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Installation question

Circleville Signs

New Member
I am going to be mounting a 3'x16' 3mm polymetal sign next week. It is an indoor install, and it is going on finished drywall. The issue is that the "studs" are those aluminum struts, and are narrow and not spaced appropriately to anchor to.

My thinking is that I will use a combination of VHB tape and silicone. Is my thinking on track? Should I try something different?

Thanks folks!
 

HulkSmash

New Member
I am going to be mounting a 3'x16' 3mm polymetal sign next week. It is an indoor install, and it is going on finished drywall. The issue is that the "studs" are those aluminum struts, and are narrow and not spaced appropriately to anchor to.

My thinking is that I will use a combination of VHB tape and silicone. Is my thinking on track? Should I try something different?

Thanks folks!

I wouldn't trust vhb, and silicone alone. Use Tapcoms with drywall anchors.
 

Billct2

Active Member
If screws are ok I'd stick with drywall anchors too, especially if the sign may come down someday.
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
I believe it was this past September, we put up an 8' x 28' dibond sign to an interior wall. It was a plywood wall with a drywall covering it and then painted. We used double-sided tape to temporarily hold it in place, used some 75AM and used a few screws strategically placed to take some of the weight off the silicon. From 5' away, you couldn't see the screws. We used flatheads and countersunk them ever so slightly. Then painted them the same color they were on. It was 100% ink coverage.

Those were 4' x 8's.... yours being 3' x 8'.... I think I'd still try to get a mechanical fastener in there somehow.
 

Tony McD

New Member
For a blind install...can you use a french cleat to hang the sign on?
You could probably hit the studs with the cleat.
 

tsgstl

New Member
VHB, Silicone and angle aluminum Chanel (drywall anchored every foot) running the length of the bottom to hold the weight?

That Moze guy seems always have great advice for this sort of thing.
 

Circleville Signs

New Member
Problem with a frech cleat is that this needs to mount flush, or pretty damn close to flush to the wall. This is a "Hall of Fame" sports board for the local Christian university.
 

Moze

Active Member
If the customer is ok with seeing a couple of fasteners, I would put a drywall anchor at the corner of each sheet (I'm assuming you're using two sheets), one inch in or so from the edges. I like the green ones from Home Depot. You just hammer them in, no drilling. Each one will support 50lbs. of sheer weight, which is your main concern. One anchor could support the weight of one sheet, but one at each corner will look better aesthetically obviously. I would still use a few small (3" or so) pieces of VHB tape and silicone for good measure and prevent any flexing.

I hate those white screw-in anchors. They break too easily in my opinion.
 

John Butto

New Member
They make those screw in anchors in metal, and it is best to make a small hole with an awl to start them in with.
 

Letterbox Mike

New Member
Gary, I agree with Moze, but I'd use these beauties:

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-25e...ord=drywall+anchor&storeId=10051#.UTD9E6Xrxeo

I discovered them about a year ago at HD and have been using them everywhere I can, they grip like an anchor but the screw in like a screw, so you don't have to pre-set anchors and hope they line up with the holes. I've been amazed at how much weight the hold. The picture shows a hex head, but I've only seen them with a pan head which looks nicer. But I'd probably do some small pieces of VHB around the perimeter and middle of the sign and then 6-8 of these around each sheet and call it a day, that'll hold this sign no problem.
 
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