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Reverse-cut letters and logos are custom made for single-use concrete casting. Once the concrete is sufficiently hardened after casting, foam letters must be dissolved out to reveal the cast letter shapes. Use a natural citrus solvent (or benzene, which has health risks associated with exposure and contact) to remove the foam from the concrete. Other letter forms, like mdf or reverse-cast metals must be attached to the form for casting and heavily lubricated to be extractible. Request a price quote for your project here.   There are several kinds of letters and casting forms available.  For the largest of projects, there are custom created forms for use in a very large concrete cast. The largest of the forms may have CAD-cut or router cut letters and logos included with a relief background as pictured in these examples. Foam letters can also be custom cut in small sizes and large, display sizes for events and exhibitions or dramatic lobby entrances and display windows. For casting smaller projects, you can now choose from these options:Economy foam, 1" thick,6" to 24" tall*. view hereSmooth foam, 1/2" and 1" thickness,4" to 24" tall. view hereNew tapered form letters in routed and shaped mdf**, 0.25", 0.5" and 0.75" thick,3" to 24" tall. coming soonForm letters in cut mdf**, 0.125",  0.25", 0.5" and 0.75" thick,3" to 24" tall. coming soonReverse-cast metal letters (for multiple uses), around 0.75" thickin sizes 6" to 18". view here*Available with a paper installation template at extra cost.**MDF is a medium-density fiberboard material. Request a price quote for your project here. Several articles of interest: Very large letters in foam,Concrete letter casting basics, Casting letters for concrete pavers and walls, Installing foam letters, Cheap sign option using foam letters, Concrete casting basics 101 and our Business wall letter selection guide. Request a price quote for your project here.

For durable, made-to-order lettering that will withstand time:Where do we begin? When doing research on lettering for your wall, gated entrance or home and business identification, here are a few pointers and a checklist that will save you a lot of time and worry. All of our metal and acrylic letters come with a lifetime limited warranty not to fade, crack, chip or peel. Start at the beginning. You'll need a tape measure and a way to record the measurements, as well as the camera on your smartphone to send photos of the undecorated wall along with your request. Stylish or easy-to-read style?We have countless years of experience to share with you on this project. Whether you want it to look elegant and refined, trendy, upscale or modern, the choice of materials, color and sizes will impact how your project is viewed for decades to come. Here are related articles to review. How to create an entrance sign, A Basic Guide to Wall Lettering Design and our popular Wall Lettering Guide. Standing out from your surroundings!  Are there similar decorated walls in the vicinity? Send a photo if there's a wall you particularly would like to look like ( clear photos are very helpful ). Are there colors that are part of HOA or Community Guidelines that must be followed? Let us know with your request and we're glad to work with you.  Make it happen.Get started now with a price quote request or if you're not yet ready, ask for assistance. We can include a mock-up free with your order, or for a small set-up fee without an order. Just ask!   Best to you and your projects! LetterBank + MyDIYsigns Team

For many of the industrial, military, corporate and commercial markets, LetterBank Signs + Print just makes good sense. See Services belowBased on customer surveys of our Fortune 1000 clients, who typically purchase tall outdoor Banners with Wind-Proof Stands, Printed Table Covers, Wall Lettering, Lighted Can Signs and Decals, 100% of our Corporate customers (who replied to share an opinion) stated that they will use LetterBank Resourcing and Fulfillment in their next branding and marketing outreach.   Checking in with our Military customers, the more popular orders are for  Decals, Floor Decal Graphics, Stencils,  Rec Signs and  Changeable "Curb" Signs  100% of Military respondents said that we are on their list of preferred suppliers.   Top-sellers with our Sign Shops in stand-alone and franchise locations are: Custom Sign Frames (snap-open and security), Awning Lettering in our DuraStik Lettering and Cover-Ups, Foam Letters for Concrete Casting and Replacement Sign Parts Sign Covers Sign shops may choose to participate with our B2B wholesale services and production with knowledgable full art and marketing services available.   ServicesSign Brokerage, Printing and Fulfillment Services, professional Art and Graphics and logistics evaluations are available.  Simply put, since 1989 we strive to find you the best signs and sign fabrication solutions for your sign projects. Clients include PriceWaterhouse Coopers, Toyota, Circle-K, PG&E, Verizon, US Government, USSteel, Exxon/Mobil and many Fortune 1000 corporations of note. Our 30+ years of experience in the intricacies of sign manufacturing, capability and procurement allows us to save you money but more importantly, save you time on your projects and get the products ready with time to spare.Now more than ever, businesses must catch the eye of their customers.We can help you to do just that.   To set up a time for a no-strings-attached call, just ask. Check out our new B2B and B2G article

