Quick Guide to Construction Safety Signs

Specific health and safety laws that concern construction sites in Australia require that people on or near construction sites are warned of all hazardous activities taking place before any construction work begins. Builders and site managers must ensure that an adequate number of general construction safety signs, depending on the size and complexity of the job site, are erected at the workplace. Adhering to the rules and regulations in regards to safety signs will ensure you avoid fines and non-compliance.

To make it easy to identify construction safety signs, there are 4 broad categories:

Mandatory signs
Mandatory construction safety signs indicate that an instruction must be carried out. All mandatory signs can be identified by a blue circle with a white picture within. They are used to designate required safety equipment within a certain area, or to communicate an action that must be carried out. Examples include: ear or eye protection required, hard hat zone, dust mask or respirator required, switch off after use, wash hands, use protective clothing, keep locked etc.

Warning signs
Warning signs are used to warn of a hazard or a hazardous condition that is not likely to be life-threatening. Warning signs can be identified by a yellow background.
Examples include: flammable material, slippery when wet, heavy equipment zone, work overhead, low voltage electricity, asbestos present, falling hazard, toxic vapour present etc.

Danger signs
Danger signs are used to warn of a particular hazard or hazardous condition that is likely to be life-threatening. Signs in this category incorporate the word ‘danger’ in white letters on a red oval shape against a black background.
Examples include: high voltage, radiation present, crane working overhead, deep excavation, asbestos removal process, danger of explosion, confined space etc.

Emergency
Emergency signs are used to indicate the location of, or directions to, emergency-related facilities such as exits, safety equipment or first aid facilities. General emergency information signs can be identified by a green square with white writing or pictures.

Don’t get an unnecessary fine for not displaying adequate safety signage on your job site. Give Mesh Direct a call on 1300 368 978 to see how we can help you with your branded construction safety signs. We print our branded safety signs on corflute which is a hardwearing and waterproof substrate which is ideal for construction safety signs.

• banner design
• Banner Mesh
• branded banners
• building signs
• building site signage
• Building Wraps
• construction advertising
• Construction signage
• construction site safety
• construction site signage
• safety
• Shade Cloth
• Vinyl

Advertise Your Construction Business Effectively

Advertising serves a critical purpose in the construction industry as an integral communication tool which enables your business to productively and effectively compete with others for the attention of your target market. The construction industry is largely dominated by word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing but the need for an external reinforcement is critical in gaining more customers for your business.

Advertising of any sorts should be your primary objective to reach a larger sales audience, and in doing so, adheres to the recognition or product recall of your company. It is important that the message you are conveying in your advertising campaign is clear and informative across all platforms.

Advertising not only invites consumers to evaluate your product or service, but creates an environment in the marketplace for companies to learn of their competitors and plan accordingly to meet sales targets. Competition allows small and new businesses to successfully enter and expand in the marketplace through varying strategies. These strategies are all based on differentiation; showing customers what makes your product or service distinctively better than those offered by your competitors, giving your company a competitive advantage. Having an advantage is the key to greater profitability; when a customer is relying on your services or products they create a higher expectation for your company, convinced that this purchase is the best one for them. With quality products or services and this perception by consumers you are able to enjoy greater repeat sales, expanding your business and cementing a reputable image.

With advances in print technology, alluring graphics and attractive designs to capture the consumer’s eye, industries who choose to advertise on banners, signage or billboards, have an advantage using a budget advertising medium. This yields a high impact result and branding opportunities on a grand scale without the necessity of a monthly maintenance cost. The ultimate advantage of out-of-home advertising is that your signage and brand is exhibited on a large advertising space that appears 24 hours a day to a wide audience.

At Mesh Direct, we are Australia’s leading large format printers supplying the construction and events industry. Specifically, grand format printing has a high visual impact and is an easy way to capture your target audiences attention. Call us today on 1300 368 978 to speak to one of our friendly sales consultants about your next project.

• banner design
• Banner Mesh
• branded banners
• building signs
• building site signage
• Building Wraps
• construction advertising
• Construction signage
• Shade Cloth
• Vinyl

Banner Finishing Options Explained

If you are looking to order a banner it’s important to consider how you would like it to be finished after printing. There are several different finishing options available and deciding which one you need can be confusing if you don’t understand the purpose of each one. Use this guide to help you make a more informed decision.

Grommets
Grommets are rust-proof metal eyelets, which are applied around the edges of the banner after printing to reinforce the banner and allow it to be tied. If you’re going to be hanging the banner on the side of a building, on fencing or between poles, adding grommets will make the process much easier. Use strong rope, twine or even cable ties to ensure that your banner will be secure after hanging. Grommets are punched into a banner 500mm apart at the top of the banner and every 1000mm apart at the bottom of the banner. This distributes the banner’s weight and helps to keep the banner from sagging. Grommets are commonly used as a finishing for banners used on temporary fencing. The required tension can be gained for the banner to be wrinkle free which is best achieved using heavy duty plastic cable ties. Remember to match the colour of the cable ties to your banner or use clear ones, and trim the ends once tightened.

