The tricky part is that it needs to be out in an area that’s very much exposed to bad weather. The sign needs to be close to the road out in an area in the country basically. I have been reading the forum to get ideas - acrylic, delrin, etc.

Here’s the scenario - A friend graciously allows us to keep my daughter’s Make-A-Wish camper on their property. It’s out in this little town where they own acreage. We are In Colorado, so extreme temp ranges.

The friend 's home is really hard to find in the dark. (lol don’t ask how I know). They tried to make a sign and had a string of lights or something around it (I can’t remember) but the first time we parked the camper there, I joked about making them a sign. I would LOVE to be able to surprise them with one. Our camper is currently being repaired for hail damage from a recent tornado out there, and I’d love to be able to bring them a gift when we take it back to to their property.

I was thinking of cutting giant acrylic numbers (maybe white acrylic?) and attaching them to wood or metal or something to put into the ground. But I don’t know!! :smiley: This is not an area I specialize in. Any suggestions? Has anyone made anything similar to this?

I do have some good sealant called Crystalac Crab Coat that I can use if it will help. (Marine finish and UV protectant)

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I am from rural Colorado, so one thing you have going for you is lots of sunshine and usually moonlight as well for illumination. You could cut the numbers out of any of a number of Rowmark plastics like their Reflexions Clear/Silver or even their https://www.jpplus.com/rowmark-reflect-r-mark-red-white-engraving-plastic?sku=RM322602-QTR. The linked product is UV stable and not ridiculously expensive. Large numbers attached to a fence post would be pretty easy to do.

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Don’t they also sell a glow in the dark material too?

https://www.jpplus.com/engraving/sheet/laser/plastic?cap_color_group=596

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Yes, Laser Glow https://www.jpplus.com/rowmark-laserglow-ada-glow-engraving-plastic?sku=LG311911-QTR

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I just made one for my son using black acrylic. I used neon lettering and am trying to use some neon type lights…i have to figure out how to cut and connect the sections because it needs to lay flat from one letter to the next. I was hoping not to have to learn how to solder but may end up having to…

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I’d suggest you’re over-thinking this.

Find a style of design you like and choose any material that works. Appropriately-finished wood can last for decades. I hand-carved a piece from solid wood for my dad years ago and it looks as good as the day I finished it, after almost 20 years exposed to the elements in the UK.

I’d also suggest anything cut from plastic would look too commercial, like it was ordered from SkyMall.

Focus on making it personal, not permanent.

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What about this concept?

This would be really easy. (I could make the sign vertical if they’d prefer that, I’d probably ask them which direction and which color they would prefer, because I’d hate to get something that they didn’t end up liking.) That would remove the element of surprise but it would still be great.

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What finish did you use?

I just don’t want it to turn to poo in a year. :rofl:

And… it won’t be the last time I’ve been accused of overthinking. :rofl:

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For the piece I mentioned I have no idea, but I use many types of paint, plus Minwax water-based polyurethane. I’m sure there are others as-good but either would protect wood for years.

I like Kilz white primer/paint because it’s designed to resist mold/mildew, so I’ve always had a can on-hand. I put it on anything I’m painting, indoors or out, with the color over the top. The Minwax is just because it’s the only brand Home Depot carried for many years. I’m sure there are others that are as good.

The point here - wood is not going to fall apart after a year exposed to the elements if you just apply a decent finish. Look at all the fences and signs out there. Most are just wood, and many completely untreated.

That said, I would not use plywood because you have no control over the adhesive between the layers and therefore don’t know how that would hold up. It might delaminate. It might also be fine - just make another if it fails? Again - does the first effort need to be permanent?

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Honestly? I do want to make my best effort to make the first one permanent.

If visibility is a problem, that glass bead reflective stuff like you see on firefighter gear is awesome. If you can’t find a laser cuttable version of that (all I have seen is foil-backed) you could use a sheet of it as the background and put laser cut wood on top, then seal it all.

Rowmark makes a lot of outdoor-rated sign plastics but the one that @trually linked, which I think has the cool firefighter reflective layer, specifies rotary engraving.

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In that case, it’s hard to beat stone. A laser will bleach a nice piece of black slate. Maintenance-free and it’s absolutely permanent.

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I love that idea. Thanks!

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Hi. Not trying to hijack this thread so apologize. I am looking to do an outdoor sign that was requested of me and was directed to this post. For slate (which I know nothing about), are there different types and so some that are ok and some that aren’t? Where would it be suggested to source it? I would want a large sheet to take up the whole bed of the machine. Thank you in advance!

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Feel free to hijack the post! :heart::heart::heart:

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I’m not sure about sourcing a piece that large, pavers for walkways come to mind.
The color of slate bleaches to a white, so the darker the better for contrast. Wiping with mineral oil or pretty much any stone sealer before the laser will deepen the stones color enhancing the contrast.
Too much power will produce tiny black globules reminiscent of obsidian. I don’t remember the settings other than it wasn’t full.

Good choice for a permanent outdoor sign! Any thoughts on how to hang it? Depending on the application, drilling it for bolts would work.

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Ok great I will try to go to a landscaping place and see what I can find and will get some scrap to test on.

For the oiling, do you need to do that periodically to keep the image looking nice as well?

I was thinking of drilling as you mentioned for hanging. All new ground for me!

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And thank you!

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FWIW, I made my own house numbers out of two layers of GF-cut BB ply (this way I could attach one layer to the house with brass screw standoffs, and then glue the outer layer on top, leaving a “floating” appearance with no surface penetration on the outer layer), then sanded, stained, and polyurethane’d the holy heck out of it. It’s been three years so far with no apparent degradation.

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After an extended time perhaps, but the difference isn’t huge. Harbor Freight has cheap diamond bits you can drill with. Do it wet, don’t get the tool hot because the diamond is plated on instead of with brazing. overheat the bit and it will wipe the diamond grit right off.

I don’t know how big they get, but slate is also used for roofing. Might be another avenue.

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