Channel letters are the workhorse of American storefront signage — three-dimensional illuminated letters, individually built and mounted to your facade, that make your store readable from the road at noon and impossible to miss at midnight. We design, fabricate, and install custom LED channel letters for retail, restaurants, medical offices, and every business type in between, with UL-listed components and Houston permit guidance built into every order.
The standard for retail. LEDs inside each letter light the translucent acrylic face, giving maximum brightness and the clearest night readability. If you want drivers to read your name from the road, this is the type.
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LEDs aimed back at the building create a glowing halo around each metal letter. Lower brightness, higher-end look — the default choice for law firms, medical plazas, and premium retail where the brand should feel established, not loud.
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Front and back illumination in one letter: the face glows and the halo glows. The most visible option and priced accordingly — common for buildings set back from the road and for businesses competing for attention in dense retail strips.
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The LED (or neon) is exposed through a clear or perforated face, giving a vintage marquee look. Barbershops, breweries, and QSRs use this when the aesthetic is the point.
Get a quote for this typeNot sure? Send a photo of your facade and your landlord's sign criteria, and we will tell you honestly which type fits the building and the budget.
The sidewalls of each letter, bent from .063 or .090 aluminum, typically 3 to 5 inches deep depending on letter height and mounting.
Translucent cast acrylic, cut to shape, in your brand color — daylight white (6500K), warm white (3000K), or full-color with RGB color-changing capability on compatible systems.
The Jewelite or trimless edge that locks the face to the return. Trimless gives a clean, modern edge; trim cap is the durable workhorse.
Low-voltage 12V or 24V Class 2 power supplies feeding IP67 outdoor waterproof LED modules — rated for years of continuous night operation, far beyond the lifespan of the fluorescent and neon systems they replaced.
Aluminum backer or polycarbonate (Lexan) backs, sealed with silicone and fitted with weep holes so trapped moisture drains instead of pooling.
Every sign we build meets UL 48 standards for electric signs.
The honest answer: it depends on the sign, and anyone who quotes a flat number is guessing. Five things drive the price:
As a general range across the industry, illuminated storefront channel letters commonly run from a few thousand dollars to well over $10,000 installed. Send us your address and a facade photo and we will give you a written quote with every line itemized — so you can compare it against any competitor line by line.
Raceway-mounted letters sit on a single painted metal enclosure that houses all the wiring and power supplies. Fewer holes in the building, faster installation, easier landlord approval — most retail strip malls and shopping centers prefer or require it.
Flush-mounted (direct mount) letters attach individually to the wall with standoff spacers, each letter wired separately. No visible enclosure, which gives the cleanest look — the right call for stone, brick, or premium facades where a raceway would show.
Backer panel mounting puts all letters on one solid panel, which solves installation on uneven surfaces and gives the landlord a single framed element to approve.
The wall and the landlord usually decide before aesthetics do. We check both before we quote, so the price you approve matches the sign you can actually install.
Exterior signs in Houston require a permit under the city's sign ordinance (Chapter 46), and size, height, and placement rules vary by zoning and property. On top of the city, your landlord has sign criteria of their own — and on most retail strips, the landlord's criteria are stricter.
We handle this in the right order: facade and site check first, landlord criteria second, permit submission third, fabrication last. That sequence is why our signs never come back off the wall. It is also cheaper — a sign built to permitted specs costs the same as one built blind, but only one of them gets to stay up.
Cost depends on letter count and height, illumination type, mounting method, electrical distance, and permits. Industry-wide, installed storefront channel letters commonly run from a few thousand dollars to well over $10,000. Send a facade photo for a written, itemized quote.
Front-lit offers the clearest night readability and suits most retail. Halo-lit gives a premium glow and suits professional offices. Budget often decides, and we quote both side by side when you send a facade photo.
A sign permit under Houston's sign ordinance (Chapter 46), plus your landlord's written sign criteria on leased property. We guide both before fabrication, so your sign is legal to install and legal to keep.
A raceway is one enclosure carrying all wiring behind the letters — fewer wall penetrations and usually required by shopping center landlords. Flush mount attaches each letter individually for a cleaner look on premium facades. We recommend based on your wall and landlord rules.
Quality LED modules are rated for roughly 50,000 hours of use — years of all-night operation. Power supplies are the usual maintenance item, and replacement is straightforward.
Yes. Faces are produced in your brand colors from day one, and RGB color-changing systems with a controller are available on compatible builds.
Yes. We assess existing signs for LED retrofit — replacing old fluorescent or neon internals with modern LED modules — which is often far cheaper than a new sign if the letter bodies are still sound.
Every night your sign is dark, dim, or dated, the store next door gets the customer who was looking for you. Channel letters are the one sign purchase where the math is simple: a sign that pulls one extra customer a day pays for itself before the year is out.
Send us your address and a photo of the facade. We will check the wall, the landlord criteria, and the permit path, then send a written quote with every cost itemized. You will know the full number before you commit to anything.