Finishing your banners with grommets is our standard practice so please let us know if you want to attach your banner in another way.

Nylon Seat Belt Supertuff® Webbing
Nylon webbing reinforcement is welded to the edge of the banner to provide extra durability in outdoor conditions. The edges of the banner are finished with Supertuff® seat belt style webbing providing an extremely durable, large format sign. Welding PVC coated webbing to the back edges of a banner provides numerous advantages; increased tensile strength; more structural stiffness to prevent curling; stronger grommet mounting; and the ‘trim-to-edge’ method removes the need for fold-over hems. Supertuff® seat belt style webbing provides a superior quality finishing which in incomparable to many of our competitors. This comes with all our premium mesh products as standard.

Kedar Edging
Kedar edging with sail track is commonly used for vinyl banners and is ideal for affixing banners to walls or hoarding. ‘Kedar’ rope is welded to the banner edge and the rope is inserted into sail track made specifically for this type of edging. This method of stretching banners to create a smooth, fully taught low-glare surface works wonderfully on most flat and slightly curved surfaces. Sail track is often used for banner mounting to walls and is the accepted norm for mounting to large billboards and wooden hoardings.

Pole Pockets
If you are looking to display your banner using poles, you’ll most likely need pole pockets. Pole pockets can be added to any side of the banner. The banner material is folded over the back side of the banner, similar to hems, but enough room left for a pole to go through the pocket. Pole pockets allow for rigid poles to be inserted along the edges of the banner. This allows for a more even distribution of the banner’s weight to prevent sagging. Opposing pole pockets can also be used to make the banner more rigid.

Wind Slits
Banners that are mounted outdoors in very windy areas benefit from the addition of wind slits. These are horseshoe shaped flaps cut into blank areas of the banner, which allow wind to pass through, reducing tension and possible deterioration of the banner. Wind ‘holes’ in large banners are required when the banner is exposed to wind on both sides. A banner is like a large sail in the wind and can generate huge pressure and tension on banner fixtures and fittings. Best to cut ‘V’ or ‘U’ shapes in the banner so when there is no wind, the ‘flap’ is left down to expose the image on the banner. The ‘V’ or ‘U’ cut is preferred to a small cut-out hole as they sit flat when the wind is not strong.

Hemmed Edges
Hemmed edges are typically used to reinforce the sides of banners, helping to maintain the banner’s shape and prevent stretching.

Button Hole Eyelets
Reinforced knitted, ‘button-hole’ eyelets are built in to the top and bottom edges of shade cloth. Button hole eyelets provide premium strength and a neat looking installation for shade cloth banners. We recommend using cable ties to attach your printed shade cloth to your temporary fence.

Banner Tape
Banner tape is a single sided tape which is welded onto the edges of banners. It is used to provide reinforcement for the edges and grommets. We use banner tape on our standard banner mesh and many of our competition use to finish their premium banners. When making a decision about your banner mesh, consider how long it is going to be on the fence. On banners finished with banner tape, the grommets can pull through in strong winds which can cause the banner to sag, or in some cases rip. Banner tape is inexpensive and is not labour intensive. The tape is used on banners to add strength along the edge without the need to sew the hems.

Folded Edge
In cases where budget is a consideration, banner mesh can be finished with a folded edge. Approximately 4cm of the edge is doubled over and welded to itself. It is the least effective edge finishing. We strongly urge not to use this edging method in high wind areas or when the mesh needs to be in place for long periods. There is a strong likelihood of grommets coming away from the edging.

Mesh Direct offers a full range of finishes and we are market leaders in providing the most durable mesh on the market with our premium banner mesh. With us you will get super strong banners which can withstand harsh Australian environmental conditions. The banner finishing techniques available at Mesh Direct give banners a clean, sharp look and provide a superior quality in comparison to many of our competitors.

Call 1300 368 978 for any further enquiries about our quality finishing or to get a quote for your next banner.

• banner care
• banner finishing options
• Banner Mesh
• banner strength
• branded banners
• building signs
• building site signage
• Building Wraps
• construction advertising
• Construction signage
• Shade Cloth

Product Videos – Shade Cloth, Banner Mesh & Vinyl

Take a look at our new product videos that were created to provide our client base with some quick facts about each substrate available at Mesh Direct.

