Cool Nights is a rental duplex at the beach in Emerald Isle NC, and is a southern facing beach. The house is adorned with the sign in the pic above, which is quite a complex creation, believe it or not.
The design calls for something that will last in the environment it is found in – which means synthetic material is required. We (the owners of the home and DWC-Shop210Craftworks) wanted to make something that would really “POP” and make a statement. This called for some sorcery of colored acrylic set in clear back painted acrylic, atop white acrylic to diffuse the light behind it. It called for weatherproof LED lights and ballasts, and for that to be still accessible for repairs if it fails. It called for multi layered outdoor grade PVC in varying thickness and set as separate pieces, and affixed to a maxmetal backing to provide structural integrity for the PVC expanded foam. All of this was accomplished, the designing, the fabrication of separate pieces, and the finish of them as individual pieces before being assembled and given another finish as a whole.
For the final clear, I used Halcyon by total boat on each of the pieces and then as a whole. I used six total coats and a HVLP sprayer to make it happen. It is the first time I have used Halcyon for this purpose, so I will be watching closely how it weathers, and will be quick to snatch it and re-coat it if needed. From the looks of it, that will not be necessary for a good long while.
The means for hanging was also a new product- and one made in the shop. It is a bracket system made of HDPE which has two main parts- one for the structure, and one for the sign panel. The reason is for standoff from the lapboard structure (uneven surface) and so the sign remains perpendicular to the ground, for ease of installation, and so the sign is firmly and I mean firmly attached to the structure using material that will not rot. I could not be more pleased with how that turned out.
This one is not an inexpensive sign- it is far more like a commercial sign than a residential sign, and for all practical purposes it is a commercial sign. The carving and details within allow outstanding representation in lighted conditions (daylight) and perhaps even more eye grabbing in the dark. It was designed in layers, and the side view below should offer you that perspective. The backlight is designed to escape strategically with a diffused hal0, provided by the white layer of acrylic edge, and by four points- giving a slight cast at night around the entire sign with the main face glowing. I am really happy with how this came together!
