Need Help Mounting adhesive vinyl to MDO

[JR_displays]

Would appreciate advice on mounting solvent printed adhesive vinyl to primed MDO. No over-laminate.
Should the board be coated with an enamel on the front side first. I want to insure good adhesion for a 2 year outdoor project. Thanks!

 

[2B]

there are 3 "types" of MDO
* Unprimed
* Primed
* Prefinished - ready for vinyl application

Yes, MDO has to have the surface prepped for graphics.

 

[JR_displays]

2B would Ronan bulletin white be a good choice or is that over kill? Also is a 5 day cure adequate?

I know these are pretty basic questions but this is a new process for us.

 

[ddarlak]

you can mount prints to unfinished MDO, you don't have to worry about the face of it, it's paper and accepts vinyl nicely, what you have to worry about is the edges sucking up water. Silicone some trim cap all around and you'll be fine.

 

[JR_displays]

you can mount prints to unfinished MDO, you don't have to worry about the face of it, it's paper and accepts vinyl nicely, what you have to worry about is the edges sucking up water. Silicone some trim cap all around and you'll be fine.

Isn't MDO just "fancy" plywood?
What paper is the vinyl adhering to?

 

[Pixels Are Bad Mmmkay?]

Isn't MDO just "fancy" plywood?
What paper is the vinyl adhering to?

MDO has a resin impregnated paper outer surface, which is what allows it to be smooth and easy to paint while significantly increasing moisture-resistance.

 

[JR_displays]

Thanks - I appreciate the patience from all!

 

[TimToad]

Isn't MDO just "fancy" plywood?
What paper is the vinyl adhering to?

The front smooth sheathing on MDO is a kraft type layer bonded to the last veneers of the board. MDO's much more durable cousin is HDO which was invented as a marine grade and very water repellent plywood to construct some types of boats.

I STRONGLY recommend a good coat of Ronan or other brand bulletin enamel to the mounting surface and edges. We use a little 3" Shur-line foam roller and zip around the edges twice with STIX brand urethane primer and wipe the excess off the face as we're doing it. The face and edges then get a good coat of a GLOSS oil based bulletin. I've found over the years that the factory finish coating they put on MDO is almost too slick and allows prints to shrink more easily than if they are bonded well to a nice topcoat.

 

[ddarlak]

I want to insure good adhesion for a 2 year outdoor project

I STRONGLY recommend a good coat of Ronan or other brand bulletin enamel to the mounting surface and edges

Time is money, faster to slap on some edge caps with silicone and call it a day, they will last 2 years...

 

[TimToad]

Time is money, faster to slap on some edge caps with silicone and call it a day, they will last 2 years...

True to a point, but if I had a dollar for every customer who told me a sign only needed to last two years and I saw it out there 5 or 6 or 7 years later still in use, I'd be typing this from my retirement island.

Everybody has their own systems and processes for how they do things. There are a few rights and wrongs to substrate prep and my approach has always to err on the side of better prep and expecting the sign to ladt longer. I like buying the primed only MDO, sealing and topcoating the way we do and have had good results for many decades doing it that way. To each his own.

To your point, edge capping and silicone cost money too as well as does the labor time to cut and glue in place. I also don't care for the way liberal use of silicone seems to find its way onto other things in the shop we'd rather it not get all over. Or it's negative health effects over time.

The only jobs we treat like temporary ones are for specific events or have a predetermined usage date under three months and specified by the client.

 

[ddarlak]

24' of 1/4" edge cap $9.18
tube of silicon $6ish

qt of Ronan $18

cut and apply edge cap, 15 minutes sign is done

paint MDO 15 minutes plus 24-36 hours before mounting.

as far as client telling me 2 years and its up 5-7, i couldn't care if i tried.

 

[Johnny Best]

They use waterproof glue on MDO and it is good for exterior, but if you live in a wet environment it delaminates very quickly.
From my experience a good edge sealing is necessary, plus a primer coat and top coat of exterior paint. Also have used the edgecaps with silicone and it seems the moisture gets underneath the edgecap and since it can't evaporate it breaks down the edge quicker.
I stopped using MDO years ago when they started to use more thin layers of woods to build up thickness. Went to using ACM because it has a better finish and no breakdown of material. I would not put an unlaminated print on MDO and expect it to last more than a month.
MDO is a great product for building forms for pouring concrete framing, it comes off easily after concrete has dried and can be used again if stored in a dry area. Easy to saw and screw or nail together and holds it shape if braced correctly.

 

[DoubleDiamond]

We never use mdo unless absolutely necessary. We use the aluminum composite daily. If the customer wants a cheap sign we have them do what it takes. We give them the option to have a coro or banner made and they can mount it to their cheap plywood. We provide solutions, but our time is better spent making money providing signs for our good paying customer base and we can only go so far for the thrifty penny pinching shopper. Sometimes it's better, and I mean sometimes, to try and help them go and see that guy doing it out of his garage. He's better off and so are we. Now we have many times done the banner or coro option successfully. So many times, but keep in mind that our shop making $50 that hour only hurt us when we should be doing about $250. I understand that if we don't satisfy our customer, someone else will. But come on. If your not missing any meals, throw the dog a bone... I mean let the garage guy have this one.

 

[JR_displays]

Customer had very specific requirements so we went with the primed MDO and applied a bulletin topcoat.
Thanks for all the input!

 

[Gino]

Something not mentioned above. You should always apply the same amount of top coats to the second side, even if it's a 1-sided sign. This prevents tension created by the paint pulling harder on one side than the other. Yes, with wood this happens very easily. It eventually will cup, even if its fastened down with physical fasteners.