Shade Cloth/Scrim

Premium Banner Mesh

Standard Banner Mesh

Vinyl Banners

Corflute

• Banner Mesh
• Corflute
• Shade Cloth
• Vinyl

5 Tips to Ensure a Perfect Banner Installation on Temporary Fencing

Your beautifully printed banner mesh has cost you a bit of money but is now all set to repay you in conveying your message –  you just need to install it. Installing banners on fencing is usually a fairly simple task if you know some basic tips and the cornerstone of those tips is tension. A banner that is crooked, sagging or flapping in the breeze can be more damaging than helpful, displaying a lack of care and sloppiness.

Here are some simple tips to ensure you get the best visual result from your next installation:

1. Purchase the correct substrate and size for your project.  We recommend you always leave some space between the height of the fence and the vertical banner dimension. Our knowledgeable sales consultants will guide you to pick an ideal size and substrate depending on various factors such as wind load, size of fencing, how long you would like to use the banner for etc.
2. Plan the installation when you can have someone else to help you and weather conditions are favourable.
3. Use the correct installation method. Cable ties should be interlaced through the grommets and fencing.
4. The banner should be tightened to the perfect tension ensuring your message displays on a flat canvas
5. Maintain your banner by regularly checking the tension and making any adjustments as necessary.

This is a great time-lapse video showcasing the installation of a mesh banner at Leichhardt Park Aquatic Centre in Sydney’s Inner West.

At Mesh Direct, we can provide a professional installer to do the job for you if you prefer. Please see our installation service page for more details or contact us on 1300 368 978 or visit www.meshdirect.com.au/get-a-quote/.

• banner design
• Banner Mesh
• branded banners
• Building
• building signs
• building site signage
• Building Wraps
• Construction
• construction advertising
• Construction signage
• Corflute
• Corflute Signage
• Events
• installation
• Premium Banner Mesh
• Real Estate
• Shade Cloth
• Signage
• Standard Banner Mesh
• Temporary fencing

[Latest Work] Eight Development Project

Here is a sneak peak at one of our latest projects for a development project.

Mesh Direct worked alongside the construction design agency, Grenade, to provide a brand solution for the Eight development in Maribyrnong, Victoria.

The project brief included the skinning of a double stack container with vinyl banners, mesh banners for temporary fencing and vinyl banners on sail track.

Thank you to Magnify Installations in Melbourne for a fantastic installation.

• Banner Mesh
• Building
• Construction
• Corflute Signage
• Premium Banner Mesh
• Real Estate
• Shade Cloth
• Signage
• Standard Banner Mesh
• Temporary fencing
• Vinyl

Facts you need to know when choosing the ideal temporary fencing cover

Temporary fencing provides the ideal blank canvas to promote your business with the use of a printed banner. However, choosing a printed banner material can be baffling for some. Subtle differences between individual banner materials give a measurable variance to the finished printed product, impacting aesthetic appearance and durability.

So, which temporary fencing cover is ideal for your next project?
Here are some quick facts to get you on the right track when choosing a temporary fence fabric.

Shade Cloth

• Only available in 50m rolls 1.8m high
• Perfect for tight budgets
• Used widely for events
• Excellent for long runs
• Very porous, so good for wind-flow but not great for image reproduction
• Comes with inbuilt button eyelets, ensuring an easy install
• Available in partial print (white background) making it cheaper
• Recommended for logos and minimal text

Positives: Low price and lightweight.

Negatives: Single use, needs care to maintain good presentation, can look sloppy if not installed properly, can’t be well tensioned, only available in 50m rolls.

View our 2 minute video blog here about shade cloth.

Standard Banner Mesh

• Only available in 50m rolls 1.6m high
• Very good image reproduction
• 9 threads per inch – ideal for windy areas
• 1.6m height allows for tensioning on temporary fences
• Stiffer structure means it always presents a flat canvas
• Good for reuse and can be cut straight without fraying (unlike shade cloth)
• Comes with supertuff reinforced webbing on edges
• Rust resistant grommet eyelets
• We recommend for upmarket logo display and images

Positives: Outstanding price to print quality ratio, structured product which can be tensioned and displays well, durable and reusable, good for windy areas.

Negatives: More expensive than shade cloth, image reproduction is not as good as premium mesh, only available in 50m rolls.

View our 2 minute video blog here about standard banner mesh.

Premium Banner Mesh

• Available in any size you desire – literally
• In rolls it can be ordered in 50m by either 1.6m or 1.8m
• 12 threads per inch – decent wind-flow but not recommended for extremely windy areas
• Fantastic image reproduction
• Good for reuse and can be cut straight without fraying (unlike shade cloth)
• Comes with supertuff reinforced webbing on edges
• Rust resistant grommet eyelets
• 1.6 height allows for tensioning on temporary fencing
• Stiffer structure means it always presents a flat canvas
• We recommend for high visual impact and proximate traffic

Positives: Without a doubt, a premium product for brands that want to portray the highest quality. Fantastic photo quality reproduction that still allows wind-flow, reusable and durable, comes in any size from 0.5m to 30m.

