This was the third custom sign we built for Wayland Industries located in Cudahy, Wisconsin.
We love to start off with pictures and measurements of the wall that we are going to be installing the sign on. This allows us to create a rendering of exactly what the sign will look like on the wall that it will reside on. We mock up the exact size and color so that our customers can see exactly what the size will look like and the exact color. You would be surprised at how many times we have identified a potential issue by doing this. Some cases, our customer has asked for the sign to be resized, either larger or smaller because of the rendering. For the most part, we haven’t had a customer change the color because of the wall color. We always recommend going with a high contrast between the sign and the wall. We also recommend that if we are using double sided tape for the install, that the wall had been painted no less than 7 days prior to install and with a paint that doesn’t have stain resistant elements as they are great for resisting stains, it is also great at making sure the tape doesn’t stick. In cases that we can’t influence the type of paint, we recommend using a stud mount installation. The studs are threaded into the back of the letters and a template that indicated the exact location of the studs so we can drill into the wall. When we use double sided tape, we create a template that shows the exact location of each letter. We cut out the outline for each character, then place level lines across the template so we can ensure that the sign is perfectly level.
This custom acrylic lobby sign started off as a piece of 1/2″ thick, clear acrylic. Running the piece of acrylic through our CNC machine we cut out the sign and drilled out the locations for the studs. When then ran the pieces through a sander to make sure that the edges are nice and crisp. Then to the paint booth. We treated the acrylic with a “prepaint” mixture that makes sure that the paint sticks to the acrylic. Two coats of custom mixed paint, and we have a sign. We allowed the paint to cure for 24 hours before we drilled out the stud holes and tapped the holes. Now we have a custom acrylic lobby wall sign that anyone would be proud of.
When we installed the sign we always use a laser level to mark our level lines and a perfectly perpendicular line. When we did this, we realized that the floor sloped away from the wall. This causes the sign to look like it rises from the right to the left. We even verified the lines against the ceiling. Yup. All square and pump like it should be. Our customer was so happy that they ordered another sign for their California headquarters.
If you happen to need a custom acrylic lobby sign we would love to help you. You can give us a call at 262.289.9481 or email us at info@optimumsignswi.com. We look forward to talking with you and helping you with your project.