Outdoor Halo Lit Signs

What Are Outdoor Halo Lit Signs?

An outdoor halo lit sign is the same sign you would hang in a lobby, built for an outside wall. Each letter or logo piece still has its own shell and LEDs, and the light from its back still traces it on the wall. What changes is the protection. The LEDs, the power supply, the metal and the paint are all chosen for weather.

On a building wall the halo lifts the name off the brick or stucco in a ring of light with the lights on, and with them off the letters read as solid metal or acrylic. Either way the sign looks finished, which is what a storefront needs.

They go wherever a business faces the weather, in hot and dry, cold and wet, rainy and coastal climates alike. Tell us where the sign goes, and we choose the materials to suit the site.

How the Halo Effect Works

Outside, the wall still reflects the light from the back of each piece, and the gap, wall color and light color work just as they do indoors. Our guide to reverse lit channel letters goes into them in detail. If you tell us what kind of lamps already light the wall, we suggest the white to match.

How They Are Built

Outdoor letters get LEDs sealed against water, picked to suit how wet the site is, and each shell has weep holes along its bottom edge so nothing collects inside. The power supply is IP67 and rated to run from −22 to 158°F (−30 to 70°C). Shells are 304 stainless steel by default and marine-grade 316 near the sea. There the mounting hardware is 316 as well, and plated finishes are left out because salt attacks them.

Paint and powder coat for outdoor use are UV resistant, which slows fading but cannot stop it over the years. Each piece carries its UL label on top of the shell, where it is hard to see, and Outdoor Halo Lit Signs Models below shows which build suits which site.

Installation uses the same kit as indoors, with a few outdoor habits worth keeping:

• Mark the holes with the full-size template, then set each piece on its stud bolts.
• Signs that stand off the wall come with tube spacers, and nuts and washers are included when someone can work from behind the wall.
• Put the power supply in a ventilated spot near the sign so it stays cool.
• Cables disappear only where the wall lets them pass through or run inside it, and otherwise some wiring stays in view.
• A local sign installer or electrician handles permits, site measurements, wall preparation and the final power connection.

Where They Work Best

Outdoors, halo lit signs go on storefront fascias and on building walls of brick, concrete, stucco and stone, and a sign can also sit on a bracket or a backing box. For choosing a model by type of business, see our guide to halo lit business signs, and for sizing letters to the street, see our guide to halo lit letters.

How to Choose Outdoor Halo Lit Signs

Plan the model and the installation together, because outdoors the wall, the weather and the wiring decide as much as the look does. Give us your climate in numbers, the coldest it gets and how wet it is, plus whether the sea is near, and the materials follow from that.

Every set is lit for 24 hours and photographed before it leaves us, and the 3-year limited warranty covers it on the wall. To line the models up side by side, compare all our models. Once you have chosen, here is how ordering works.

Local rules

Check what is allowed before you order. For a business, ask your landlord or property manager, then your city or town about the sign permit. A lit sign usually needs an electrical permit too. A heavy or large one may need a building permit, and historic districts have their own review. For a home, ask your homeowners association (HOA), or your city or town if there is no HOA.

Model

In harsh weather the edge goes to Basic Metal Halo Lit Signs, though every model can be used outside, and Face & Side-Lit Signs can even go on a rooftop.

Finish

Painted and powder-coated colors are UV resistant outdoors. Near the sea, choose brushed or mirror-polished 316 stainless steel rather than a plated color.

Power supply

Place the power supply in a ventilated spot near the sign so it stays cool, and tell us the site voltage if the building runs on commercial power.

Upkeep

LEDs dim slowly over many years, far beyond the 3-year warranty, and opening the shells to swap them is skilled work, so when that day comes we recommend replacing the sign.