Sign Installation: Monuments made easier

by all | 31 May 2013 8:30 am

By Kathryn Schwartz
Tucked in the heart of the prairies is the small town of Kyle, Sask., with a population of approximately 450 residents. Home to some of Western Canada’s most bountiful farmland and vast grasslands, this small community is able to grow a big variety of agricultural products and commodities. In April 2011, the town council decided to invest in new signage, which would be installed at the entranceway to the community. Kyle’s councillors wanted this project to communicate the town’s deep sense of pride, encompass its rich history and provide an esthetically pleasing connection between visitors and locals.

Signal Industries, a Regina-based sign manufacturer that has served clients throughout Western Canada for more than 40 years, was commissioned for the job. Although the company is primarily known for specializing in producing traffic control signs, it can also handle architectural signs, electronic message centres (EMCs), banners, dimensional letters, decals and, most pertinently in this case, monument signs. As such, Signal was able to answer the town’s needs with the right materials and methods.

“Our clients knew they wanted an EMC, but they weren’t sure how they were going to achieve the other goals,” explains Merv Mantyak, Signal’s technical specialist. “As designing a variety of signage is our area of expertise, we knew immediately a custom-designed foam monument sign would be the perfect answer.”

With this basic concept in mind, Mantyak and his design team went to work. In the context of Kyle’s history, they took inspiration from the 12,000-year-old woolly mammoth that was discovered in 1964 during road construction, the bones of which are still displayed today in Regina at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum. As Kyle’s mascot, the mammoth served as one of the main sources of inspiration for the town’s new entranceway sign.

“The woolly mammoth communicated the town’s past, while the EMC allowed our clients to change their message when needed,” says Mantyak. “The foam monument enclosure enabled us to bring all of these elements together.”

Signal ordered the enclosure from a wholesale manufacturer.

“We were able to receive the product in a few short weeks,” says Mantyak. “Compared to a traditional ‘build-on-site,’ bricks-and-mortar style sign unit, it had a much more attractive price point. The foam monument was the closest we’ve found to being perfect.”

Indeed, foam monument signs are gaining popularity across Canada these days, due to several benefits. Manufactured with an expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam core, they are light, durable and versatile. They have been specified for many of the largest retailers, property managers and complexes.

Finishing foam cores
The foam core can be finished using one of several different methods, including traditional brick, stone, exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS), urethane and plastic hardcoat finishes. While these methods can all lead to a beautifully finished product, however, it is important to keep in mind they are not created equal.

An EIFS or urethane finish will be relatively lighter and less expensive than other options at the start, which makes them a great alternative to traditional stone or brick signs, but they are also prone to dry rot and moisture retention and more vulnerable to impacts. When these factors ultimately destroy a once-beautiful sign, it ends up costing the client more money in the long run.

In addition to their relatively high failure rate, some components of EIFS or urethane-finished sign structures—including their seamed and jointed pieces—must be completed during the on-site installation process, rather than in the controlled environment of the sign shop.

For many years, sign shops were forced to choose between the heavy, traditional monument signs and these lighter EIFS and urethane signs that did not last. There was no high-quality alternative finishing system available.

Over the last decade, however, that has changed, with the development of plastic hardcoats that can be sprayed onto solid blocks of foam to provide improved resistance against rot, moisture, damage and pests (e.g. termites). The encapsulated foam can then be sprayed again with a stucco finish to simulate the appearance of concrete.

Several foam-core monuments finished with specific ‘hybrid’ plastic hardcoats have withstood the test of excessive winds, hurricanes and floods. Some proprietary materials have even been independently tested and approved to withstand extreme winds at speeds up to 282 km/h (175 mph), have performed well under thermal shock conditions and have proven impervious to freezing. Those that will not crack or warp as temperatures change are particularly well-suited for outdoor installation in Canada, allowing foam-core monument signs to offer virtually the same durability as concrete, but without nearly as much weight.

Ease of installation
Installing a monument sign need not be a monumental task. These types of signs can be set up in the field in two to three hours by two people using some basic supplies, with no need for heavy equipment, on-site construction or specialty concrete. This ease of installation is another reason they are becoming an increasingly mainstream option for signmakers across Canada.

The EPS foam core is what makes them much lighter than brick, stone or concrete structures of the same size. The average foam monument sign weighs about 68 kg (150 lb), whereas a traditional concrete monument sign would be 10 times heavier, weighing 680 kg (1,500 lb).

Meanwhile, the embedding of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes into foam monument signs’ structure during the manufacturing process is what eliminates the need for a concrete base, additional stabilizing equipment or metal bracing.

Instead, the two aforementioned sign installers simply need a shovel, a level, 51-mm (2-in.) wide galvanized steel pipes, ready-mix cement, a hole digger/auger, a wheelbarrow, a clean tarp and two cans of sprayable expanding foam sealant, such as Dow’s Great Stuff.

The sign can be installed directly into the ground or on a concrete pad. The only requirement in this respect is for it to be sitting on a solid surface. Long-term durability and wind-load specifications are based upon the sign being ground-supported.

After the sign’s exact installation location is determined (and verifying it will keep the sign level), the sign should be put down on a soft surface that will protect its face, such as a tarp or an array of foam blocks. This will allow the galvanized steel pipes to be aligned with it.

The pipes are then slowly twisted into the sign, while the foam sealant is sprayed around their perimeter. The exact number (and, for that matter, diameter) of the pipes will depend on the size and source of the sign. Larger signs may require additional pipes and/or wider pipes to ensure sufficient durability and wind load capacity.

Next, post holes for the sign are dug into the ground, using the digger or auger. The depth of the holes will depend on local sign ordinances. It is important after placing the sign posts into the ground to double-check the surface and the sign are still level.

Finally, the sign may need to be slightly raised as the cement is poured into the holes for permanent installation. As such, it will be necessary to triple-check the sign and surface remain level.

Versatility in the field
While breadth of durability and ease of installation are important, versatility was the driving factor for Regina-based Signal, which has now integrated plastic hardcoated monument signs into its regular offerings.

“Foam monuments have allowed us to make 99.9 per cent of what we could dream up,” says Mantyak. “We were looking for something that had very few limitations, allowing us to integrate light-emitting diode-based (LED-based) EMCs and other products we already offered. And we have been very successful—we have nearly 30 foam monument signs under our belt and our clients love the product.”

As Signal continues to receive more requests every day for this type of sign, the one installed in 2011 as a welcome sign for Kyle has received many positive comments about its appearance and quality.

Kathryn Schwartz is marketing manager for Peachtree City Foamcraft, which manufactures and wholesales monument signs, foam props, EPS structures and architectural accents. With files from Signal Industries. For more information, visit www.foamcraft.info[4] and www.signalindustries.ca[5].

Source URL: https://www.signmedia.ca/monuments-made-easier/

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