Anyone laminated 2 sheets of PVC sheet together before? I’ve got a project coming up for a roadside memorial cross. I’d like to laminate 2 pieces of 1/2" thick pvc sheet together for 1" thickness.
It should work ok as long as the mating surfaces are smooth. I edge glued some to get an appropriate width and that worked fine.
Use PVC glue but be fast.
Are you using sheets or the planks you can get which have wood grain on one side?
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I’ll be grabbing a 4x8 sheet which is also smooth one side and wood grain on the other. I’ll either glue together both halves of the sheet for a 4x4 panel. Or cut the cross twice, one with engraving, then glue together. So smooth side on smooth side for the glue. That answers one of my questions. Is PVC primer necessary?
I don’t think the primer is necessary. I didn’t use it when I edge glued mostly because my primer is purple and would have been very apparent. You may want to test with a smaller piece though to see if it works.
The beauty of the PVC glue is that it is fast so you will know right away. That may also be the curse.
I like the idea of cutting and then gluing the pieces together however that will make your positioning much more critical. If you glue the sheets you likely have some fudge factor in there.
I don’t know if you may potentially end up with pockets in there though. For your use case pockets wouldn’t likely be an issue unless they show. Just concerned about how quickly that stuff bonds and if the edges grab before the middle.
You may want to invest in a J roller if you don’t have one. Or find some other way to quickly apply pressure in the middle. By the time you fiddle with clamps it will be too late.
I used this bit when I did PVC and was very happy with the results. I created a nice surface in the pockets. If you are doing only profile cuts it may not matter as much though.
Thanks for all the input!
I think I will have some thru holes to bolt the cross to the post it will be mounted too. I may cut both crosses then use those thru holes and pins to quickly align both crosses for glue.
I thought about possibly not getting good glue contact across the whole surface area if I glue both panels together before cutting. Considering how quick the glue dries.
I have an oflute bit like you suggested that I’ll use for profile cuts and I’ll use a vbit for engraving.
Here’s a rough draft design of what I’m working on.
Plan on the 2 pieces laminated together for the cross. Mounted to a plastic 2x4 cross brace with a half lap joint. Then mounted to a u-post driven into the ground. I will need to paint and seal the engraving. And hoping the rest being made out of PVC with have great weatherproof properties. The cross will be 5 feet tall and will fit diagonal on a 4x4 sheet.
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The pin alignment is a good idea.
I have not tried painting the PVC but others have posted some pretty impressive results.
Thanks. I’ll search some threads and see what I can find about painting. I’m guessing same process as normal. Engrave, seal, paint, seal.
@baricl has some really nice PVC work with painting.
If you are going to laminate anyway, why don’t you cut the vertical and the horizontal (oval and crossbar) separately and then glue them together. That might save you a bit on waste. You can get 1 inch think pvc (but the 4x4 gets pricey) random pvc sheet supplier with 1 inch thick stock
I’ve used PVC glue before to do this. Works great, No Primer is necessary. Just make sure you position correctly because once you touch the two pieces together they will not move. Sets up in just a few seconds and is extremely sturdy. I’ve also used this to glue pieces side by side to make a larger piece. You could glue either flat or wood grain sides together.
Now that I see what you are doing, I think you are over-engineering it. A roadside cross is going to be subject to severities other than weather. You must consider that someone, with maintenance in mind, will be moving it for one reason or another. Then there’s the mowing crews.
My advice is make the cross from painted steel pipe and add the lettering parts to that. At least when “they” break something, you will be easily able to replace it. IMHO.
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I considered the possibility of it needing to be moved and all that. I guess that’s really in the customers hands. He originally wanted a wood cross and I suggested PVC board. Are you suggesting just a steel pipe cross with the PVC cross mounted to that? Or basically just that oval plaque attached to a cross made from pipe?
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Awesome thank you. What’s your process for painting as far as masking and sealing? Your work looks super clean. Are you using oramask?
I have used the Oramask trick for some projects but if the cut is too detailed i found its a pain to remove. And i use contact paper instead of Oramsak, its cheaper. It also makes the cut a little cleaner
As far as painting:
- I use canned Rustoleum spray paint to paint the cut parts. It Doesn’t matter flat or semi gloss but I usually use flat. If there are different colors for different parts of the design i use painters tape to cover the areas one at a time.
- Next I use an old wash cloth or rag and pat on top of the piece to remove as much overspray paint as possible. Then i use a rag with a little mineral spirits to remove a little more of the paint. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Just clean up a little and remove any lines where the tape overlapped.
- Last step is to use a 4 inch foam roller to do the top coat. Don’t put too much paint on the roller and don’t press down too hard or the paint will seep into the cut.
- I then use a heat gun on low setting to dry the top coat a little so i dont have to wait to repaint.
- I apply the second top coat as needed. I don’t use the heat gun to dry the last coat as the paint gives a nicer finish if the paint is left to dry and smooth out naturally.
- Last step is to apply a satin or gloss clear coat.
DONE. This process works out really nice for me. Sounds very time intensive but it really goes pretty quickly
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That sounds pretty straight forward. I guess I was referring more to projects that only have painted engraving. I typically do wood signs with a natural surface. I engrave, seal to prevent bleeding, paint engraving, then sand surface to remove any paint from surface. Then I seal with a clear lacquer.
I’ve tried oramask once with no success, the masking peeled up in areas during cutting.
I use oramask on PVC sheet without any problems. I’ve had stuff outside in Ohio for years without any treatment other than the paint (usually the Rust-Oleum rattle can).
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