Cheap Exterior Wall Signs

As you scroll down the page, you'll learn more about foam lettering. We've also included "how-to" painting and installation instructions near the bottom of this page.cxzzxc

Foam signage letters.

For business owners and organizations in need of an exterior business wall or storefront sign, our foam sign letters are a more cost-effective option. Our prices are up to 30% lower than those of our competitors. We sell painted letters that are ready to install when you receive them, and unpainted sign letters for those who prefer to paint them themselves.

After they are painted with quality exterior latex primer and paint, our foam sign lettering can be installed indoors or outdoors. Other online retailers offer painted foam lettering, but keep in mind that not all foam letters are suitable for outdoor sign use. If you decide to purchase your lettering from another online vendor, be sure to inquire whether the lettering can be used for long-term exterior signage.

We've been selling foam sign lettering online since 2008, but we've been making and installing them for many years before that. Years ago, many convenience stores used foam signs to advertise (milk, bread, ice, etc.). They were used both inside the store, above the glass cooler doors, and on the exterior storefront. This type of sign lettering was also used for indoor mall signs and exterior strip mall signage.

Benefits of using foam signage lettering.

To our knowledge, our foam sign letters are currently the least expensive long-term-use exterior sign letters available.
Our 12-inch painted foam letters are only $9.99 each. If you buy them elsewhere, they can cost as much as $16 per letter/number.

The lowest possible price

Expanded polystyrene lettering is water-resistant. Our outdoor foam sign lettering will last for years when installed on exterior walls. Expanded polystyrene is lightweight and very durable once installed.

Virtually anyone can paint foam sign letters; you will need a small paint brush, a mini roller,and a paint pan. 
(See how to paint foam lettering.)

Our wall lettering can be installed using silicone adhesive; no nails, screws, hammers, or drills are needed, unlike more expensive stud-mounted plastic and metal wall lettering that may require drilling holes into the wall surface.
(How to install foam lettering)

Durability

Easy to paint

Easy to install

All Pro foam sign letters more than 20 years old.

We provided the proprietor of All-Pro Automotive with a new set of foam sign letters .

According to the business owner, the foam letters on the front of the building have been there for almost 25 years.

We're not sure how frequently they repainted the lettering over the years, and we didn't install the original set of foam lettering.

Like any painted surface, we recommend checking the lettering every few years to make sure the lettering is still in good shape.

The lettering can last for many years as long as you maintain them.

We manufacture our lettering from 1"-thick Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) sheeting. Most people know this material as Styrofoam. Even our customers mistakenly refer to our lettering as Styrofoam letters.

Because EPS foam is lightweight, it can be installed on your building using silicone adhesive only.

EPS material is durable even when exposed to harsh elements when primed, painted, and installed.

You can find out just how resilient this material is by searching "How long does EPS foam last?" The real key is using quality exterior primer and paint.

EPS foam is used to make the vast majority of foam lettering that is currently sold online. Many vendors sell expanded polystyrene lettering as Styrofoam letters.

Among many other uses, this type of foam is also applied to a wide range of construction projects, including roofing, wall insulation, floating docks, and road building, etc.

Foam lettering material.

Affordable long-term building signage.

Our outdoor sign letters are specifically tailored for small business owners who are on a tight budget or are in the early stages of establishing their businesses. We provide affordable exterior wall/storefront signage at a price that can't be beaten.

Installing exterior wall sign letters is a breeze, requiring minimal effort and time. Our foam sign lettering can be installed using silicone adhesive only. Our foam lettering will withstand the test of time, remaining intact for years to come, even in the harshest of weather conditions.

The least expensive storefront wall signage you'll find that lasts for years when installed on the exterior of your building.
Why buy a sign banner that will only last a few months when you can purchase 3-D wall sign letters for the same price or less?

Foam sign letters for outdoor wall signs

The park manager painted and installed the RV & MHP sign lettering, despite never having installed signage before. About 75% of our customers purchase our unpainted foam lettering to paint them.

