304 or 316 stainless for sign letters?
The grade decision is really a site decision. Here is how to make it without guessing.
Brushed, satin, polished, mirror, plated, anodized and painted — what each looks like and what it costs you in maintenance.
A directional grain, run horizontally or vertically. The most forgiving finish on a sign that people touch: fingerprints and light handling marks disappear into the grain. Available on stainless, brass and aluminum.
A softer, less directional sheen than brushed. On aluminum this is usually achieved by satin anodizing, which puts a hard oxide layer on the surface rather than a coating over it.
A reflective face. It looks expensive and it is unforgiving — every dent in the substrate and every imperfect solder joint shows. It also reflects the building opposite, which can help or hurt depending on the street.
Stainless steel electroplated to a golden tone, or brass plated to a bronze. Plating happens after fabrication and dressing, so the underlying joint work has to be right first. This is how a gold letter is achieved without gold leaf.
Two-pack polyurethane sprayed to a PMS or RAL reference that you supply. The route for any brand color, on aluminum, acrylic, PVC or metal. Supply the code, not a swatch photograph — screens lie about color.
Brushed brass is listed with a clear coat. Left bare, brass and copper patinate — which some clients want. Decide before production, because it is much easier to leave a coat off than to strip one later.
Pictured: Polished Mirror Stainless Steel Signage11
Send the artwork and the site details. We will come back with the grade, the thickness or depth, the finish and the fixing method — with the reasons.
The grade decision is really a site decision. Here is how to make it without guessing.
Three ways to light the same wordmark, and what each one looks like at noon and at midnight.
Plate thickness on a flat-cut letter, return depth on a built-up one — and why both are visible from the street.
Artwork, finished letter height and the site. That is enough to price the job properly.