How To Make A Marquee Sign

Luckily for me, I had most of these materials on hand when I wanted to make a display sign for my business. I designed my marquee sign as a frame, so I could use interchangeable posters depending on the season.

Here is what you'll need for this DIY project:

1. large sturdy frame
2. built in mat liner or extra reinforced mat board liner cut to fit
3. 1x2 boards
4. drill with 1/2 inch paddle bit
5. plastic bulb string lights (purchased my at Big Lots)
6. 2 large panels, 1 for poster to stick to, and 1 for back of frame (I got a big sheet of paneling from Lowe's and had them cut it for free)
7. hot glue gun
8. air nail gun (or small screws)
9. picture hanging tabs and wire
10. custom printed posters
11. Velcro 
12. White paint & foam brush

Let's get started making your marquee display sign!

Step One: Gather all of your supplies. Measure how large your opening needs to be for your poster. We measured the length of our lights and created equal space on the mat with a pencil so we would know where to drill the holes.

Step Two: Drill hole using half inch paddle bit from the front so you will get a cleaner hole.

Step Three: Remove the plastic bulb from the lights. Push the lights into holes and pop the plastic bulb back into place to keep it secure.

Step Four: Never lay the frame down on the bulbs. Situate it at an angle where you can hot glue the tape around the cord to keep the bulbs in place.

Step Five: Cut your wooden panel a little bit larger than the mat opening and glue it into place (this is the board that you will hang your poster on and will be seen from the front). Cut your 1x2 boards and place them on the outer edge of the frame. Staple or glue them to frame without splitting the frame.We only used 1x2s on the sides of the frame and left the top and bottom open for hanging the sign and the extension cord. To hang the sign we screwed picture hangers to the left and right corners directly on the frame and used the appropriate weight of chain to hold the weight of the sign.

Step Six: Cut your second white panel to fit flush with your 1x2s on the back side of your frame so that your sign will look neat and clean from the inside of your store.We used an air nail gun to staple it in place. We also used a foam paint brush and quickly painted the edges of the 1x2s white so that it all matched from the side.

Step Seven: Add double stick Velcro to the four corners of the white panel and install your custom printed sign.
Congratulations on making a really cool (and cheap) sign!
Here is a look at our sign from the outside of our Soap Shop in Chattanooga! Good Fortune Soap makes natural handmade soaps, organic skin care, and invites you to make your own perfume!