Wooden sandblasted sign 120″ x 60″ restoration pricing.

[nolanola]

Hello forum.
I got invited to bid on an interesting project.
20 year old wooden sign needs some attention.
New posts, the sign should be cleaned, sandblasted, patched and painted, put back together, installed.
I estimate $400 in materials: posts, paint, concrete and $2600 in labor.
On the other hand, there is more work than building a new sign. And sandblasted signs go for $100 per sq ft. This sign is 50 sq ft.

What do you think?

Thank you.

 

[Billct2]

First it's a really ugly sign, so I would definitely offer the option of a new updated sign design, in HDU since it's all paint finishes.
Other than that it seems a simple project, though I don't see why you included "sandblasting" as part of the restoration process.
I would just fill any areas with an appropriate exterior filler and texture in by hand. By the way, besides an ugly design it's also not done with the right wood, the grain stinks.
If you're doing a sandblasted wood sign it should have some really good grain in it.

 

[Gino]

I think you are way off.

Unless you made it 20 years ago, I'd either pass on it or suggest starting over.

You need 8" x 8" posts plus whatever finial used to be up there, new battens, repair the holes in the sign, get ALL of the paint off down to bare wood and I mean ALL of the paint. It's mildew and that will continue if you don't get all of it out. Complete paint job and removal, re-instal and all the other stuff involved and it's still a 20 year old sign. Why invest all that time and money into it ?? Start over and give them something that looks fresh, clean and new. About a year ago, we did this very same thing to 4 sandblasted signs, that we did back around 1992, I think. The signs were in much better shape than yours, so we could do them over. Right now, we're doing one that we sandblasted about 30 years ago and there was too much mildew on it. We couldn't remove it good enough or use enough chemical to bleach it out, so we suggested doing it over, again. Totally understood and he only wanted the old one back for sentimental reasons.

And most likely fix the phone number. Aren't you 10 digit numbers down there ??

 

[nolanola]

It's a local thing using 7 digit phone number because everybody is supposed to know the 504 area code.

Ok, so I should offer a new HDU sandblasted sign instead, right?

Design: $250.00
Product: sandblasted custom shaped hdu board primed and painted 10'x5' $4200.00
Installation: two posts and hardware $800.00

Does it look fair?

Thank you!

 

[Gino]

Still sounds low.

After checking out your profile, do you even have in-house capability of sandblasting ?? If not, why not just have a local vendor CNC it and then go to town on it ??

With posts, installation, design, permits and whatnot, we'd be more around $8,000.00

Your posts alone will cost YOU around $500.00, then you hafta sand them, seal them, then paint them with a few top coats. You don't wanna go with Pressure Treated crap for that kinda sign. Your posts and installation will probably run around.... $ 1,150 or so, so then you'd hafta get about $2,200. That leaves $6,000 for the rest of it.

Perhaps this sounds too high for you, but you can't get it if you don't ask and if someone else lowballs ya, so what ?? You're not out anything. If you go in too cheap, get the job and can't make any profit, then you're f*cked. What'll ya have ??

 

[nolanola]

You are right. They do not have to order a new sign every two weeks.
I am not getting the sandblasting equipment because I have a deal with a local sandblaster who charges $50 per sign, he would probably charge $100 to do this one.
There is a picture of the existing posts

It's 4x4. So smart.

Thank you!

 

[rossmosh]

It's a local thing using 7 digit phone number because everybody is supposed to know the 504 area code.

Ok, so I should offer a new HDU sandblasted sign instead, right?

Design: $250.00
Product: sandblasted custom shaped hdu board primed and painted 10'x5' $4200.00
Installation: two posts and hardware $800.00

Does it look fair?

Thank you!

I assume you have a local vendor to work with? Shipping a 5x10 sign with the crating isn't exactly cheap. I'd also verify that price per foot is valid. Larger signs = thicker HDU = higher cost.

Also I'm just going to throw it out there, installing a HDU sign should be more expensive than installing a wood one. While the wooden sign is far heavier, the HDU one requires more care. If you install it improperly, you're looking at a decent financial hit.

 

[spectrum maine]

if the original sign is solid, then go for it. if it is punky at all run away. as for the posts, i would do 6 by 6 pressure treated with a sheet metal wrap & cap. i would propose new with a better design for 6500-7500 installed. sell them on the extra longevity of the hdu & metal post covers.

