scooter board

[wes70]

I received an example in the mail and it seems it may be great fit for some uses. Has anyone used this for long term outdoors? How has it held up? Vinyl seems to stick very well to it.

[Bigdawg]

We soaked a piece overnight in water and it held up real well, so I believe it works quite good for temp outside signage... think it's rated for a couple years. Longest piece I have out there is only about year and a half old and still looks good. Used Oracal 651 on it.

[AKSigns]

I saw it at a trade show and was super impressed! But I haven't ordered any, I think its a great alternative to MDF, MDX

KT

[Mainframe]

I just got a 4x8 sheet in & am gonna try to push the foam board print customers into it - it is close in price & easier to work with & much more durable

[wes70]

I'm going to order a 4x8 sheet. In some situations it may be an alternative to mdo. Thanks all for info!

[Jillbeans]

Seen it, thought it looked OK, but never tried it.
Let us know what you think of it.
Love....Jill

[Pat Whatley]

I've got a real estate customer that specifies the stuff. It letters extremely nicely, the slight texture seems to make the vinyl work down easier. We've been using it outdoors for them for three years and the original signs still look good from the road, I've never walked out in the field to see how it's actually holding up.

One warning, the surface on the stuff is like a thin melamine coating and it chips horribly when you cut it. We tape the cut line, use the finest plywood blade we've got and still end up with little chips.

All in all it seems like a great product for the price.

[totalimage]

We use it all the time. We do prime the edges or use edge cap not only for a clean look but to protect it a little better. We are actually installing a sign in Daytona this week using scooter board.

[wes70]

I only have a small sample which is 1/4" thick.

I sell a quite a bit of 3x6 and 4x8 mdo signs to customers who install on 4x4 and 6x6 posts with no bracing. The sign itself is the structural part. They need something stable and strong. I wonder if 1/2" scooter board would work for this application?

[dfeicke]

Hey guys, please don't think I'm trying to rain on your parade, but Scooter Board is basically designed for temporary, short-term use....like a year and a half or less. I would never think of replacing MDO with it. It will break rather easily if you drill near an edge, like where you would put mounting brackets.

Because of its pricing, it is suitable for real estate signs, but will only accept vinyl graphics or some solvent-type screen ink. I haven't found any type of paint that will stick to it, even after sanding. You can't glue two sheets together; I haven't found a glue that will bite and hold it together well. I bought a couple of sheets, and wound up cutting it up and making basically real estate type signs out of it because I determined it wasn't suitable for bigger or better stuff.

I have a technical description sheet that I got from the manufacturer. If you google Scooter Board you may be able to find it, or I'll see if I can come up with it. I talked with the owner of the company about it, and I'm telling you what he told me. Please don't get caught up in the hype of a bunch of salesmen, who are just looking for a commission.

The edges need to be sealed; it appears to be made of pressed sawdust or something; really soaks up moisture.

I haven't been around here much lately, for whatever reason....sorry. But I've been doing this stuff for over 35 years, so I know a little about stuff.

[wes70]

Thank you dfeicke. That's the kind of info I needed. I'll stick to the tried and true mdo.

According to my supplier, they can offer 3mil alupanel or 1/2" olympic board (mdo) for roughly the same price.

[Mainframe]

As I stated I was going to use it to replace foam board, would be an upgrade for the same money I think, that would be an indoor application

[Bigdawg]

Totally appropriate for use in place of foam board. The one I put up was in TN roughly Sept of last year. Was supposed to be until they got a permanent logo and real sign (heard that one before?) I saw it when i was up there earlier this month and it looked pretty good, but as someone else said it is not meant to replace MDO by any means...

[Mike Paul]

My distributor gave me a small pc. of that a few moths ago and it looked pretty sweet.
How are the 4x8's?... Are they cupped or bowed?

I agree, This is short term material.

[Chad.]

Much Like Bigdawg, we soaked a piece in water for 72 hours before we decided to give it a whirl in the real world.

Ironically, i just went back to a sign i did about 8 months ago with scooter board and took some pictures to see how it held up.

This was for a medium term construction site, done in 1/2 Scooter Board ... i failed to paint the edges (i know, i know)

The pictures below give you a good idea of how scooter board is made, basically layers. This is the condition of it after 8 months in VA weather.

The huge gash was done by a front end loader.

[dfeicke]

Mainframe, I think you'd be alright using Scooter Board for interior work, since it won't be exposed to the weather.

It's a shame, since it's such a slick, attractive product. If it were weather-proof, and enamel receptive, it would be a lot more attractive. Of course, then they'd jack the price up more. It's already not really cheap for what it is.

The company that makes this, also makes some of the best quality tempered hardboard (masonite) I've ever used. I guess this was their attempt to make something that didn't have to be primed/painted for the screen industry. Unfortunately, this product doesn't have the lifespan of the tempered hardboard.

[phototec]

[QUOTE=Chad.;485171bo

This was for a medium term construction site, done in 1/2 Scooter Board ... i failed to paint the edges (i know, i know)

[/QUOTE]


Chad, I have a question you said you failed to paint the edges, however in your photos the edges look gray, is that how they come from the factory?

[imagepro]

What kind of inks can be screenprinted on the scooterboard???

[Salmoneye]

It looks like if you had sealed the edges that the sign would be in perfect cond.

[Pat Whatley]

What kind of inks can be screenprinted on the scooterboard???
Nazdar 5900 Enamel works, so did PPG Omni Automotive Enamel.



Since this has been brought back up I'll update the results we've had. Signs we've pulled down after a couple of years still looked great from the road but where useless when inspected up close. The material was starting to swell along the edges, the surface had become chalky and was flaking in places, and corners were warping a little. Still, it's good stuff for short term signs.