This post is about how to make your own light up sign. HOWEVER, full disclosure now. I ordered an inexpensive flat sign and made a lighted, shadow box as a DIY. You will learn about the shadow box and lights from this post.
Using a custom lighted sign or neon sign for personal use has been gaining popularity. We often see them at wedding receptions, in a child’s nursery, in game rooms, etc. So of course, when I started making plans for our new game room/movie room, a custom lighted sign was a must.
First, I had to decide where it was going to go. That way I could make a decision on a size. We have a large TV and shuffleboard opposite our power recliners. A dartboard and game table along another wall. Windows, French doors and wetbar on a third wall. That left only one space for our fun new custom lighted sign – above the recliners.
I was in a hurry to get this post up. But the next small project will be to run the electrical wire inside the wall with a pair of those recessed cable – wall plates 😉
The strip lights I chose for my sign – change colors. You can set them to stay a certain color; slowly fade to various colors; or even change colors with the beat of your music. FUN!
To Make Your Own Light Up Sign Requires Some Planning
My first step was to figure out what I wanted to say. Pinterest and Etsy are my go-to places for inspiration. Since I am very proud of how long we’ve been happily married, I for sure wanted a sign to show that off.
Next, I had to decide if I wanted a neon sign where the letters appear to float on the wall. Or perhaps something in a frame where the letters would be cut out. I decided a “lit from within” sign is more my style. And I decided a rectangular shape would be the easiest for me to frame.
Then I had to determine a size. I like to use paper or cardboard taped to the wall to see if the scale looks right on the wall. I decided 36” wide would look best. Then the height would be determined by the number of lines; size of the font; and spacing between the lines.
To decide on a font and layout, I simply used word processing software. I played around with different versions until I had what I wanted.
You Can Cut Out Your Own Sign or Order a Flat Sign Like I Did
I have a Cricut that will cut through thin wood, paper board and foam core. All good options for a custom lighted sign. And there are YouTube videos for how to make large-scale items with a Cricut. But this felt too complicated for me.
On Facebook Marketplace I found vendors that make custom wood signs.
Ultimately, I decided on metal. After searching through several vendors on Etsy. I chose PrecisionPersonal for their great reviews and reasonable pricing. Plus 36” wide was one of their common sizes.
They use 18-gauge heavy steel and allow for TOTAL customization. This company was a total win!! https://www.etsy.com/shop/PrecisionPersonal
Mistake #1 To Avoid When Ordering a Custom Flat Sign
I messaged PrecisionPersonal with a screenshot of my layout. I wanted to know – if my sign was 36” wide, how tall would it end up – based on my layout? They got back to me within a few hours.
Then I sent screenshots so they would KNOW that I wanted my sign to have empty space. And I did NOT want the cut-out part. In the example below, the top left is what I call the “cut-out part”. The bottom right is a sign with empty space. I needed the empty space version for the type of sign I was going to build.
Mistake #2 To Avoid When Ordering a Custom Flat Sign
Depending on which font you choose, you have to have “connectors” for areas with big empty spaces. In the example below, see the top of the “G”; the inside of the letters “a”; or the inside of the “9” and “8”. Without “connectors” those whole pieces of the sign would be missing.
The example below ALSO shows what NOT TO DO. The bottom of the “G” had no connectors. That would have ended up as a big blank space. Thankfully, they kept sending me layouts so I could approve the final layout before they started cutting. I caught this mistake – which they had missed.
Another thing to watch for, sign makers might automatically include holes so you can hang your sign. I made sure to tell them no holes.
I also had to make sure they left me enough margin all the way around the perimeter. Otherwise, my outer frame would cover a portion of the letters. If I had it to do again, I would have asked for a full inch at the top and bottom.
And lastly, I wanted my letters to be evenly centered on the metal. So I had to watch for that when they sent me the proofs. We went through 4 rounds till we got it right. I was so thankful for their patience.
Make Your Own Light Up Sign With An Easy Shadow Box Frame
Basically, I needed a shadow box for my sign design. This would allow me to have space for the lights behind the metal sign. And it would also hide the mechanics of the lights when looking at the sign from the side.
Since I chose metal for the actual sign message, it was weighty all by itself. So, I didn’t want heavy wood for my shadow box. I thrifted these two lightweight frames (below). They were exactly 36” long (perfect!) and made from a light composite. And these frames were only 1.5” thick (perfect again!) An excellent way to repurpose these.
All I needed to do was cut off a piece from each frame so I could join them together. I used my circular saw to cut them down. And joined the two pieces from the back with cardboard and tape.
I needed spacers to prevent the metal sign from sagging in the middle. So I tested with the sign on top of the frame to see where I would need to add spacers. Using scraps of wood and trim, I hot-glued spacers where the solid parts of the metal sign would be.
