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Mounting a sign on a wall is easy once you’ve answered two questions: what is the sign made of, and what is the wall made of? Foamex and Dibond boards go up best with screws and wall plugs through holes drilled in the corners. A light indoor sign can go on a smooth wall with mounting tape. Correx usually gets cable-tied to a fence rather than a wall. Vinyl with its own adhesive needs no fixings at all on glass, gloss paint or metal. Pick the wrong pairing and you get cracked corners or a sign sliding down the paintwork.
Sort the holes out when you order #
The easiest drilling is the drilling you don’t do. When you order Foamex in 3, 5 or 10 mm, 3 mm Dibond, or Correx in 3.5 or 5 mm, the product page asks about Drilling. You get three choices:
- All corners. Pick this for any wall job. The holes come ready-made, so your own drill never goes near the printed face.
- Top corners. Right for a sign that dangles from a chain or a pair of hooks.
- No. Leave the board whole if it’s being taped up or dropped into a frame.
Which fixing suits which board #
| Where it’s going | Board to choose | How it goes up |
|---|---|---|
| Inside, or a sheltered porch | Foamex | Screwed at each corner, or taped if the wall is smooth |
| Shop front, outside wall, years of service | Dibond | Screwed at each corner |
| Railings, fences, hoardings, short jobs | Correx | Tied through its holes, or screwed with wide washers into timber |
| A glass panel, gloss-painted door or steel cupboard | Self-adhesive vinyl | Peel and stick |
For a longer look at the boards themselves, see indoor or outdoor sign material.
Tools for the job #
- A drill. Brick and blockwork need a masonry bit; timber needs a wood bit.
- Plugs and screws suited to your wall, and one washer per screw. Plastic or domed washers finish it off neatly.
- Spirit level, pencil, tape measure.
- A pipe and cable detector. Use it every time.
- Ties if it’s Correx going on a fence, or sticky pads if it’s a lightweight indoor board.
Mounting a sign on a wall with screws #
Allow about twenty minutes for a single sign, most of it measuring.
- Scan the wall. Sweep the detector across the spot, and avoid drilling in line vertically with any socket or light switch, since that’s where wiring tends to run. Press the surface too; crumbly render or a tile that moves won’t grip a screw.
- Mark through the holes. Offer the board up, set the level on its top edge, and put a pencil dot inside each hole. A notice that has to be read works best with its centre around the height of a standing adult’s eyes.
- Drill and plug. Drill as deep as the plug is long, clear the hole of dust, and tap each plug in flush.
- Top screws first, loosely. Washer on, drive the upper two screws in just enough to hang the board. It can still be swung straight.
- Then the bottom pair. Confirm it’s level, then add the lower two, washers included.
- Snug, then stop. Turn each screw until the board no longer wobbles, and leave it there. Foamex especially will crush or split around the hole if you give it one extra turn.
No drill? Tape on smooth walls #
A lightweight Foamex board can be taped to an interior wall, as long as that wall is smooth, firm and either painted or tiled. Use proper double-sided mounting pads. Wipe the wall and the board’s back clean, stick a pad in every corner plus a couple along the centre line, then lean on it for a good sixty seconds.
Tape is the wrong answer for weighty Dibond, for outside, for textured walls, for paint that’s still curing, and for spots where a sign dropping would hurt someone. Bear in mind too that pads often peel paint off when the sign is removed.
Correx on fences, railings and hoardings #
Correx is fluted plastic: light, fine in the rain and cheap enough for temporary signs. For railings and fence panels, get every corner drilled and loop a tie from each hole around the nearest bar. Snug is enough; overtightening cuts the flutes. Clip the spare tail off. Screwing into a timber hoarding? Fit oversized washers, which share the pull across more of the board so a gusty day can’t tear it free. For big messages on site fencing, a mesh banner often does the job better; see Heras fence banners.
Vinyl: stick-on signs #
Plenty of safety signs can be ordered as stickers, not just as 3 mm boards. Stickers want a surface that’s smooth, dry and spotless, such as a window, a gloss door, a metal cabinet or laminate. Bare brick, rough plaster and powdery emulsion defeat them, as does any damp or dust. Fitting it is just like any sticker, and applying vinyl stickers takes you through it.
Getting the height and position right #
Mounting a sign on a wall is only half the job; people have to see it. Safety signs should be visible as someone approaches, not tucked behind a door, a stack of boxes or a machine. Many people start by putting the centre of a wall sign somewhere between 1.5 and 1.7 m off the floor, around eye level, while fire exit signs usually go over the door. Good lighting and a regular wipe keep them readable.
Under the 1996 safety signs regulations, a sign is needed where a risk remains after other controls. Your risk assessment decides which signs and where; for fire signage, that’s the fire risk assessment. Safety signs law in the UK explains more.
Shop, office and outdoor signs #
For shop signs above a doorway, think about who can reach it safely and whether a ladder is involved; one on firm, level ground and a second person to hold it make it far easier. Indoor business signs in receptions and corridors often look smartest on stand-offs, while outdoor business signs on brick want screws and plugs every time.
Stand-offs
Stand-offs are those polished metal studs that float a board a few centimetres proud of the wall. They aren’t something we sell, though a board drilled in every corner will take them. Get studs made for your board’s thickness, and check the hole diameter with us first so the two match.
Still unsure? #
Tell us what the wall is and which sign you’re thinking of through get a quote, and we’ll suggest the best way of mounting a sign on a wall like yours.