What should I know about stainless steel materials and finishes?
We recommend selecting a stainless steel alloy based on your sign's installation environment. Our stainless steel letters and logos are composed of Alloy 304 or 316.
Caution: We do not recommend installing stainless steel in coastal or other humid climates. Installing stainless steel in coastal or humid climates will lead to corrosion over time and change the sign's appearance. Stainless Steel Alloy 316 provides better resistance to corrosion than Stainless Steel Alloy 304, but weather elements can deteriorate the metal over time. If a metal sign is requested for a coastal area installation, consider an aluminum sign with an anodized finish for more durability.
Note: To protect stucco installation surfaces from any chemical reaction with metal letters, we recommend using standoffs. Standoffs create a gap between the letters and the stucco surface, preventing any material from bleeding onto the installation surface.
Stainless Steel Alloy 304
The standard “18/8” stainless steel is the most versatile and widely used stainless steel for signage. For areas with 50 miles of a coastline, we recommend Alloy 316.
Stainless Steel Alloy 316
Alloy 316 provides better corrosion resistance than Alloy 304 in chloride-rich environments. Particularly, Alloy 316 has a higher resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion.
Cor-Ten Steel
Cor-Ten steel forms a protective rust layer when exposed to atmospheric elements over time, creating an inconsistent appearance with slight surface scratches and imperfections. Imperfections cannot be fixed without damaging the natural-forming finish. It cannot be painted or clear-coated, and letter returns will appear uneven from filing the letter ends after cutting the metal. We do not recommend mounting Cor-Ten steel on stainable surfaces.
Polished Stainless Steel
Stainless steel letters and logos can be polished to a smooth glossy luster. By our standard manufacturing process, polished stainless steel letters and logos will have bead-blasted returns with a polished face finish. The metal will have a mirror-like appearance, but grit lines may show when viewed at certain angles and up close at eye level. Grit lines will not be visible once the sign is installed.
Note: Polished stainless steel requires letters and logos to be a minimum of 1/8 inch thick with a 1/2 inch stroke, requiring a welded stud mount. Restrictions may apply to letters and logos over 24 inches tall.
More About Letters and Logos
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