Commercial Signage: A Lesson In Lettering

We were recently approached by an apartment complex to install and replace the exterior lettering, spelling out the name and street number of the complex. What we noticed during the site inspection was that the previously selected lettering was not suitable for exterior use! The old lettering was Styrene mounted to a foam backing. While this may have been appropriate as a cost effective alternative to acrylic or pvc dimensional lettering for interior use, this type of lettering is not suited for outdoor use. These products do not hold up well when exposed to the outdoor elements and are not suitable for the exterior of a building.

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We observed that over the years the styrene had separated from the foam, and while several attempts to extend the life of the lettering had occurred, including glue, duct tape and other similar stop-gap measures, the original materials should never have been proposed for exterior use in the first place. The lesson here is that the sign company you are working with needs to be knowledgeable enough to guide you regarding material selection. As is true in most things, it is important to use the right materials for the job and to extend the life of the sign by selecting materials accordingly. It’s far better to pick the appropriate materials in the first place than to have to replace the sign prematurely. Question: Why buy the sign twice?