Economical car wash sign ideas. Name?

[area123]

This is for a new budget car wash. There is no sign currently, but it is in operation.

we want to add an economical sign. and wonder if we need a name, or just get a catchy sign and call it "Car Wash" like most others seem to do.

We thought about just getting 2 heavy duty vinyl banners and attaching them to some type of backing and mount between two posts for now. It would be a cheap option and would be able to be updated cheaply by ordering new vinyl banners.

Later if it works out and we earn a little extra we could buy a more permanent lit sign. What do some of you think about a low cost sign to start out with?

Can anyone post pics of their budget conscious signs, if their are any out there?

Thanks!

 

[Randy]

Can you see this car wash from the street? What’s around the car wash? I’d put a banner on the front of the building “Under new Management” something to that affect. A banner out front would be a good start.

 

[area123]

Can you see this car wash from the street? What’s around the car wash? I’d put a banner on the front of the building “Under new Management” something to that affect. A banner out front would be a good start.

Yes you can see it from the street which is the main highway thru town, thru a 35mph residential zone.

the bays are parallel with the road, so you don't really see inside the bays as you drive by and look right at it, you see the end of the building which doesn't really look like a carwash at first glance, just another metal shop building or something.

It has no sign and is sort of camouflaged and doesn't stand out. So anything would help.

So how about a name, do most just call it "Car Wash"? most around here that I see don't have a sign or a name posted.

 

[Kevin James]

What town in Kansas is this mystery car wash in? What do you do for your day job? Any catchy name with the words Car Wash is good.

 

[2Biz]

This is the name of our carwash and sign. I rebuilt the old sign (Ballast and sockets were all bad) and used LED rope lights to light it. The LED rope lights use a fraction (70w total) of what it would cost to operate with fluorescent tube lights. Plus the LEDs are good for about 100,000 hours? Been up there over 4 years and still going strong. We had a local guy do the graphics for us. The only thing I had to buy was the panels, graphics, and LED rope lights.

You might find an old sign and rebuild it like I did for a fraction of the cost. This type sign is not cheap if purchased new. I also use banners when I add a new feature in the bays. I've also used the vertical flags that stick in the ground. They are very effective but will only last a few years before a wind storm finally gets them!

 

[rph9168]

If you are in a small town this might not be a problem but before you do anything you might check to see if there are any signage regulations as far as size and placement.

 

[area123]

Great sign! I like it. We might do something like that and have temporary banners out front in the yard.

 

[area123]

If you are in a small town this might not be a problem but before you do anything you might check to see if there are any signage regulations as far as size and placement.

good point. There are other small businesses in this area with similar signs along the highway. I think it's more of a "buy now, pay later" mentality around here.

 

[rph9168]

You might need a permit but I doubt it. It wouldn't hurt to check before you invest in any sign especially a banner. In most cases a banner is considered temporary and can only be displayed for a certain amount of time. Usually a permanent sign requires a permit and describes any limits or design features. As I said none of this may apply but I would check it out.

 

[Earl Weiss]

2Biz
Why Yellow LEDs and not white?

 

[Jeff_L]

CAR WASH

That's all it really needs to say. No one says, "my car is dirty, where's the nearest zippy's?"

 

[2Biz]

2Biz
Why Yellow LEDs and not white?

I got the rope lights from 1000bulbs.com. At the time they only had warm white and pearl white....I chose warm white. But I think the pearl white might have been a little brighter or whiter. Even the warm white lights the sign nicely at night. IF...I ever have to do maintenance on the sign or the string goes out, I'll look into getting a brighter white LED...

4 years later and I haven't had to touch the sign. So far its working as planned.

 

[gearhead]

You can get a couple feather banners online fairly cheap that say "car wash " on them. As posted earlier if more than temporary your city may have something to say about it.