Painting MDO Signs

By Jim Hingst

Properly applied, a painted?MDO (medium density overlay)?sign can provide up to 10 years of service life or more. Premature paint failure often occurs for a variety of reasons. Often problems develop because the surface was improperly prepped. Using the wrong raw materials for the application or incompatible materials can also contribute to problems.?

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Of course, the durability of the painted surface is not solely dependent or the responsibility of the sign painter.??The environment greatly affects durability. Signs subjected to a great amount of sunlight and moisture will deteriorate much faster than signs that have great protection from the elements.

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If you have not worked with MDO before, the tried and true tips from veteran sign painters should help you do the job properly and profitably. A number of years ago,?Butch “Superfrog” Anton?in Moorhead, MN shared the secrets to his success in working with MDO, and I would like to share them with you.

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Edge Preparation.?Like any other plywood product, the most vulnerable parts of the sheet are the edges.??If the edges are not sealed properly, the sheet will absorb moisture, which will lead to paint failure on the surface of the board. Moisture can also cause delamination of the plies.

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Paint tends to chip where there are any sharp edges. To minimize chipping, some sign makers will run a router with a ?” rounding over bit along the sides of the sign to take the edge off of the edge.?

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Make sure that any of the voids on the edge of the board are filled and sealed properly. If you don’t, water will seep into the core of the board, causing the sheet to deteriorate.??To fill these voids use a caulk sealant, such as GE’s?Max 3500 Siliconized Acrylic Latex Window & Door Caulk?(available in either white or clear), DAP? Alex? Painter’s Caulk, and Liquid Nails Acrylic Latex Caulk.?

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To read the full article click here https://tinyurl.com/28cfx6z2 ?

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