Many of our customers send us pictures of their before-and-after signs.We offer a 10% discount to any customer who sends us a picture or two after they finish their sign.

For less than $200.00 plus shipping, you can get 20 pre-painted, 1-foot tall sign letters ready to install. Just purchase your silicone adhesive, which is available at your local hardware store.

Church sign letters

The True Light church sign was installed by the pastor years ago. He purchased our painted lettering.

We spoke to the pastor approximately 10 years after he installed the foam lettering, and he stated that the letters were in good shape after more than a decade.

The small ledge that covers the lettering contributed to the longevity of the lettering.

Why don't sign shops sell foam sign lettering for use on outdoor wall signs?

As discussed earlier, sign shops do not typically offer foam lettering for exterior building signs. There are many different explanations; we'll review a few of them.

Some sign shops familiar with EPS lettering and aware of its durability do not offer painted foam sign letters due to the low-profit margin; instead, they prefer to sell the more expensive plastic, channel, and metal lettering options because of their higher margins. If they offered the less expensive sign lettering, many of their customers would choose the lower priced lettering.

Most of the proprietors of today's sign shops were not in the sign business during the 1970s through the 1990s, when EPS foam lettering was the most widely utilized for exterior signage, and therefore have little to no experience or knowledge regarding EPS exterior use or its durability when used as outdoor wall signage.

Many sign shops do not manufacture any outdoor 3D (raised) sign lettering; instead, they buy the lettering from a wholesaler, mark up the price, and then drop ship the lettering to their customers. You can still find sign shops and online merchants selling EPS foam letters for signs; however, they can be quite pricey and are typically only sold for use on signs installed indoors.

Another reason sign shops and online sign lettering distributors do not offer foam sign lettering for exterior use is that the lettering must be primed and painted before it can be used for outdoor signs.

How paint foam sign letters for exterior wall signs

You will need a mini paint roller and a small brush. You can use a larger roller and brush to paint the letters, but we find it a lot easier to use the small brush and roller. You can purchase a mini paint roller and brush at virtually any hardware store.

Do not use Spray paints

Small brush, roller and paint tray

No need to paint the back
if using them for wall signs

Choosing the right paint

Choosing the right paint is crucial; oil-based and solvent-based spray paints cannot be used to paint foam (EPS) sign lettering. If you are using your sign lettering for long-term outdoor building wall signs, the quality of the paint matters.

Although quality paints are more expensive, they typically require fewer coats, are easier to apply, and last longer outdoors than the less expensive paints. If you only need your sign to last a couple of years, you can use most any inexpensive exterior latex paint.

When painting sign letters that will be used for exterior storefront signage or any other outdoor wall sign, you should prime the letters before painting them. Use a quality exterior latex primer. A primer coat shouldn't be necessary if your outdoor wall sign will only be used for a year or two.

If you're using the lettering for indoor signs, you do not need a primer coat, and you can use interior or exterior paint. Interior paint is typically a little cheaper than exterior paint. However, do not use interior paint for exterior sign letters. Interior paint will not hold up outdoors.

When you're ready to begin the painting process, lay your lettering out on wax paper, cardboard, or almost any flat surface. Using a 1-inch brush, paint the inside corners and hard-to-reach areas of the letter first. Then use the mini 3-inch paint roller to paint the sides of the letter.

After you have finished the sides, lay the letter on your flat surface and roll out the face (front) of the letter. Once you're finished painting the lettering with the primer coat, allow them to dry before repeating the process using the exterior paint.
Be sure to allow the letters to dry before applying each coat.

The number of coats you apply will depend on the quality of paint you choose. One coat of primer and two coats of exterior paint should be sufficient if you are using high-quality primer and paint. If you choose to use a lower - quality paint, you may need to apply additional coats.

Mounting foam sign lettering

Anyone with some knowledge of basic carpentry techniques and the ability to use a tape measure should be able to install this kind of lettering easily.