Next, I cut some wall panel moulding to frame out this “shadow box” sign. This particular moulding is typically installed with the long part facing forward as you see in the photo below.
But I had to turn the moulding and cut it so the long part would cover the sides of my shadow box. And the “lip” of the moulding would hold the metal sign onto the shadow box frame. In the next photo, I have turned the image to help you visualize what I’m trying to say 😉. The part that is 1-1/16″ is seen when you look at the sign straight on. The curved part is seen from the side of my sign.
I got lucky that I was able to find wall panel moulding with a depth that corresponded to my shadow box frame. However, if the moulding would not have worked, I could have achieved the same concept with a thin piece of trim joined at a 90 degree angle to a wider trim.
Make Your Own Light Up Sign More Beautiful With Custom Finishes
I am a big fan of layered colors and metallic finishes. I decided to foil my sign to get the look I wanted. With foils, the base color makes a huge difference in the final result. So, I ordered my sign to be cut from silver metal (it was the most neutral color they offered).
When I applied the foil adhesive, I left the adhesive a bit thinner in some places so the silver would show through along with the two-tone gold foil.
Word of warning if you choose to foil, don’t use paper towels underneath while applying the adhesive. I did but quickly moved the sign so it would not stick to the paper towels. And try to use less adhesive around the letter cutouts. Otherwise, it can give you gloppy adhesive inside the letters. I had that happen, which meant I needed to use tweezers to remove the gloppy spots. All in all, totally worth it but it could have been easier 😊 An opportunity for you to learn from my mistake.
The next pic is a better look at the foil finish. And a better look at how I cut the moulding.
For the wood frame, I used my favorite metallic champagne paint instead of foil.
Make Your Own Light Up Sign With LED Strip Lights That Change Colors
I love these LED strip lights! I also used them for indirect lighting around the perimeter of our game room. See that post here.
These strip lights are 65’ long and so reasonably priced! They also come with peel and stick adhesive. Which made it super easy to place my lights. My sign is 36” wide and 17” high. I used about 50’ from this strip of lights and cut off the rest.
I then drilled a small hole in the bottom of the frame for the power cord to pass through.
This set of strip lights has an IR sensor with the power supply. Since I placed the power supply inside my sign, the remote won’t work with the lights. However, Nexillumi (makers of these LED light strips) provides a super easy app you can download to your phone.
We prefer the App because it’s one less remote to keep up with. Great lights! They will even work with our music.
Hiding All the Mechanics Inside Your Light Up Sign
I could have stuck the lights directly to the back of my metal sign. Put in some spacers and hung it up just like that. That would’ve provided an all-around glow. But in the finished photo below, you can see the profile of my sign as soon as you walk in the room. So I had to hide everything to make it look professional.
In the next step, I’ll explain how I used vellum paper to level-up this lighted sign.
This step allowed me to hide all the mechanics inside the sign. I taped shimmery vellum paper behind all the words. (A plain vellum paper would have worked as well, but hey why not shimmer if you can?)
I purchased my vellum from Hobby Lobby a while back. Now I can’t find it on their website. Any vellum/translucent/tracing paper should work. Just make sure it does not have any fold lines or wrinkles. My Prince even suggested wax paper. Might be worth a try. But I wanted to stay with the shimmer 🙂
In this step it was important for me to place the tape so that the tape edges would not show through from the front side.(Because light shining through vellum paper will show everything.) Large sheets of tracing paper would have been ideal. But I didn’t have that. So I used 8.5” x 11” sheets and worked very hard to inconspicuously place my paper seams where they were not as noticeable. I ended up using 5 sheets of vellum paper.
Final Steps To Make Your Own Light Up Sign
It was finally time to close it up. I laid the metal sign over the shadow box frame. Then used a pin nailer to attach my painted moulding to the sides of the shadow box.
For hanging it, I first attempted to use picture wire with D-ring picture hangers. Due to the weight of the steel, that bent the D-rings. I should have removed the D-rings and put in eye hooks for the picture wire. But I didn’t think of that at the time, lol. So I simply took off the picture wire. Put two screws on the wall. And hung the sign from the D-ring picture hooks.
Here’s the final sign once again in a new color!
Materials Used
Metal sign purchased from Etsy sign maker
Metallic Foil (this is the link to my color but they have soooooo many others)
Thrifted frames
Scrap wood
8.5” x 11” vellum paper sheets
Scotch tape
Tools Used
Glue gun (it really doesn’t drip!)
Take Away
Make your own light up sign and level up your game room (or any room for that matter). And yes they can be expensive to buy. But making your own light up sign is really not that complicated, it just looks that way.
Here’s to making your own and Making it Fabulous!
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Feeling Motivated? Find Even More Inspiration for Lighting Projects
Check out these other posts for DIY lighting projects
If the metallic foil on this project has piqued your interest. I’ve also used it here on furnishings and bathroom counters
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