Outdoor signage is a non-negotiable for most businesses today. It’s as important as having a recognizable logo or a strong brand identity. However, your outdoor signage can be prone to wear and tear over the years. After all, anything that’s constantly outside in the elements will never spend its entire lifespan looking as good as it did on the very first day you put it up.
Still, just because your outdoor signage will inevitably begin to look faded, dull, or damaged over the years doesn’t mean that there’s nothing you can do to stop or prevent it! These are just a few tips that you can keep in mind to help protect your exterior signs from the elements.
Choose Durable Materials
The number one way that you can set yourself up for success when choosing your outdoor signage is to select your materials carefully. You want to go for durable, long-lasting materials that are going to be able to stand the test of time! Think about a painted wooden sign, for example. Even with sealants or other treatments applied to it, when a wooden sign is exposed to heat, cold, rain, and snow, it’s going to be warped, flaking, filthy, and all but unrecognizable in a year. Similarly, a neon sign with characteristic glass tubes might look great and withstand moisture and temperature fluctuations a bit better, but all it takes is one heavy branch in a windstorm to shatter the glass and cost you for repairs.
Instead, opt for water-resistant or waterproof materials– heavy-duty plastics, vinyls, and metals are all good choices– that will be able to cope with the weather, hot or cold, rain or shine!
Opt for Protective Coatings
Pretty much any brightly colored material can be faded by prolonged exposure to sunlight, and for outdoor signs, prolonged exposure to sunlight is exactly what they’re going to get. A faded, sunbleached sign is not only going to be hard to read, but it makes your business look dated and shabby– not an image you want to be projecting to visitors or potential customers.
Depending on your sign placement, there’s often no way to really prevent your sign from getting lots of time in the sun, but you can give it a fighting chance with a protective coating! Many available coatings these days offer UV protection, defending your colors against the sun as well as keeping moisture and small damage like scratches at bay.
Perform Regular Maintenance
Your outdoor signage should be one of the things that gets regular maintenance around your storefront. With a little bit of upkeep, you’ll be able to greatly extend the lifespan of your sign and keep it looking bright, shiny and new for much longer! Firstly, most exterior signs aren’t cleaned as often as they should be. A simple rinse with water and a light cleaning with a rag or soft brush, depending on the material and style of your sign, should be all that’s needed to get rid of dirt and debris!
If your sign has any hollow spaces or recesses where water can gather (or birds can make nests), it’s best to go out there and clean those spaces out after every rainfall to ensure that water isn’t accumulating in the sign and staying there long enough to cause damage. During the winter, it’s often a good idea to clear your signage of any snowfall, and knock off any icicles that you’re able to remove safely.
Get Repairs Done Immediately
If you find noticeable damage on your outdoor signage, the best thing to do is to get it fixed as soon as possible! From flickering LEDs to listing poles, damage to signs can often be relatively quick and easy to repair if you catch it early, but if you leave these problems alone too long, they’re likely to worsen and become much more difficult, time-consuming, and expensive to fix. If you don’t want to deal with the extra hassle, make sure you have a reliable signage company that you can call for help when you need it!
Bartush Signs is the premier custom signage company in Orwigsburg, PA, and our outdoor signage repair services might be just what you need this year. If you’re interested in learning more, please contact us today!
