Guide · 6 min read
Sign maintenance and repairs: keeping your sign in good order
Most signs need little more than an occasional clean and a regular visual check from the ground for loose fixings, lifting vinyl or failed lighting. Faults such as a dead LED section or a faded lightbox face can usually be repaired, but leave any work at height to people with proper access equipment.
How often should you check your sign?
A quick visual check from the ground every few months, and after any storm, catches most problems early. Look at the sign straight on and from each side in daylight, and check lit signs after dark to make sure every section is working.
Look for loose or missing fixings, gaps between the sign and the wall, lifting or peeling vinyl, cracks, water marks, rust stains and any section that is dim or out. Take photos so you can compare them next time.
How do you clean a sign safely?
Most signs only need mild soapy water and a soft cloth or sponge, followed by a clean water rinse. Avoid solvents, abrasive pads and strong cleaners, which can dull acrylic faces, scratch laminate and strip powder coat.
Clean only what you can reach safely from the ground or a short stepladder on level ground. Window graphics can be cleaned with the window, using a soft squeegee and taking care at the edges. Signs above that height should be cleaned by window cleaners or sign fitters with proper access equipment.
What if part of an illuminated sign stops working?
If one letter or section is out, the cause is often a single LED module, a loose connection or a failed driver. If the whole sign is out, check the time switch or photocell settings, the fuse or breaker and whether the supply has been switched off before assuming a fault in the sign.
LED modules and drivers can usually be replaced individually, which is why drivers should be housed where they can be reached. Don't open lit signs or drivers yourself: isolate the supply and have the fault checked by someone competent to work on electrical equipment.
Can faded or peeling vinyl be fixed?
Faded print or cut vinyl on a fascia panel can usually be stripped and replaced without changing the panel underneath, as long as the panel is sound. That is often a cost-effective way to refresh a sign or update a phone number.
Small lifting edges can sometimes be cleaned and re-applied if caught early. Widespread cracking, shrinkage or chalking means the vinyl is at the end of its life and should be replaced. Using cast or high-grade vinyl with a matching laminate gives the replacement a longer life.
What should you check after a storm?
High winds put real force on signs, especially projecting signs, large panels and totems. After a storm, check from the ground for anything that has moved, bent, cracked or come loose, and look along the top edge of the fascia for gaps.
If a sign looks loose or damaged, keep people away from underneath it and get it made safe straight away, before trying to repair it. A projecting sign swinging on a loose bracket is a hazard to people walking below.
Can a lightbox be repaired rather than replaced?
Often, yes. If the lightbox frame is sound, the face can be replaced with a new printed or routed face, which also lets you update the design. A replacement face for an existing lightbox is a guide £295–£950 excluding VAT.
Old lightboxes with fluorescent tubes can be upgraded with an LED retrofit for a guide £295–£1,450. LEDs give more even light, use less power and last longer than fluorescent tubes. Trough lights and spotlights over a non-lit fascia can be replaced with LED versions in the same way.
When is it better to replace a sign?
Repair makes sense while the structure is sound. Replacement is usually the better option when:
- The panel, tray or lightbox frame is cracked, corroded or warped.
- The fascia behind is rotten, so fixings can't hold properly.
- Repairs would cost a large share of a new sign's price.
- The lighting is old fluorescent or neon and the rest of the sign is tired too.
- Your branding has changed and a new design is needed anyway.
Why should you leave work at height to others?
Falls from height are a common cause of serious injury, and the Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply to work on signs above ground level. High-level signs need a scaffold tower, scaffold or mobile elevating work platform, and a council licence may be needed to place access equipment on the pavement.
Don't use a ladder to reach a high sign, lean out of first-floor windows or stand on a shop canopy. Send us photos of the problem and we can tell you whether it looks like a repair or a replacement before arranging access.
Want a second opinion on your sign?
Send a photo and a rough size. We’ll tell you what would work, what it’s likely to cost and whether consent is needed.