I have to put together a quote for a couple outdoor signs for the local community bank...

Currently, the one I'll be replacing is made from fir or possibly cedar... hard to tell because it's painted and rotted (which leads me to believe it's fir and not cedar)..

The big sign will be about 14-16" high by 96" wide and will be free hanging under an eave.. It will get painted and clear coated... the small sign will be about 12" wide and 18" high and mounted flat on the surface of the building, also painted and clear coated.. Both signs will be exposed to the elements including full south facing mountain sun in the summer, and snow, rain, wind, and sub freezing temps in the winter..

I was originally thinking about using extira, laminating 2 layers of 3/4" material together for a 1.5" thick sign.. But someone told me that their only experience with extira was that it warped on them... This might have been that they had to order an individual sheet from their local yard, and it wasn't shipped/stored in a large stack/pallet like normal... Unfortunately, I'd have to order mine the same way as no one local stocks the stuff...

So now, I'm thinking maybe I should go with a hardwood.. again, maybe laminating two 3/4" layers (with the grain at 90 degrees) together and carving that...

There's also cedar and redwood, but I'm concerned with blowouts carving soft wood.. I've never tried to carve either but I've tried pine carvings, and it seems to chip and blow out easily on my CNC router mill.. Hardwoods carve much cleaner.. And it seems that a composite like extira would carve the best...

Anyways, that's all the background info.. I'm interested in the thoughts , advice, and ideas from those who have done a lot of this sort of stuff...

This is my first sign, it's right in the middle of town and I want to get it right.. As it will be a lasting advertisement for 'me' as well as the bank.. and I want it to speak well of both...

Thanks,
Mark