By RT Signs
Posted on Monday, April 27th, 2026
We did this sign for a local family dairy farm. They provided the copy and said they wanted a picture of one of their favorite cows and one of their dogs on the sign. Their heritage is also important to them so they wanted the symbols of the countries where they came from, plus Canada, included.
Materials:
Sign:
Two partial 4-by-8-ft. sheets of 6mm aluminum composite material: $372
31 sq. ft. 3551 Oracal film with 290 Oracal laminate: $338
Epoxy for mounting banner: $28
Frame:
Two 12-ft. and one 8-ft. 6×6 cedar tone posts: $138
Three 2-by-4s, 8-ft. long: $22
Stain: $110
Steel brackets, hardware: $28
Total materials: $1036
Labor:
Consult/design: 9 hours
Prep files to print and laminate: 30 minutes
Fabricate sign panel: 2 hrs. 30 min.
Build frame: 3 hrs. 15 min.
Stain frame: 1 hr. 30 min.
Build/paint steel brackets: 1 hr.
Drill/bond studs: 1 hr. 30 min.
Load/prep for install: 45 min.
Install: 4 hours
Total time: 24 hours
We have been using 6mm aluminum composite material [ACM] quite a bit for signs like this, instead of plywood. We feel it is a superior product and 6mm thickness provides more rigidity than the 3mm ACM.
We had a friend/customer drill the holes using his skidsteer loader with a post hole auger, which made the installation a little easier.
When more than one person is involved with a certain step on a project, it goes much faster. But it’s important to remember that the total man hours are adding up.
Ralph Toews’ shop, RT Signs, is in Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada.
This appeared in the September/October 2015 issue of SignCraft. While the prices have been adjusted for inflation as of 2026, they may not accurately reflect current pricing for such signage.
Consult/illustrate/design sign: 9 hours
The client wanted images of one of their favorite cows and one of their dogs on the sign, as well as symbols that represented their heritage.
Cutout panel and sand: 50 minutes
We prefer 6mm aluminum composite material over overlaid plywood for signs like these.
Apply and trim prints: 40 minutes
The prints were done on Oracal 3551 film, then laminated with Oracal 290 laminate
Bond banner on spacer strips to sign panel: 1 hour
We cut and sanded strips of the ACM to serve as spacers for the banner panel, then bonded them to the face with epoxy.
Mount studs: 45 minutes
Threaded studs with pad mounts were bonded to the sign face with epoxy.
Build and stain frame: 4 hours 45 minutes
6-by-6-in. cedar tone pressure-treated timbers were used to build the mounting for the sign.
Load and install: 4 hours 45 minutes
It took about 45 minutes to load the sign and supplies, then about four hours to do the installation, including travel.
