S2 Sign Company

Routed metal + illuminated acrylic

Push-thru acrylic signs that turn a flat face into dimensional light.

S2 routes the metal face, machines the acrylic, plans the projection and light path, builds the enclosure, completes the sign wiring, UL labels the finished sign, and installs it.

Push-thru construction is useful when a logo needs the clean unity of one cabinet or panel but deserves more depth and nighttime detail than a conventional printed face can provide.

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Real S2 fabrication: push-thru acrylic letters illuminated and inspected before installation.

The acrylic projects through the routed metal face, producing illuminated edges and a dimensional daytime profile.
Precision-routed metal facesArtwork translated into buildable openings
Machined acrylic elementsProjection, retention, and light path planned
UL labeling capabilityUL-listed components and processes
Design through installationPermits, fabrication, wiring, and field work

The basic construction

What makes a push-thru sign different?

The visible metal face is routed with openings that match the letters, logo, border, or graphic elements. Acrylic is machined to fit those openings and extends—pushes through—the face. The acrylic may be retained from behind, bonded into a larger carrier, or assembled as a set of individual elements depending on the design.

Because the illuminated acrylic and the solid metal face are part of one sign body, push-thru construction can hold a complicated composition together without building a separate channel letter for every small piece.

Push-thru is a construction method, not one visual style.

The acrylic can glow through the face, through the exposed edge, or through both. The metal face can be painted, textured, printed, or combined with non-illuminated dimensional details.

The transparent acrylic projects beyond the face, creating depth that is visible even when the sign is off.

Light can be shaped

Face glow, edge glow, or a controlled combination.

Acrylic thickness, surface finish, cap material, LED placement, and cabinet depth determine whether the viewer sees a bright face, luminous edges, or a quieter architectural line of light.

Face-and-edge illuminationClear or translucent acrylic carries light through the exposed face and sidewalls for the brightest dimensional effect.
Opaque face with illuminated edgeAn opaque cap quiets the front surface and lets the projected acrylic edge become the main nighttime detail.
Translucent colored faceA colored cap or film can carry brand color while the edge remains clear, frosted, or separately treated.
White nighttime / dark daytimeSpecial face treatments can create a darker daytime surface that becomes light when the sign is illuminated.
Border or line-work illuminationRouted rings, strokes, and accent lines can illuminate without turning every graphic element into a separate letter.
Mixed illuminated and opaque detailsSome logo components can push through while other copy, panels, or symbols remain non-illuminated.
Golden Hour Wine Bar, Denver: a fabricated blade sign using push-thru acrylic for the illuminated mark and border.
Detail: the exposed acrylic edge becomes a crisp illuminated line against the opaque face.
Panel format: small illuminated copy remains part of one serviceable sign assembly.
Push-thru letters can bring controlled illumination to a monument or architectural panel without using separate channel-letter bodies.

Where push-thru construction works

One method, several sign formats.

Push-thru acrylic is most often associated with fabricated cabinets, but the method can be integrated into wall signs, monument faces, projecting blade signs, directional systems, tenant panels, and interior architectural features.

  • Wall cabinets: complete logos and copy mounted as one illuminated assembly
  • Blade signs: two-direction visibility with controlled edge or face illumination
  • Monument faces: dimensional lettering inside a ground-mounted architectural structure
  • Tenant identification: refined small-format copy inside a consistent property system
  • Interior features: lobby signs and branded wall panels with a clean fabricated surface
  • Directional signs: illuminated arrows, borders, symbols, and destination names

The sign can be single-face or double-face. The important question is not whether push-thru acrylic is fashionable; it is whether the logo, viewing distance, cabinet depth, and maintenance plan benefit from this construction.

Artwork must become hardware

The logo has to survive routing, machining, assembly, light, and weather.

Very thin strokes, tiny counters, closely spaced shapes, and disconnected details may look fine on screen but become fragile or impossible when converted into projecting acrylic.

Minimum stroke width

The acrylic needs enough width to machine cleanly, carry light, and resist damage during assembly and service.

Counters and openings

Small enclosed areas inside letters such as A, R, B, and O must remain large enough for the metal face and acrylic to retain their structure.

Projection depth

How far the acrylic extends controls daytime dimension, edge-light visibility, impact exposure, and overall sign profile.

Spacing and bridges

Closely spaced elements may require shared acrylic, hidden bridges, or an adjusted routing strategy so the face remains strong.

Thermal movement

Metal and acrylic expand differently. Fit and retention must allow movement without loose parts, cracks, or distorted faces.

Service access

The face and lighting system must be reachable later. A beautiful assembly that cannot be opened is not a complete design.

Made in layers

How S2 builds a push-thru acrylic sign.

The exact sequence changes with the sign, but the core work is precise: the metal face and acrylic must originate from coordinated artwork so every opening, shoulder, cap, and retaining surface aligns after paint and finishing.

Routed metal faceAluminum is cut to the build file, including lettering, symbols, borders, and access details.
Machined acrylicAcrylic is routed to create the projecting body, retaining shoulder, face cap, or edge treatment.
Light controlOpaque paint, block-out films, reflectors, and LED placement prevent unintended glow through the metal face.
Cabinet or panelThe face is attached to a structure with the correct depth, stiffness, mounting, drainage, and service access.

Push-thru acrylic is unforgiving of loose tolerances. A small routing or fit error becomes visible as an inconsistent shadow line, light leak, crooked element, or part that cannot be retained correctly.

The machined shoulder behind the face holds the acrylic in place while the projected portion remains visible.