 

[TammieH]

First it's a really ugly sign, so I would definitely offer the option of a new updated sign design, in HDU since it's all paint finishes.
Other than that it seems a simple project, though I don't see why you included "sandblasting" as part of the restoration process.
I would just fill any areas with an appropriate exterior filler and texture in by hand. By the way, besides an ugly design it's also not done with the right wood, the grain stinks.
If you're doing a sandblasted wood sign it should have some really good grain in it.

I agree, what an awful layout..and they did not use a vertical grain wood, also one needs to be sure there is no hidden rot in the sign.

 

[Jean Shimp]

The last time we refurbished a 15 year old wooden sign like that it busted in several places due to unforeseen rot. I would recommend making a new sign. Before I got too far into the project I would check the sign code. In my area replacement signs have to comply with updated codes, regardless of what was there originally. I wouldn't want to make an $8000 sign and then find out it was illegal to install.

 

[nolanola]

The job is completed.

 

[nolanola]

**

 

[Johnny Best]

Did you use the original sign and put new posts in like you originally were going to do or new like people were suggesting.
Looks good, came out nice.

 

[Gino]

Is that flat-grained wood of some sort or HDU ?? What kinda support did you make for the back ??

 

[nolanola]

Thank you!
We used the original sign.

This project is an interesting lesson for me. I did all wrong pricing wise. The reality has not matched the expectations from the very beginning:
- Taking the sign down: the sign is 12' x 6' and it did not fit our suburban. I rented a trailer (+$50.00, +3 hours), the brackets that hold the sign to the posts broke, I ordered the brackets from a friend of mine who has a woodshop (+$130, +3 hours). Each bracket is a solid piece of wood made of 2″ x 6″ with a hole in the center for the sign.
- We got the sign pressure washed (+$50), and hand sanded it a little bit. That was enough.
- The sign had two ant nests in it. We filled it with liquid nails (why not?). Did some bodywork with bondo on the front.
- Primed it with "Kills", sanded, primed again, sanded. The base coat and all the paint is oil based sherwin williams. I like that I could make a short list of colors and got them approved by the client and now they have the codes for the colors for the future. Now, after the coats of primer and paint. the sandblasted parts of the sign don't look sandblasted, they just look uneven. In a good way, I hope. And the high spots of the sign (the letters and the frame) are sanded up to 320 grit.
- Painting took way longer than I expected. The sign was under a carport and then it's been raining for days.
Signe, the girl in the photograph, was in charge and she did a great job.
- When the sign was ready to go we decided to replace the posts. I bought two 6″ x 6″ from home depot ($25 each) and we started waiting till they get dry. Then I called a lumber yard and they said they had hollow 6″ x 6″ x 120″ posts (just like the old ones) and they are dry and "only" $96 each. Bought the posts.
- It was not the only job going on at the moment, and I decided to hire a man to pull the old posts out and put new ones in. The man wanted $25 per hour and got tired after 4 hours. He has not even pulled the first post out. It was Saturday and the job was expected to be completed by the following Wednesday. I drove to Lowes and found two gentlemen who agreed to finish pulling-the-posts part of the job for $160.00. It took 45 minutes. We agreed to meet at the same place the next morning to install the new posts.
- To make sure the distance between the posts will be the same as the width of the sign I took two 2″ x 4″ and cut them to the width of the sign +1″.
- The next morning I brought 10 bags of concrete, 4 bags of gravel and 2 cardboard tubes. When the car was unloaded I asked the gentlemen to dig 4″ deeper they looked at me, pretended that they don't speak English anymore and left. It was Sunday morning. I called my friend who was still drunk from the last night and he said "yes". We put the new posts in and set the precut 2″ x 4″s between them.
- On Monday I rented a trailer and we put the sign between the posts.

I am funny: I posted the question on the forum, the answers were from $5000 - $8000 to "do not do it". I have read everything carefully and put $3000 including installation.

Everybody thinks we are making money when we are making signs.

 

[nolanola]

No support in the back. Just a 2″ x 4″.

 

[Johnny Best]

You are the sub contractor of the year.
Someone for this someone for that,
Good luck with the next project on the wall mural.

 

[nolanola]

Thank you.

 

[Gino]

Yep, I hafta agree. It's smart to know when to delegate. You did well.

Don't play with luck, make next time a solid plan going in ​

 

[Billct2]

Well as ugly as the sign is, it's nice to see truthful follow up.