Azek for sign material?

[phil_o]

I've been asked to make a business sign. The machining is fairly straight forward. V-Carved lettering. The sign will be two sided, the same lettering on both sided. We are considering PVC (Azek) for the sign material. The sign will be 1" thick x 60" wide x 40" tall.
My question is; will a PVC panel this large warp in the sun? We are in Western MA. the daytime temp. rarely gets above 90.
The material is desirable as only the lettering will need to be painted.

Phil

[zeykr]

I have used Kleer PVC to make a number of large signs. I slotted the screw holes to give it room to move, and the background was white. One, ~17' x 12' has been up for 8 years and no signs of problems. I did paint the entire surface as carved areas seem to attract and hold dust. I have one small sign in front of the shop that I did not paint the original surface, just the carved areas and it has also held up well.

[pappybaynes]

I've made about 50 signs from Kleer Lumber...not that large, but I've had no problems with the material. Kleer is located 44 Grief Way, Westfield, MA 01085
(413) 572-1700

[phil_o]

Thanks for the input. I also contacted the rep for Azek. He told me that Azek is an excellent material for the sign I am making.

Phil

[letterman7]

Phil,
Azek is denser than most PVC's and will rout wonderfully. That said, even at 1" thick, depending on what the surface color is, will warp. Sometimes badly. It warps because you're removing the material from the board and provides weak points in the material. HOWEVER... properly supported along it's length and allowed to move with temperature, it still makes a very good candidate for sign material. The downside is that it's very heavy, and in colder weather will have a high propensity to crack if something hits it. A better solution, IMHO, is an HDU of at least 18# density and 1.5" thick. A piece 2" thick can be carved both sides; I prefer the 1.5" and glue them back to back with a support system in the middle.