Whether you need a sign to tell guests to take their shoes off before getting aboard, which way the bathroom is, what dock they’re on, or when happy hour starts, you’ll find you’ve got lots of choices. Messages can be printed, painted, adhered or carved on placards made of metal, plastic, wood or a variety of other materials.
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Is King ColorCore the Right Material for Your Outdoor Signage?
Among those many choices is a relatively new option: high-density polyethylene (HDPE) sheets with layers of contrasting colors. Your text and/or artwork is “engraved” by machining away the first layer of color to expose the contrasting second layer. The best known of these sheet materials is King ColoCore, made by the same company that makes the Starboard HDPE sheeting that is so widely used in the marine industry.
In many ways, this is an excellent option for outdoor signage, but it’s not necessarily right for every application. Let’s take a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of ColorCore HDPE signage in relation to other sign materials.
Longevity
The primary advantage of HDPE ColorCore signs is longevity. Like its close cousin, Starboard, ColorCore is virtually impervious to environmental factors. It will never rot like wood, corrode like metal or delaminate like fiberglass. And because text and artwork is engraved into the surface, it will never fade or wear like paint, printing ink or decals.
ColorCore signage is also essentially maintenance-free, requiring no sanding, sealing, re-staining, re-painting, rust stain removal or anything else. At most, you may need to hose it off every once in a while if a sign gets visibly dirty.
It will never rot like wood, corrode like metal or delaminate like fiberglass.
Color and Design Possibilities
ColorCore engraved signage is best for text and relatively simple artwork. Sheets are available in a number of color combinations, but each includes only two colors: a thin layer of one color on each surface and a thicker “core” of a contrasting color. White/Black/White ColorCore, for example, has a black core sandwiched between two thin layers of white.
Text engraved on it will be black against a white background. The result is that engraved ColorCore signs can have only two colors: a background color and a “text” color. Painted and printed signs don’t share this limitation.
Likewise, ColorCore doesn’t lend itself to complicated artwork. Although it’s certainly possible to engrave complex designs into ColorCore with a CNC machine, the time involved can make the process expensive. For certain applications, the added longevity may justify the higher cost, but generally speaking, if you want to add involved artwork to your sign, painting or printing will be a better choice than engraving.
Weight and Rigidity
Compared to plywood of equivalent thickness, HDPE sheeting like ColorCore is both heavier and less rigid.
That makes little or no difference for smaller signs, but for large signs, ColorCore may need more support than plywood to prevent bending or sagging.
It’s not as easy to make a direct comparison between HDPE and sheet metal, since metal signs vary widely in both composition and thickness.
Cost
ColorCore signage is a relatively expensive choice, but, especially for commercial use like marinas, its increased longevity and reduced maintenance costs can quickly offset the higher initial cost.
Remember, the true cost of signage includes not just the purchase price, but also the cost of required upkeep, like sealing, staining and repainting.
Custom Signs from Boat Outfitters
The longevity and low-maintenance nature of Engraved ColorCore HDPE signs makes them ideal for marinas, charter boats and similar marine-industry businesses as well as for private docks and waterfronts. Boat Outfitters offers several pre-designed signs for just those purposes, including Coast Guard documentation boards, slip number signs, directional dock signs, gas dock signs and boarding instructions signs.
If none of those fit your needs, though, Boat Outfitters can quickly produce custom ColorCore signs with your text, artwork and dimensions. Please give us a call for custom orders.