I needed to make a backdrop display graphic for a store that carries our line of products (prints, posters, cards, pillows, etc.). Since we feature vintage wood type and traditional letterpress printing, I wanted the graphic to convey a similar look and feel. I wanted to have our logo on some old corrugated siding, which I throught would be fairly easy to find....
Unfortunately, finding weathered siding wasn't so easy. And getting new gavanized siding was more difficult than just running to the building supply stores.
The next few photos show the final result, which I'm pretty happy with.
I thought galanized corrugated siding (GCS) was pretty standard at most building stores. Unfortunately, none of the suppliers stock it anymore. The closest thing was plastic and fiberglass that is carried by Menards. (It might be possible to get a close look by painting these with some type of metal-flake paint and then stressing the finish to look aged, but I wanted to have the authenic look.
Supplies I used:
- galanized corrugated siding (about $14.00 for a 24"x8 foot sheet--however Menards charges a $9.00 crating fee). The size I used is the traditional 2-1/2" ridge / 1/2" depth. They also carry mini corrugated galvanized steel, which looks pretty neat.
- liquid drain pipe cleaner (any type will do)
- distilled white vinegar
- salt
- rubber gloves/eye protection
- steel rivets (if you need to join pieces together)
- milk paint (two colors -- see the detail photos) I used Old Fashioned brand, but there are other out there.
- milk paint "Extra Bond" additive (to stick to steel)
- sand paper
- baby shampoo or liquid dishwashing soap (just a few drops)
- sponge
- burnisher or credit card
- custom vinyl sticker (for a stencil)
The first (and most important) thing you need to do is distort your graphic to acommodate the corrugations. If not, your image will look squished.
For the GCS I used, I calculated to stretch my logo 115%. (Note: plastic and fiberglass siding has wider ridges, and is deeper than galvanized. I didn't do the calculations for that.)
I used a vinyl cutter at my community's Fabrication Laboratory (Fab Lab). These are poping up all over--mostly on or near public universities. But you can also get one cut for you at a sign store.
Aging the Panels
1. I layed the panels flat, and then brushed loquid drain cleaner all over the surface and let it sit over night. I then sprayed it off with a hose.
2. I then used sand paper and a hammer to beat up the surface. Sand paper removed som of the galvanization, allowing the bare metal to be exposed and form some surface rust.
3. I then used a 50/50 mix of water and white vinegar with a little salt and sprayed it all over the panels.
I set the panels out in the sun for an afternoon to dry out and allow some surface rust to form.
Where the drain cleaner and vinegar pooled up on the ridges completely took off the galvanized finish. You can see this in the photo where I am applying the vinyle sticker.
I thought this step of applying the graphic would be difficult, but it goes pretty smooth if you take your time and follow the right process.
Applying the vinyl stencil
(you can find a lot of video tutorials of applying vinyl stickers on glass on YouTube)
Though this discription makes this step seem long and laborious, it took about 20-30 minutes.
1. If you do the vinyl cut yourself, you will have to remove the positive parts from the sticker. Since it was really cheap to do these at the Fab Lab, I did a few incase I made a mistake--which I did. One thing I learned is: Don't crumble-up or throw out the pieces you are removing! set them aside on the edge of the table or if you have some extra backing paper (from the sticker) place them there. You do this so if you remove the wrong piece you can place it back (and not have to salvage a wrinkled piece that is stuck to several other pieces).
2. Position the graphic on the panel.
3. Tape the sticker vertically down the middle and remove the backing of only half the sticker.
4. Mix a few drops of baby shampoo or dish soap with about 16oz of water (doesn' have to accurate).
5. Using a sponge, moisten the side of the panel that you are going to apply the sticker. Don't get it too wet, or the sticker will have a hard time sticking. (The soapy water allows the sticker to be pulled up and readjusted, if necessary).
6. Lift up the graphic with one hand and using the burnisher or credit card in your other hand, slowing begin to apply the graphic to the surface --ridge by ridge-- starting in the center and workin out. (it may help to have a second person hold the sticker. I did it by myself with a 3 foot sticker).
7. Remove the tape.
8. Fold the other side of the sticker over and remove the backing paper
9. Repeat steps 6 & 7.
10. Once the sticker is completely down, use the burnisher to go over the entire sticker. You don't have to worry about air bubles in the larger areas.
11. Give the wet surface some time to dry. I let mine sit over night (after trying to remove the release paper immediately). If you try to remove the release paper with too wet of a surface, some of the smaller pieces may not stick.
The photo above shows the sticker applied and the release paper removed (again, view some video tutrials on YouTube before doing this). I maked off the rest of the panel.
The photos above and below show the milk paint I used. You can use about any paint. I wanted to have dull, weathered look. The other benefits of milk paint is it dries fast--like in 10 minutes. It's also chalky when dry and will not peel away from edges when removing the stencil like a laytex paint may do.
Milk paint comes in a powder form and you mix the Extra Bond addiditve so the paint will stick to bare metal. This is just needed for the first coat, then you just use straight water for the other coats.
The photos above and below show the fist coat of milk paint with the additive. You don't have to be neat at all -- for all the coats. Just make sure you cover all surfaces.
These detail photos above and below show the effect of using multiple colors (white, orange, and black).
I painted the white on first and then painted a few coats of orange. After it dried I removed the sticker and revieled the logo.
Unfortunately, the orange color I mixed didn't have enough contrast with the weathered galvanized finish. Even though the metal surface looks bright, it's a medium gray. High-contrast colors, like black and bright reds, agreens and blues will make your graphic stand out more.
I thought I was going to have to do another one since I removed the stencil, but since milk paint doesn't stick to metal, I began to add random brushings of thinned black milk paint to the panel. It worked great--sticking to the painted surface, but not to the metal when I wiped it with a cloth. The black also gave a dirty, weathered look to the image that I was wanting.
I used both 100 grit and 220 grit sandpaper to remove some of the layers of paint and have the white paint and steel come through.
I'm really happy with the result and plan to do some variations for our studio and exhibit booth.
I made some smaller stickers to paint the logo on our studio benches. (We have workshops and classes, thus branding helps the experience). Basically the same process, but much simpler since these are just about 8" and there was also no need for water.
I wanted these to look well worn so I sanded off the paint at the edges, and I also sprinkled some instand coffee crystals and then spritzed the surface with water, which created the brown spots.
Then I coated the surface with a waterbase sealer with a matte finish.
