What You're Working With

The sign banner drape cover hangs down both the front and back of the sign, with grommets running along the bottom edge and the exposed side edges of each face. Since the cover can't wrap entirely around the sign the way a Sign Bag Cover does, the side grommets are your primary anchor points for keeping the cover taut and preventing it from flapping or shifting.
All LetterBank LLC sign banner drape covers now include reinforced corners and 1" nylon webbing to reduce the incidence of wind failure when properly installed.

Best Rope-Lacing Method

Use a continuous lace technique on each side:

1. Start at the top corner grommet on one side. Tie a fixed anchor knot — a bowline is ideal because it won't slip under load — around the sign frame, cabinet edge, or post.

2. Thread the rope down through each grommet along that side edge in a zigzag or straight-down lace pattern, pulling moderate tension as you go. Don't fully tighten yet.

3. At the bottom corner grommet, wrap the rope around the sign post or base bracket and finish with a tautline hitch knot, which allows you to slide-adjust tension after rigging.

4. Repeat on the opposite side with a second rope.

5. Once both sides are loosely laced, tighten evenly from top to bottom. Over-tensioning the top before the bottom is secured will cause the cover to pull and bow unevenly.

Bottom Edge Tie-Down

For the bottom hem grommets on each face, run a separate rope horizontally and tie it off to the sign post legs or around the cabinet base. Pulling the cover snug downward prevents wind from billowing up underneath it and stressing the side grommets.

What Banner Pros Recommend

For situations where a Sign Banner Drape Cover must be used instead of a Sign Bag Cover:

• Use every grommet hole — corners-only attachment is insufficient in winds above 30–40 mph. Remember, it's windier the higher up you go.

• Space grommets every 24 inches in high-wind environments, tighter than the standard 36-inch spacing. LetterBank LLC uses 24" spacing by default; custom spacing is available by request for high-wind areas at extra cost.

• Use bungee or elastic connectors at clip points to absorb gust shock loads — they outperform rigid carabiners by reducing peak force spikes transferred to the grommet area

• Reinforce hem corners with triangular double-vinyl patches or nylon webbing to dramatically increase tear-out resistance. LetterBank LLC includes reinforced corners on all sign banner drape covers.

• Consider mesh banners for sustained winds over 50 mph — a 15–30% open-area mesh reduces wind load by roughly one-third compared to solid vinyl, relieving stress on every grommet and clip. Mesh will not work to cover existing signage.

Key Tips

• Use 3/16" braided nylon rope — strong, slightly elastic to absorb wind gusts, and UV-resistant for outdoor use

• Supplement rope with bungee cords on 1–2 grommets per side to act as shock absorbers

• Always start from corners and work inward, distributing tension evenly to prevent grommet tear-out

• Leave a few inches of slack before your final knot so the cover can be easily re-adjusted after it settles

This lacing approach creates a corset-like cinch down each exposed side edge, keeping the cover flat and taut against both faces of the sign without needing access to the back.

Order LetterBank LLC Sign Covers

LetterBank LLC sign covers are available in custom sizes to fit virtually any cabinet or pylon sign. Choose from Sign Bag Covers for full enclosure or Banner Drape Covers for fast, flexible coverage — both built with reinforced blockout vinyl, welded hems, and 24" grommet spacing standard.

Request a project quote for your custom sign cover at MyDiySigns.com →

Liability Disclaimer

The installation instructions and guidelines provided here are for general informational purposes only. LetterBank LLC makes no warranty, express or implied, that any sign cover product will prevent damage to your sign, sign cabinet, sign face, or surrounding structure under any wind, weather, or environmental condition. Proper installation is the sole responsibility of the purchaser and installer.

LetterBank LLC shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages - including but not limited to sign damage, property damage, personal injury, or business loss - arising from the use, misuse, improper installation, or failure of any sign cover product, regardless of cause. All products are sold as-is for use at the buyer's own risk. By purchasing and installing this product, the buyer acknowledges and accepts these terms. See Terms.

Why Banners May Fail

Understanding common failure points helps you install smarter:

1. The grommet area is the most common failure point. 
The vinyl tears out around the grommet rather than the grommet itself pulling free. The metal ring holds — the surrounding material gives way.

2. The carabiner or snap hook rarely fails. 
In most reported failures, the hardware stays clipped to its attachment point. The vinyl blows away through or out of the attachment point - the connector doesn't open, bend, or break.

3. Mounting hardware is a secondary failure point. 
In a coastal car dealership case documented on Signs101, a pole bracket snapped while the double-stitched 15 oz banner material simultaneously ripped near a stitch - meaning both the mounting hardware and the hem failed before the grommet or clip did. When banners use D-rings sewn into webbing at the bottom instead of grommets, that hardware has also been reported to fail when the webbing or seatbelt material gives out under sustained wind load.

4. Loose installation accelerates failure.
E Signs' wind tunnel testing found that loose tension is one of the most damaging factors - a banner that can flap creates a whipping effect, and with each oscillation the vinyl stretches progressively until catastrophic failure. A Signs101 report on 70 pole banners in a Toronto township documented banners ripping well below 91 km/h winds [56.5mph] simply because the installer only used zip ties on two grommets and left the rest unsecured.

The Root Physics

Wind pressure scales with the square of wind speed. At 50 mph, a solid vinyl banner faces approximately 6.4 psf - roughly 205 lbs of total force on a 4×8 ft sign - and that force concentrates heavily at whichever attachment points are actually in use. Hanging from only 4 corner grommets instead of all perimeter grommets means each corner bears the full load divided by four, rapidly exceeding the 50-100 lb tear-out threshold of standard grommets.

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