Save Our Sign – Kona Impact Refreshes Palamanui Sign

Old Palamanui Sign
Refreshed Palamanui Sign

Nothing last forever is something we say a lot in our sign business. We often get asked, “how long will it last?” and our answer is always, “it depends”. A South-facing sing get pummeled by the sun’s UV rays almost all day, and East- and West-facing signs get partial day direct sun. A North-facing sign is ideal, as it’s likely to get no direct sun.

In addition to sun, we have wind, salty air and heat. All affect the life of a sign.

Ths Palamanui sign, just North of the airport on the mauka side of the highway has been up for over ten years. While we did not make the original sign, we were somewhat impressed by the relatively decent appearance of it after such a long time in the elements, especially the parts made of wood (almost always a bad choice for signs) and the cut vinyl Ohia flower.

Kona Impact was tasked with refreshing the sign, which basically meant removing it, lots of sanding and crack filling, with several coats of paint and fixing some of the broken letters. We then made stencils for the Ohia flower and the text and hand-painted the details on them.