How to get your sign installed: Finding a Sign installer
How to get your sign installed: Finding a Sign installer
Getting the sign on the wall or in the ground or where it needs to be can be intimidating, but we can help.There are 2 major ways: Hire an installer or do it yourself.
What are you hiring the installer to install? The first step is finding an installer. Different types of installs need different installs. If we focus on channel letters of a strip mall leased unit, you will have the most common sign and the most common place. These strip malls are nearly 100% channel letter signs, they are built to have channel letters. This means there are a number of features in each: they have a flat open area built specifically for this signage; This wall can be penetrated with ease. Wood covered in stucco is very common. Behind the wall you will have a 110VAC line that goes to a 30Amp breaker in a breaker box, often in the back of the unit. The size is controlled by a “sign policy” from the mall owner or management. It is also controlled by the local permitting authority, generally a city where the unit is located. All these things are good, because the building is built for this. You want an installer that has installed these many times. These installers are most likely going to have:
Sign Search. Sign companies that want to do installs are often listed in a website https://www.signsearch.com This will get you candidates but does not qualify them. The biggest add or the closest listing is probably not the best, most experienced installer. In most cases the top 3 listings are the sign companies that pay a premium to be there and are often “want to beds and not the best choices. Buyer beware. You should know the following:
Do they have a Contractor License? It depends on where you are.
Nevada and Arizona, there are contractor license requirements. You can use this to your advantage, use the state contractor’s board lookup tools and you can find who is licensed and who is not.
Wyoming and Colorado are different, the contractor licensed are by cities. These may be different, you need to contact the cities – If you find a good installer without a contractor’s license in the specific city you need, you may be able to improve your qualifications by applying for a license under your name.
In Oregon there is a Commercial Specialty Contractor License and a lookup for this at
http://search.ccb.state.or.us/search/default.aspx
Washington is similar and can be looked up here
https://secure.lni.wa.gov/verify
In New Mexico you are looking for a ES-1. Electrical signs license holder
https://public.psiexams.com/search.jsp
As you can tell, the requirements are different for different places. For Montana, Idaho and Utah, give us a call and we can help you.
Ask how would you install such a sign? Ask the question! If the installer knows how to use a paper patterns, understands and asks about what is behind the wall, ask about “Patch and Paint”, when you remove the old sign, the holes must be filled (patched) and repainted. Ask about when they would use a raceway. Ask about how many power supplies they would use. What you are really looking for is an installer that has done a number of these and has answers. There are different answers for different install situations, but no answers means they do not have the experience you are looking for.
Do they have a Bucket Truck? For most channel letter Installs, a bucket truck is both, really handy and the mark of a well-qualified installer. It is possible to install off ladders, you can do this, but…..it is faster and safer off a bucket truck. It is also possible to rent a bucket truck. These rates vary greatly, but $200 is low, $600 is high. The average depends on the demand and area you are renting, but $350 is a good target.
Need more information? Give us a call at 760-730-5118