Sign making paint

rocky100370

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Oct 2, 2020
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Going to be making some signs with words routed in the wood. Does anyone have recommendations on a good durable paint for the letters?  Thanks in advance.
 
One Shot.  Easily the best enamel paint I’ve ever used.  Their metallics look exceptional.

But note:  It has been 20 years since I’ve used One Shot.  I don’t know what changes they might have made to comply with VOC regulations.

Growing up in the 1960s, my best friend’s father was a sign painter.  He used One Shot for all his lettering.
https://www.1shot.com/One-Shot/Home.aspx
 
Fine Paints of Europe, which I believe is imported from Holland, is reputed to be the finest oil based paint available in the USA.  I don’t know if they sell smaller cans that a quart.

At a professional painting website that I read from time to time they say it works best with their own primer.  It has a strong odor until dried, empirically, their high gloss has a higher gloss than any other paint on the market, sprayed or brushed.

It is supposed to have superb self-leveling characteristics and some claim that the brushed finish is indistinguishable from spray.

All that having been reported, this is all hearsay on my part.  I have never used it.

By the way, nothing seems to match nail polish for gloss or smoothness.  What I would really want is nail polish sold in pint containers.

Addendum:  I just visited FPE website.  They show specially formulated sign paint.  If cost is a measure of quality, then this paint is the Rolls Royce of sign paints.  They make a disclaimer about using any primer but theirs.
https://finepaintsofeurope.com/shop/sign-enamel-brilliant/
 
I have lost faith in Behr paints.  Their Marquis line was their premium paint and my paint of choice until recently.

They just came out with a new line of paints above the Marquis as their new premium paint. 

But apparently there was not sufficient difference in quality to justify the higher price, so the Marquis line was degraded to increase that differential. 

It is significantly less viscous, and I was chasing runs all day until I gave up on it. I switched to Benjamin Moore’s Regal Select and the runs disappeared.  Regal Select is not B-M’s top of the line paint (I think it is Aura).  But application was far superior to the current production of Behr Marquis. 

As a side note, the weight or a gallon of paint is a good indicator of how much pigments is in the can.  Apparently pigments are heavy.  So hefting a can of paint will tell you a lot about the quality of the paint.
 
"
But apparently there was not sufficient difference in quality to justify the higher price, so the Marquis line was degraded to increase that differential. "

That is disappointing to hear. The worst part of these decisions is they do not warn their customers that the product has changed. Osmo exterior comes to mind.

Thanks for the heads-up.
 
Oldwood said:
"
But apparently there was not sufficient difference in quality to justify the higher price, so the Marquis line was degraded to increase that differential. "

That is disappointing to hear. The worst part of these decisions is they do not warn their customers that the product has changed. Osmo exterior comes to mind.

Thanks for the heads-up.

“You’re not happy with Marquis?  You should try our premium paint, Dynasty…”

For years, Marquis was Consumers’ Union’s top rated paint.  I tried it for that reason and found it was very good—and at a good price too. I’m sure someone in marketing thought this change was a good idea. 

Now I buy all my paint from Benjamin-Moore. I don’t know if it is better than Sherwin-Williams, or Pratt or any other brand.  It is very good and I will stick with it as long as the local store continues to give good service.
 
"Now I buy all my paint from Benjamin-Moore. "

I have a store close by, I will give them a try. 

Thanks
 
I’ve only been using Regal Select for interior walls.  And Advance for cabinets.  I like both.

I’m sure others have their own favorites.

I tried Sherwin-Williams, but the store employees were too incompetent to rely on.  I quit there before I gave their paint a real evaluation.

Note:  There is Regal and there is Regal Select.  I have only used the “Select” version.

On the downside, they have the crappiest looking paint can labels in the industry.  If you were judging a paint by the quality of their label graphics, then B-M would be the last paint you would choose.

It really degrades their image.  I might be the only one turned off by the ugly labels, so feel free to ignore that part of this post.
 
"Those Miratec panels are heavy.  The 3/4” sheet is 100 pounds."

Yes they are heavy but stand up to the elements very well. I had some cut-offs sitting outside in my scrap pile for over 3 years with no finish and although it changed colour it did not swell up or delaminate at all.

The sign in the picture was 10 ft long, cut from 1" extira. Although it is heavy, it holds its shape well. I drive by this sign from time to time, and it looks like the day it went up in 2015.

I will get advice on the paint from BM.

Thanks,
Gerry

 

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Handsome sign.

Sign paint used to easy—everyone seemed to be using 1-Shot.  I guess those pesky VOCs caught up with them.

I do wonder about the Fine Paints of Europe.  They can only ship to a handful of states now.  Will they compromise the quality or retreat to Holland?

I remember when asbestos was banned.  My next set of brake pads cost twice as much and only lasted 8,000 miles where the asbestos pads lasted 20,000 miles.

Fast forward to 2023, and I got my first set of brake pads on my 2019 Chrysler Pacifica at 104,000 miles.

I guess I’m hoping that paints will get better mileage some time in the future.
 
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