Finished Monument sign, but bubbling paint

[signsolutions]

Happy Monday all!

I wanted to attach a picture of our most recent monument sign project.

3' x 5' Routed HDU panel, painted, w/ digital print of bird on .080 aluminum.
The columns are each an .080 aluminum sheet, w/ breaks, with HDU trim epoxied in place and an HDU cap on top. All paints are Benjamin Moore.

The cool thing about this project was that the sign panel only took 62 minutes to rout out, with a series of 1/2", 1/4" and 1/8" tools.

However, our satisfaction from a successful fabrication and installation has been interrupted. It's only been a week since the install, and one of the column caps has developed severe paint bubbling all over the top and on 2 sides. (see attachment)

We are extremely confused about this. This hasn't happened on the other column cap, or other parts of the sign for that matter. I can say that the bubbling faces the sun, and that the cap was primed with signPrime and filled with the Coastal FSC 88-WB.

It obviously screams of moisture, but the paint was rolled inside our shop and left to dry for a week before the install date.

Has this happened to anyone here before?

Thanks!

-Keith
-Sign Solutions, LLC

 

[Gino]

Was the Benjamin Moore a latex paint for the columns ??

Was it a rather humid day you put either the prime or the finish coat on ??


I would imagine going back in about two weeks or so, sanding the areas with some 100 grit, let air dry for a week or two and then applying a second top coat...... then go back and do it again in 4 weeks should solve your problem.

Otherwise, I believe its going to continue to blister. One of your undercoats just seemed to have a hard time of it completely curing and your top coat has trapped moisture in there.

 

[Marlene]

I don't know what went wrong, but wanted to tell you that is a very nice looking sign and I love the posts and mounting system. hope you find out what happened.

 

[HulkSmash]

Sand it down, put another coat. Come back in 2 days Sand it again, and add another coat. Should be good

 

[HulkSmash]

I found this link. Hope this helps.

http://www.ehow.com/list_6001376_causes-exterior-paint-bubble_.html

 

[signsolutions]

Thanks for all the replies!

Those attached pics were taken Friday, 4/1. Now it is Monday, 4/4, and after revisiting the site, the bubbles are gone! No trace they were even there in the first place. What the hell?

I'm totally baffled. Everything was painted inside, and dried inside as well in 60 degree temperature.

All this means is that I'll be going back again to check on it, probably once a week until I'm satisfied. Meanwhile, I already routed and glued up a replacement cap.....doh!

One thing I forgot to mention was that the wood grain background is simulated via enRoute's RapidTexture. This method allowed for crystal clear detail in minimal time. Calculations put the sign panel routing time at almost 8 hours for a simple 85% hatch fill with an 1/8" ballnose tool.

 

[Gino]

I'd go by on somewhat wet days and see if the humidity brings them out again. Moisture will do some crazy things. Best to be safe and either replace the lid or re-paint it. The initial blistering means something had gone wrong somewhere along your procedure. If the bubbles went back down, I'm sure they didn't re-knit themselves, meaning something never dried correctly.

 

[mountainmang]

not sign related but i saw similar bubbling after i had my house painted...they went away

 

[Salmoneye]

not enough dry time between coats?

 

[slappy]

we get those on the side of our building when it rains.. it's like a pimple but with water in it... check the sign again after a rainy day

 

[rushworks graphics]

also wanted to say, really nice looking sign!! like the bird, looks awesome! was that clipart or did you design it?

 

[signsolutions]

Thanks for the compliments!

The bird was a digital print on the original sign, which was weathered and peeling. So into Photoshop I went after taking a highres photo, and lots of pixel pushing.

 

[Fitch]

Once you ARE satisfied that all the "moisture" has dried and is flat, make sure you put another coat on. Preferably rolled. If the bubbles have gone down, this may mean that there is a fracture or pin hole in the existing paint. Seal it with a new top coat.

The original problem may also have been that the paint was not mixed / stirred long enough to totally allow all components to blend correctly, so make sure a good length of mixing time. That may also be the cause of the bubbles - different components drying at different rates.

Cheers - G