INTRODUCING IMPROVED INSTALLATION TOOLS Based on suggestions and feedback from our customers, we've improved our installation tools for metal and acrylic flat cut letters. These upgraded, updated tools make installation easier, saving you time and money. Gemini and LetterBank introduce the Rigid Stencil (replacing the old paper patterns for letters 4" and smaller). The RIGID STENCIL GUIDE More durable than a paper stencil, the Rigid Stencil Guide is printed and cut on rugged, durable material, for precise placement without curling or tearing. A computer-generated, full-size cutout, the Rigid Stencil Guide is designed for smaller letters and logos. A high-quality finished installation has never been simpler.When you order self-adhesive tape on letters, you'll like Our New ONE-PIECE TAPE BACKING One-piece, full-coverage backing eliminates the nuisance of dealing with multiple pieces of double-face tape on every single letter. This improvement is now a standard feature for smaller, interior flat-mounted letters and logos. Easier tape handling eliminates frustration and speeds up installation. This new one-piece backing is for our flat cut metal and plastic letters.     And for larger letters, we are glad to introduce The PERFECT PATTERN Designed for larger, mounted metal letters, the computer-generated Perfect Pattern is calibrated to our production equipment. Printed on weather-resistant, tear-resistant material, it provides a guide to accurate drilling and mounting for the initial install, future replacement letters and duplicate signs in different sizes. It's your guide to a perfectly mounted sign, every time. LET'S TALK Our customers spoke up about their installation challenges, and we worked hard to come up with solutions. What else can we do to support your business and help you deliver high-quality finished signs?Let us know. You can Ask for a Quote on your Dimensional Letters projects here. We're glad to help. If you want help with an upcoming project for wall letters, indoors or outside, plain or lighted, we're here to guide you through the design, selection and ordering.Already know wha tyou want" We're your go-to source for professional service.   LetterBank is a distributor for Gemini Lifetime Warranty letter products.

This is a beginner's guide to the basics of casting concrete For specific details, search online for how to create concrete casting forms.To cast concrete with lettering and a logo if desired, you need a form, concrete and letters.The form can be on a flat surface, into which you can pour your concrete, or the form can be erect with a bottom, sides, a front and a back. Be sure to mix sufficient smooth concrete so that a spill or leak won't scuttle your casting pour. Stir and poke the concrete to reduce incidence of air pockets.For the sake of simplicity, this article focuses on using a flat form or pan for making pavers.After deciding on the form or pan shape and size, follow the basic preparation instructions. Reverse-cast metal letters with a 7-degree draft for casting If you're casting pavers, especially those with a pattern, design or wording combination, you'll likely want to have a reusable form with multiple-use letters.Letters made to be reused are generally made of either rubber or metal. Rubber letters are flexible, and so can be compressed to remove from cured (hardened) concrete, and metal letters are made with a 7° draft, which allows them to be removed from the concrete. The draft (slightly sloped sides of the letters) allows the hardened concrete to release the letters, as the fit is a very slight bit wider at the base of the letter as viewed from the side. Regardless of which you use, you will want to oil the letters once you're ready to pour concrete. The rubber and metal letters are made in reverse like a rubber stamp so that the resulting imprint in the concrete reads correctly. See below for using single-use foam letters.                              GET A COST ESTIMATEWhat is the difference in how the letters work?As far as the concrete is concerned, there's little discernible difference to the naked eye. The rubber letters are generally 1/8" to 1/4" [3.18mm to 6.35mm] deep, and so the resulting impression is not very deep. This is best for flat pavers, as water and dirt will not make a deep 'pool' on the surface. For a deeper casting, the metal letters we make are an average 3/4" to 1.5" [19mm-38mm] deep, depending on the letter height. These may be better for vertical concrete casting and deeper cast letter effects. Foam (single-use) letters can be 1/2" to 1-2" thick. Large-cell beaded foam is the most economical but leaves a texture. What if I only need one imprint cast?For a single casting (one side of one sign) it's not very cost-effective to buy letters made to be reused. You can use our very economical large beaded foam letters if the resulting letter "texture" is not a problem, or our smoother smooth-cell foam and gator foam materials. Letters in foam materials are removed or dissolved when removing from hardened concrete, and so are single use.So if you were planning on a mixed-media sign like the one above, we would help you by determining what you need to cast it in concrete (the letters spelling "Sunflower" are embedded in concrete and the panel beneath is made of dimensional letters mounted to a panel shape, which in turn is mounted to the sign face) and to assemble your sign.We have all the D.I.Y. products you need, made to order.   For pricing on the foam letters, send your project details here. Be sure to include your own contact information, along with: Form for a hollow-center columnar cast. Exact wording with the Size of letters (measured by letter height), The desired thickness of letters, Kind of material (foam, metal, rubber) Typestyle if any, otherwise a bold block like the letter "E" above will be used,  and any size or space limitations if there are limits, like a 120-foot width and 40" overall sign height. For example, if your casting area is 24 by 60 inches and you have to make the letters fit, tell us the maximum width and height that the letters must fit within. We can walk you through this- After the first time, it's all common sense. Did I miss something? Leave a comment below.   Fill in the cost estimate form to tell us what you want us to price for you, or send this to a friend who will be considering this project.  We're here to help.   Questions or comments are welcome.                                              GET A COST ESTIMATE Article author Joe Giral is the founder and creative director of LetterBank and My DIY Signs. Your comments are welcome. 

