SignWeb | signweb.com

(October 2010) posted on Tue Oct 12, 2010

Media 1 creates an EPS sculpture that provides a unique "touch" for a Florida floor-material store.

By Dale Salamacha

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Dale Salamacha is co-owner of Longwood, FL-based Media 1, a sign-fabrication shop, and Wrap This, which specializes in vehicle wraps. His shops have won several awards in ST's Vehicle Graphics and Sign Design Contests.

Flooring America’s owner/operator, Nelson Green, initially contacted our company last year, it was because he wanted a vehicle wrap on his brand new Smart Car. Little did he know that he would receive an even bigger hand from our crew!

He told us the roadside pylon sign at his 16,000-sq.-ft. showroom and warehouse (located on U.S. Hwy 1 in Melbourne, FL, a major thoroughfare) lacked the “punch” Green wanted. After touring our facility, he realized our shop could help change all that.

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Mr. Green asked if we could manufacture a giant hand sculpture that would look like it was holding up his sign. After reviewing drawings he already had designed, we assured him that we could and, after we agreed on a price, we began the process.

First, we surveyed the existing sign. Our VP, Rick Ream, and salesman, Gene Knight, traveled 45 minutes to the client’s location near the beach. Once on site, they took measurements of the sign, pole cover, and the interior framework were made. Since this was a custom application and the sign already existed, very accurate measurements were essential to fitting the new hand within the framework.

Armed with photos and survey measurements, the crew began to devise a plan. We fabricated a 2-in.-thick, aluminum-angle framework that’s identical in dimension to the existing, steel-pylon cage. This allowed a good reference point. We created the cage only to stage fabrication; it would have no role in the final install. Once the cage was built, fabricators mounted it to rolling dollies, which allowed us to move the project more easily around the shop.

To construct the sculpture, we used two, 4 x 8 x 2-ft. and one, 4 x 8 x 1-ft. block of expanded-polystyrene foam (EPS). Fabricators screwed the blocks to the aluminum framework and “glued” them together with Dow Chemical’s EnerFoam spray sealant. At this point, it was time for Media 1’s lead painter, Rene Mendez, to begin his magic.