Negatives: More expensive than other substrates, not as good for wind-flow so not recommended for extremely windy areas.

View our 2 minute video blog here about premium banner mesh.

If you would like to talk to one of our helpful team members about choosing your next temporary fencing cover, don’t hesitate to call us on 1300 368 978.

• Banner Mesh
• Premium Banner Mesh
• Shade Cloth
• Standard Banner Mesh
• Temporary fencing

Which grand format print solution is best for my building site or outdoor event?

With advances in print technology and substrates the construction and event industries have been taking advantage of free advertising and branding opportunities on a grand scale. Building signage and outdoor event banners have been growing steadily in popularity as marketers look for cost effective ways of spreading their message.

Construction sites and property subdivisions need to have erected fence panels around their sites for security and dust protection. The fences tend to border roads giving great exposure to passing motorists and pedestrians. Organisers of musical events and sporting events also need erect temporary fencing for security and crowd control creating huge canvases for advertising their own or other brands.

Fence Advertising and Building Site Signs represent fantastic value for money branding opportunities. These days printing is not expensive, certainly not compared to other ways of spending marketing dollars to build brand recognition. Banner mesh, printed shade cloth and vinyl banners all offer different solutions and varying aesthetic results.

So, which printed banner material is right for your project?
With a variety of printed banner materials available, a little product knowledge and consideration of the key selection criteria of cost, print quality, longevity and durability can assist you to select a printed banner material that is ideal for your brief.

PRINTED SHADECLOTH
Printed shade cloth is a budget solution which yields a high impact result. Shade cloth is a permeable substrate which allows wind to easily pass through. It is made from knotted monofilament high-density polyethylene which makes it a strong and durable substrate. Otherwise known as scrim, fence mesh or fence fabric signage is attached to scaffolding, temporary fences, chain wire fences or building facades. Shade cloth provides a good print quality whilst allowing wind flow with an expected lifespan of 12-24 months if handled and installed correctly.

Printed shade cloth is ideal for printing logos and text or block colours. Plain writing on a single coloured background works best. This type of scrim can make colours look washed out. The mesh material is very porous so imagine that you are printing on 50% material – 50% air. Black can look grey, dark blue will look mid blue. It is not recommended to print intricate images, logos or photographs as they do not reproduce well.

Shade cloth can be re-used but it can look a little tired if not installed properly and tensioned. It is possible to wash any dirt off with water although care must be taken not to use high pressure cleaners too closely as it may remove the inks.

The disadvantages of shade cloth are that the design really needs to good to make the brand or message jump off the substrate.. It does need very good installation and maintenance if is to look good as it can tend to get a little loose and billowy. Shade cloth only comes in 50m rolls at 1.8 high.

BANNER MESH
Banner mesh is the most popular product used within the printed banner industry with its high print quality and durability. It is less permeable than shade cloth and delivers great print reproduction whilst allowing for wind flow. Printed banner mesh, also known as PVC-coated mesh, fence fabric, mesh banner and shade mesh is a versatile substrate which can be used on temporary fences, scaffolding, cyclone fences, billboards, wooden hoarding, containers and just about any application. The PVC coating allows the inks to be very well absorbed. Banner mesh has a guaranteed lifespan of 12 months although it is not uncommon to get up to 5 years use from banners. Like shade cloth, banner mesh is easy to install with cable ties. New nylon supertuff seatbelt style webbing ensures banner mesh is durable and can withstand heavy winds without tearing.
At Mesh Direct generally sell two types of PVC mesh banner, our budget solution which is 9 threads per inch, and our premium solution which is 12 threads per inch. High wind-load and fire rated mesh is also available.

Budget mesh is terrific substrate for photo quality image reproduction at an economical price. It is priced just slightly more than shade cloth and the print result is a great deal better. 9 by 9 banner mesh is also finished with supertuff webbing on the edges.

VINYL BANNERS
Vinyl banners, otherwise known as PVC banners produce a photo quality print result with its non porous solution. This has its advantages in the fantastic print reproduction but can limit the size of the vinyl banner because of stress loads from wind. Vinyl banners are ideal for building sites and in particular timber hoardings.

*NEW* POLY MESH BANNERS
Poly mesh banners deliver a high quality print result at a low cost which is ideal for festivals and events. Poly mesh banners are the best printed banner solution for short term purposes as its lifespan is the lowest of all printed banner materials available at Mesh Direct.

ABOUT MESH DIRECT
At Mesh Direct we are a truly national business delivering all over Australia. All our products are printed in Australia using the finest substrate and inks on the market. Please give us a call on 1300 368 798 for a no obligation quotation for your next project.

• banner design
• Banner Mesh
• branded banners
• building signs
• building site signage
• Building Wraps
• construction advertising
• Construction signage
• grand format printing
• Large scale projects
• outdoor signage
• Shade Cloth
• Vinyl