Concrete casting basics   First we'll cover what concrete casting is in the most basic terms, then we're going to look at how you can cast concrete with your custom mold. What exactly is concrete casting? Concrete casting is a process which involves creating or using a mold or form to contain and shape freshly mixed concrete. Once the form is ready and the concrete mixed, the concrete mixture is poured into the form and left to cure in a controlled environment. After the concrete 'sets', it may be transported to the construction or final site and lifted into place, or if cast in place, the form is removed, leaving the cast piece for any additional finishing detail. Larger forms are commonly cast "in place" where they will be ultimately be set permanently as they would become to unwieldy, heavy or fragile to move. If the form is for popular concrete pavers, there are several options available. For casting forms, contractors and crafters usually use single-use foam letters which are custom made for the project. If multiple copies will be made, ordering enough copies of the foam or ordering reusable metal or plastic letters (which cost a lot more than foam but are designed to be used over and over) may be the best bet.Project quote request What's the advantage of using foam letters? Foam letters are relatively inexpensive when compared to reusable special metal or plastic letters. The foam letters are typically spot glued in place easily and "cast" into the concrete. That means that the smooth concrete is carefully poured into the custom form with the letters already glued inside. 'Tamping' and agitating the concrete helps to assure that the amount of air bubbles from the por are minimized. The letters must subsequently be dissolved out with a solvent (orange-based solvents are recommended) after the concrete sets. What is the advantage of reusable letters? As the name implies, reusable letters can be set into a form and used repeatedly. Can we 'spec' our own typestyle? You can have a custom special plastic made with all the details of your graphics line art in almost any size up to 48" wide. This allows for very large permanent monument displays which can be painted for extra impact. So once I have determined the best materials for casting, what is the casting process? Decide on the size of the layout and create a rough sketch. This is the time to measure out the area where the final product or resulting cast forms will be placed. Concrete can be heavy and have sharp corners, so measure it out first. To your layout, add any text or ornamentation you like. Mold letters may be found for purchase online or through letterbank.com. Professionals use reverse cast metal letters, and often the newest cast plastic letters, which are a little less costly. Measure the text size and create or order letters. Remember, the letters will be indented into the finished concrete, and so must be reversed to read correctly. Place and secure the letters and shapes to your form, or place and pour a wet solution of concrete over the letters. Avoid rocks and very coarse gravel, as this will cause pockets or gaps in the finished product. Once the concrete sets (usually overnight at least), remove the letterforms carefully. Allow the concrete to cure for an additional 5-7 days before placing in the desired location. Made with custom mold for multiple uses Be creative! Concrete is fairly inexpensive and will last a long time. As CAB plastic letters remain a little flexible, they can be pulled away from the set concrete by moving them around a little by pulling on the edges. As metal letters are relatively inflexible, we make them with a 7° draft (slightly sloping sides) to allow them to pull away from the set concrete. Special plastic reusable letters shown Links: About concrete forms: Click hereConcrete casting products, click here.1/2" to 3" metal letters, click here.4" to 12" letters go here.Economy foam letters are here.For a quote on our popular custom foam letters, just ask.   NOTE: We reply by email. Other requests may take longer. Please include an email in any quote request.