What materials work best for an outdoor message board?

May 17, 2021 12:37 PM

I've been tasked with updating an outdoor message board (similar to this one), and I have some questions.

I've got a handle on the content and messaging, but I've got concerns about which materials would be most enduring. The contents would be protected from wind and rain, but will be exposed to sunlight and UV radiation on a daily basis. What materials would resist fading and look "fresh" for the longest?

posted by grateful to Grab Bag (3 answers total)

I don't know about 'best' but about 15 years ago an organization I was involved updated (well in the end basically replaced) something very similar.

We went with something that looks very much like your ULINE example with 2 caveats:

• Before the new display was installed we took the plexus glass to a window shop and a UV resistant film applied to the inside surface. Made it a bit reflective from a distance in direct sun but everything kept from fading much longer
• We instituted a policy that everything posted had to be laminated. Wet humid winters are hard on outdoor paper products but this helped, as did a little scotch tape over the staples when posting new notices.

posted by mce at 2:07 PM on May 17, 2021 [3 favorites]

Black lazer printing being carbon black and a binder is essentially fade proof.
posted by Mitheral at 7:32 PM on May 17, 2021

Rite in the Rain is a standard brand for water-resistant field notebooks, and they also make printer paper.
posted by momus_window at 11:23 AM on May 18, 2021