We've all seen it: exterior business signs with cracked, peeling, or worse "burned" lettering and graphics. As a business owner, it may seem you are replacing your sign faces constantly?
Why is this? Well, to start with, vinyl lettering (and vinyl printing) is the "Base" level of sign graphics quality that most sign shops fabricate. Even within this level, there are various other levels of quality as well. For instance, most sign vinyl is either "intermediate" or "high-performance" (there are lower levels of quality, like "removable" or "short-term" but these are not suitable for outdoor display). "Intermediate" vinyl is usually only suitable for 4 - 6 years in outside display.
"High-performance" vinyl can last anywhere from 6 - 10 years in the elements. A lot of factors will also influence this, such as weather, sun direction, and pollution. You may have noticed double-side exterior signs where one side is cracked and peeling, and the other looks still serviceable. This is most likely because the bad side is facing south (in the Northern Hemisphere), so it's receiving the most sun consistently. Another factor that can influence sign vinyl aging is overlaminate. It is industry practice to seal any printed vinyl with a UV resistant clearcoat. Without this UV protection, printed vinyl signs will not last more than two years. You've probably seen signs like this, where the image looks "burned". This is a sure sign that the sign shop either forgot, or worse skimped on the UV resistant clearcoat. Just as a note, cut vinyl lettering does not need a UV clearcoat, as the colors are actually homologated into the vinyl itself, not printed on it. So if you want sign faces that last longer than 4 - 10 years, what is a viable solution? Well, the next step up would be dimensional signage. These can come in many different styles, such cut acrylic / formed plastic lettering, cast metal / cut metal / fabricated metal letters, and sandblasted / routed / carved HDU signs. These types of signs can last longer than 10 years, and some even come with lifetime warranties!
Feel free to ask for a complimentary consultation with a Big Easy Signs rep, and we'll be happy to explain your options!
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