An elementary example: Imagine that you have a large picture that is 5 feet wide that you want to hang on your wall, centered between the two columns. The space available between the columns is 7 feet wide. That means you will have one foot of space on each side after you hang the picture.

The same principle applies when installing a large sign: if you know your sign's width and your wall's width, you can easily center the sign.

Example install: Consider that your storefront building wall is 40 feet long, and the sign you already laid out and pre-spaced is 15 feet long. If you want your storefront sign centered on your building wall, you will subtract the length of your pre-spaced sign letters (15 ft ) from your wall length ( 40 ft ), leaving you with 25 ft of remaining wall space.

Now divide the 25 feet of leftover wall space by 2 = 12.5, and install your first letter 12.5 feet from the end of the building. After you install the last letter, it will end 12.5 feet from the other end of your wall, and the sign will be centered.

The storefront was approx 20 ft wide

The lettering measured approx 14 ft wide

Install the first letter 3 ft from the end

Continue Installing one letter at a time, making sure they are spaced the same distance apart.

After you install the last letter, there will be 3 feet left over on the other end of the storefront.

No experience is needed, virtually anyone can install their own storefront wall sign.

How to install outdoor storefront wall signs

For example, we used 15-inch letters on the restaurant sign. We laid the "A" down on the pavement first, and then laid the "u" 2 inches from the "A.". We continued laying each letter down, spacing it two inches from the previous letter.

After we finished laying the word "Authentic" down on the pavement (keeping the bottom of the letters in line with the edge of the pavement), we laid the "C" 12 inches from "Authentic", and continued laying out the word "Caribbean", each letter 2 inches apart.

We followed the same process with the last word, "cuisine. We then measured the total length of "Authentic Caribbean Cuisine". As an example; the total length was 17 feet. The total length of available wall space was 23 feet.

After you subtract the total length of the sign letters (Authentic Caribbean Cuisine) from your wall length, you end up with 6 feet of leftover wall length. Install your first letter 3 feet from the end, and after you've installed your last letter, it will end up exactly 3 feet from the other end of the wall.

We would normally space large letters farther apart, but the customer had a limited amount of wall length. He wanted the lettering to be centered between the four windows.

Find a straight line on the ground to lay your lettering out; make sure the line you use is straight. Use the sidewalk edge, a tape measure, a driveway edge, a 2x4 board, etc. The length of your sign will depend on how far you want to space your letters apart.

These are individual letters; you can increase or decrease the length of your sign by increasing or decreasing the spacing between the letters.

Essentially, you are laying out all of the lettering on the ground as if you were installing them on your storefront wall and then measuring the total length of the sign lettering. 

Now you're ready to install your storefront sign letters. For those without experience, we strongly suggest installing the complete sign on your wall using double-sided tape before you install them using silicone adhesive. Apply 2 to 3 small pieces of double-sided tape on the back of each letter and press each letter onto the wall. Install all of the sign lettering using double-sided tape.

After all of the lettering is installed, step back 20 to 30 feet and take a good look at the sign to make sure all of the lettering is positioned correctly on the wall. When you're satisfied with the way the sign looks, you can now remove one letter at a time and apply the silicone adhesive on the back of the letter and press it back into place on the wall.

Continue removing each letter and applying the silicone adhesive until all of the lettering is installed with silicone adhesive.

The reason you need to install your sign using the tape method before you install them using silicone is simple. Silicone adhesive is permanent; once you install the lettering using silicone, you can't readjust your lettering if you've made a mistake in your measurements.

However, if you install the whole sign on your wall using the tape and realize you made a mistake halfway through the installation, you can readjust the letters as many times as you like until you get it right. If you install the sign using silicone first and make a mistake, you will not be able to readjust the lettering. When you're ready to install the lettering using the silicone adhesive, please follow the application instructions printed on the tube.

Why install the sign letters using the tape first?

Pre-spacing sign letters

Practice install