The process of getting your commercial sign installation completed can take a surprising amount of time, effort, and planning. In fact, some very common situations absolutely blindside business owners looking for exterior signage.
In this article, the experts from Flexlume share the biggest surprises that business owners experience throughout their commercial sign or lighting installation. Knowing these factors will help you be prepared, which will make the whole process smoother and stress-free.
#1 Start With Your Strategy
At the very beginning of the planning stages for your commercial sign installation, you need to determine your exterior signage specifications - how tall, how wide, how high off the ground, and what type of sign. There is a sea of options, so the best way to answer that question is with a principled strategy:
You want to maximize your visual footprint. This will give you the most possible impact on viewers, and give them the most possible time to read, consider, and act on your sign’s message.
The only question here becomes, what’s the most square footage of signage you can get away with? There are three limiting factors that decide what’s possible: the law, practicality, and cost. You can get those answers by working with the professionals at your local outdoor sign company.
#2 Electrical Power Requirements
The next big shocker in the world of commercial sign installation is the industrial scale of commercial lighting requirements. Most signs are illuminated, but the amount of power needed for your sign will depend on how much lighting you have. Standard-sized lighted channel letter signs or a backlit cabinet sign will usually need one 20-amp circuit to be connected. However, these factors may demand more electricity:
- Your sign is much larger than average
- Exceptional amounts of exterior signage lighting
- You opt for a digital message center
Also keep in mind that your sign will need to be physically connected to the power grid, so the electrical work will extend beyond the sign itself.
Beyond the installation expenses, the monthly electricity bill will also be higher for digital message centers and larger signs with greater lighting requirements. This is one factor of your commercial sign installation that will extend beyond your signage budget to your operating budget.
#3 Supporting Structures
Another factor that’s easily overlooked in commercial sign installation is the hardware needed to attach your sign. If you want your sign up in the sky, then you also need to put it on a pylon or pole. Want your sign mounted on the wall? Then remember that the installation team needs access to any areas where connections need to be made.
As your sign gets larger in size, the materials and labor needed to mount that sign increase, too. Heavy signs may need structural steel, and the accompanying backer boards might need additional bracing. At a certain size, sheer practicality is limited by supporting structure requirements.
#4 Installation Logistics
The location of your sign will greatly affect the logistics and the timing of commercial sign installation. Consider the following questions:
- Will technicians need a ladder, bucket truck, or crane to access the area?
- Will traffic be disrupted during the installation process?
- Will the area need to be cordoned off?
- Will traffic need to be redirected (and will that require municipal partnership)?
The answers to these questions will affect how long the installation will take, and how much the whole process will cost. Understanding the timing of installation is important because some people will be turned away when they see the construction in process. It is wise to plan this work so that it doesn’t interfere with your peak business seasons.
Get Professional Support
Once you decide that you want to give your business the long-term boost that commercial signage provides, the next step is to speak with an outdoor lighted sign company. You can learn more about Flexlume’s commercial sign and lighting installation on our signage solutions page, or you can reach out to us directly here.