Need a lighted sign box - where to start

[Stacey K]

One of my good customers who owns a roofing and construction company asked if I could give him an estimate for a lighted sign box approximately 13'x7'. His guys would hang it and his electrician would hook it up. I just need to purchase it and letter it. Being that I'm the only sign shop now I may run across this more often and could hire this company to install if needed.

Where do I start - nope, I'm not UL Certified so is that an issue? Thanks!

 

[JBurton]

SignFab, UFB sign builders, harbinger, this list goes on. I think signfab is trying to push their new cabinet capabilities, so they may price really competitively. Get several quotes, make sure shipping to site is included (you'll need a forklift or crane/boom to get it unloaded, make sure you know if it will ship flat bed or enclosed too), and honestly have them letter it up for you. A 13'x7' face will probably need to be a flex face, and may get a lot cheaper at 6x12. Everyone is building UL these days, but some places charge $50 to put the sticker on and turn in paperwork, so make sure that box is checked.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Signbuilders out of Birmingham AL

 

[DL Signs]

+1 for everything JBurton said. Get multiple quotes, there's quite a range between places. Whenever we can, we get them complete, lettered, and ready to install. Then it's a pass it on, or hang it, and collect a check. The only pain for you will probably be when they deliver it if you don't have a dock & forklift, 90% of what we get is delivered by semi. Options are if any of your customers, or neighboring businesses have a loading dock, see if they'll help out, or just have it delivered straight to the customer if they have the means to unload it.

We have docks, up to 70' bucket cranes. We'd help ya' out, but we're about 130 miles away

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

If you can't unload a truck.. you can have it held at their docs and bring a trailer over for them to unload if it's not too far.

 

[JBurton]

We'd help ya' out, but we're about 130 miles away

That's not too bad as long as you're talking interstate... Heck, we just had 164 mile one way trip for 'warranty' work on some vinyl hours of operation, somebody literally picked the lettering off to say 'banking ho's'. Needless to say, this set was installed second surface.

 

[DL Signs]

That's not too bad as long as you're talking interstate... Heck, we just had 164 mile one way trip for 'warranty' work on some vinyl hours of operation, somebody literally picked the lettering off to say 'banking ho's'. Needless to say, this set was installed second surface.

All fast highways for all but the last 30-ish miles. We're out in her area quite a bit, have a big install in progress about that far from her, gotta wait for the rest of the concrete to get dumped next week to finish. We do about a 200 mile radius.

 

[MikePro]

ezpz 2do outta Racine, WI. even cheaper if you or your GC can pick it up, cause it costs quite a bit to ship something that size.
@michaelsigns.com

 

[JBurton]

ezpz 2do outta Racine, WI. even cheaper if you or your GC can pick it up, cause it costs quite a bit to ship something that size.
@michaelsigns.com

There ya go Stacey, go meet a member and pick up a cabinet!
Curious how you'd figure on mounting such a cabinet. Since the guys on site never stretch these as good as in the shop, we don't like for them to take corners loose to mount through the back. We've been making additional angle the width of the sign, painted to match, tied together top to bottom with flat stock, kinda like a sub frame (or uber frame I guess), lag the angle frame to the wall, then float the cabinet to the bottom lip, rock it in (don't forget to notch out the angle if the eyebolts are in the way), and run plenty of self tappers to hold the cabinet to the angle frame.

 

[MikePro]

i'm sure that can be figured-out. Million ways to crack an egg.
we're super swamped, but we stock signcomp&flexface & can usually fab a square cabinet in a jiffy. Crating&shipping would push such a thing waaaay out.

 

[Creative Sign Guy(s)]

I've driven 3 hours one way for installs. There are not many sign shops in our area and we are the only one with a flatbed and CNC cutter, so we tend to travel quite a ways to some installs. Rural America is quite barren of commerce.