Vinyl, stencil or freehand these signs?

[islandwide]

Hi All,

I've been working on some 6"x4" ceramic blanks that are going onto bedroom doors in an inn.

My first attempt was to use die-cut vinyl, apply direct to ceramic and then clear coat it with mod podge spray lacquer. We may have applied the coats to thick, but as the pictures (hopefully) show is that edges of the letters are continuing to curl up off the ceramic weeks after the lacquer has been applied. Client is a relative and forgiving of the trial and error process but ultimately wants a sound product in the end, as do I.

I'm looking to redo them and make some more version for them. So, I'm trying to get advice on how you would go about it. Would you:

a) use the same method as before (vinyl) but use a different lacquer or lighter coats. If different type, what lacquer do you use?

b) Use the reverse vinyl to make a stencil and paint black paint directly on the ceramic. My big concern, particularly with thin font is - won't it bleed and be messy in the end?

c) Use stencil to shade in font with a pencil or other initial marker - then remove stencil and hand paint them 'freehand' over stencil. This is the method I'm leaning towards as client also doesn't mind a bit of a handmade feel - hand done, but not sloppy.

Finally, your answer is B or C, do you recommend a clear coat over the paint in order for them to be cleaned from time to time or will the paint be adhered well enough to the ceramic to not bother?

Thanks in advance for any and all light shed on this one!

Andrew

 

[Gino]

Most likely, you vinyl didn't have 100% adhesion along those edges. Therefore, your lacquer has seeped around to the back and began the curling process.

Why do you need to apply a clearcoat to an interior door ??
Just lay the vinyl down and be done with it.
Have them flatbed printed and then clear coat with 1 or 2 dry coats and then a good covering to achieve whatever effect/sheen you want.
Have them CNC and paint the raised area.

Last, if that is a description of that room, do you realize it needs to be ADA approved and not mounted on the door itself ??

 

[unclebun]

Most likely, you vinyl didn't have 100% adhesion along those edges. Therefore, your lacquer has seeped around to the back and began the curling process.

Why do you need to apply a clearcoat to an interior door ??
Just lay the vinyl down and be done with it.
Have them flatbed printed and then clear coat with 1 or 2 dry coats and then a good covering to achieve whatever effect/sheen you want.
Have them CNC and paint the raised area.

Last, if that is a description of that room, do you realize it needs to be ADA approved and not mounted on the door itself ??

Except that for him in Nova Scotia it's ACA compliance.

 

[islandwide]

Except that for him in Nova Scotia it's ACA compliance.

Thanks, Gino. Those are all good thoughts. They wanted a clear coat, in part, so that they could clean it with a cleaner without risk of it peeling away. They also liked the effect of a thicker coating. And thanks for the clarification on positioning.

 

[mim]

If you go with the stencil method you can prime it with mod podge before painting to avoid bleed. I haven't had the opportunity to try this yet but I've seen other people do it and it seems to work well. I'm not sure about the clear coating afterwards though, if its latex paint and they aren't using heavy cleaners it shouldn't be an issue? I think?

Otherwise yeah what Gino said

 

[islandwide]

Huh, primed with mod podge. That's interesting. Would you recommend any particular version of mod podge as I see many versions available? Any idea what the MP is doing that prevents bleed more so than an untreated ceramic?

 

[Gino]

Are these signs or craft items ??

 

[islandwide]

I'm not sure how you delineate the two, but these are meant to be room signs that tell people what room they're looking at. They're an alternative to "Room 1, Room 2", etc.

 

[mim]

The mod podge stenciling I've seen def falls more into the "crafts" category than proper sign making but for a small, interior job I don't see an issue. I came across this when trying to figure out how to keep a stencil down on a coated awning. Again, I have not tried this myself. Tutorials focus on fabric and wood. Ceramic could be smooth enough that you don't need to worry about bleed, dunno.

Stencils for Wood Signs: How To Prevent Bleeding Under Stencils

If you're wondering how to stencil on wood, this trick will save you from the frustration of paint bleeding under the stencils for wood signs.

www.makingmanzanita.com

 

[Raum Divarco]

Trade a piece of work with someone who has a UJF Printer.
Let them use 2.5D and cover it with clear on the machine.

 

[Gino]

Well, I would imagine, if you are getting paid for them and trying to make them look professional and the intended use is as a wayfinder type of setup, which will need braille and raised letters, you might want to consider doing it right and using the correct substrates and colors. Whether you are decorating an Inn or a B&B, it still needs to follow codes and guidelines. It's a sign, but you seem to be going about it using all the wrong materials. Your profile shows you to have access to most of it, but you really don't have a way of making the proper braille or tactile lettering/numbers. Before you get your customer n trouble for illegal signs and you producing illegal signs, you might wanna touch base with someone who has these capabilities.

 

[islandwide]

The mod podge stenciling I've seen def falls more into the "crafts" category than proper sign making but for a small, interior job I don't see an issue. I came across this when trying to figure out how to keep a stencil down on a coated awning. Again, I have not tried this myself. Tutorials focus on fabric and wood. Ceramic could be smooth enough that you don't need to worry about bleed, dunno.

Stencils for Wood Signs: How To Prevent Bleeding Under Stencils

If you're wondering how to stencil on wood, this trick will save you from the frustration of paint bleeding under the stencils for wood signs.

www.makingmanzanita.com

That's a cool approach, but as you say, more of a 'craft' solution. I'll let this thread know what I end up trying. Thanks for the tip.

 

[islandwide]

Well, I would imagine, if you are getting paid for them and trying to make them look professional and the intended use is as a wayfinder type of setup, which will need braille and raised letters, you might want to consider doing it right and using the correct substrates and colors. Whether you are decorating an Inn or a B&B, it still needs to follow codes and guidelines. It's a sign, but you seem to be going about it using all the wrong materials. Your profile shows you to have access to most of it, but you really don't have a way of making the proper braille or tactile lettering/numbers. Before you get your customer n trouble for illegal signs and you producing illegal signs, you might wanna touch base with someone who has these capabilities.

Thanks, Gino.

 

[islandwide]

Trade a piece of work with someone who has a UJF Printer.
Let them use 2.5D and cover it with clear on the machine.

Thanks, Raum.

 

[Mega-Tech]

Interesting. I was just looking at that article thinking, "I would just airbrush over that stencil".

 

[Stacey K]

What about a liquid laminate over the top of the vinyl?

 

[WhiskeyDreamer]

reverse weed and apply to the ceramic material. use a scuff pad to scuff the surface so paint will bite to it. paint with sign enamel (with a quill, foam brush, roller, whatever is your preference). when it's slightly tacky but not fully dry pull the paint mask. let dry and cure. clear coat if you want, but won't be necessary. instruct client not to clean with super harsh chemicals or like... gasoline. will hold up just fine.

 

[Jean Shimp]

Was your first vinyl attempt using high performance cast vinyl? Did the letter edges cut sharp and clean on the plotter? I don't know why the edges would come up like they did. I would think a high performance vinyl would last longer than anything painted or clear coated unless you use something like an automotive clear coat and encapsulate the whole piece with multiple coats.

 

[GB2]

I know there is a 5"x4" oval sublimation tile available, and you can probably find other sizes, so you can sublimate them with no top coating. If you have the tiles already, you can actually sublimation coat them yourself and then sublimate them.

 

[bob]

If it were mine to do I'd dye-sub coat, print, and heat press. That would be the best solution. If that capability weren't available, cut it from high performance cast vinyl, apply it to a CLEAN surface, and clear coat it with liquid laminate. If having a smooth clear coat without the vinyl being discernible is a must, dome it.