The S2 push-thru process

Design, fit, light, and installation are solved together.

Because the artwork is also the fabrication geometry, early decisions about stroke width and construction prevent expensive redesign later.

Logo + site

We review the artwork, mounting location, viewing distance, desired lighting effect, deadline, and budget.

Feasibility

We identify strokes, counters, small details, projection, cabinet depth, and any artwork changes needed for fabrication.

Survey

The wall, monument, blade-sign position, access, power, landlord criteria, and permit conditions are verified.

Design + price

The visual concept becomes a coordinated face, acrylic, cabinet, lighting, mounting, permit, and installation scope.

Approval + permit

S2 coordinates customer and landlord approval, submits permits, and arranges engineering when required.

Routing + machining

The metal and acrylic components are produced from matched files, fitted, finished, and assembled.

Lighting + test

LEDs, wiring, power supplies, block-out, and face behavior are tested before the sign leaves Loveland.

Install + inspect

S2 installs the sign, coordinates building power as needed, and supports required final inspection.

Long-term service

Push-thru signs can usually be repaired in parts.

The cabinet, face, acrylic, lighting, wiring, and mounting are separate service questions. A cracked acrylic element does not automatically require a new cabinet; a dark letter may be a failed LED or power-supply issue rather than damaged acrylic.

  • Replace damaged or missing acrylic elements
  • Correct light leaks, loose fit, and failed face caps
  • Replace LEDs, wiring, and power supplies
  • Repair cabinet faces, retainers, paint, and access panels
  • Update graphics or branding while preserving the sign body
  • Retrofit aging fluorescent or outdated LED systems
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Individual acrylic elements can be evaluated and serviced without treating the complete sign as disposable.
Cabinet shape, double-face construction, mounting bracket, acrylic detail, and lighting all contribute to the finished project.

Price and schedule

What changes the cost of a push-thru sign?

The routed face is only one part of the price. Push-thru work combines cabinet fabrication, precision machining, acrylic material, hand fitting, lighting, wiring, finishing, mounting, permitting, and installation.

  • Overall cabinet or panel dimensions
  • Single-face or double-face construction
  • Number of routed letters and logo shapes
  • Small details, counters, and tight spacing
  • Acrylic thickness and projection
  • Face glow, edge glow, color, and cap treatment
  • Paint, texture, printed graphics, and block-out
  • Wall, monument, blade, or interior mounting
  • Bracket and structural fabrication
  • LED layout, power supplies, and controls
  • Permit, engineering, and inspection requirements
  • Lift, access, electrician, and installation logistics

S2 provides a project-specific price after the artwork and site are understood. That keeps the quote tied to a buildable sign rather than a visual concept that changes after fabrication begins.

Built in Loveland, installed across Colorado

Push-thru acrylic signs for Northern Colorado, Denver, and Colorado Springs.

S2 fabricates push-thru signs in Loveland and installs qualifying projects throughout Colorado. Our day-to-day service area centers on Northern Colorado, with regular work in the Denver metro area and projects in Colorado Springs when the scope and schedule fit.

The strongest first step is to send the project address and logo. We can quickly tell whether push-thru construction is appropriate, whether the artwork needs adjustment, and whether channel letters, a conventional cabinet, or another sign type would serve the building better.

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Push-thru construction keeps small illuminated details organized inside one fabricated sign.

Push-thru acrylic FAQs

Questions about routed faces, acrylic, lighting, and service.

These answers cover the decisions that shape most early conversations. The building, jurisdiction, existing conditions, and sign design still determine the final recommendation.

What is a push-thru acrylic sign?

A push-thru sign uses a routed opening in an aluminum face with acrylic letters, symbols, or shapes fitted through the opening. The acrylic projects beyond the metal surface and can illuminate through its face, edges, or both.

How is a push-thru sign different from channel letters?

Channel letters are separate fabricated letter bodies mounted individually or on a raceway. Push-thru elements are part of one cabinet or fabricated panel, which keeps the composition together and makes very small details or connected artwork easier to control.

Can any logo be made as a push-thru sign?

Many logos can, but minimum stroke width, small counters, tight spacing, acrylic thickness, structural bridges, and how the parts are retained all matter. S2 adjusts the fabrication plan so the sign remains readable and serviceable.

Where are push-thru signs commonly used?

They work well on wall cabinets, blade signs, monument faces, tenant signs, lobby features, directional signs, and architectural panels where dimensional illuminated detail is desired.

Can the acrylic glow only at the edges?

Yes. Acrylic can be capped with an opaque or translucent face so the exposed edge becomes the primary illuminated feature, or the face and edges can both transmit light. The choice changes brightness, color, and daytime appearance.

Does S2 handle permitting and electrical coordination?

Yes. S2 prepares sign-permit applications where required, fabricates and UL labels qualifying electric signs, completes the sign-side wiring, and coordinates a licensed electrician for the branch circuit and final building-power connection when needed.

Can push-thru acrylic be repaired or replaced?

Usually. Damaged acrylic elements, failed LEDs, power supplies, wiring, faces, paint, and retainers can often be serviced without replacing the complete cabinet, provided the underlying structure remains sound.

What affects the price of a push-thru sign?

The main variables are cabinet or panel size, acrylic thickness and projection, number and complexity of routed shapes, face finish, lighting layout, mounting, permit requirements, access, and whether the sign is single-face or double-face.

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Start with what you know

Show us the logo, the location, and the effect you want after dark.

Push-thru projects begin with the artwork and the structure that will hold it. A logo file, building or site photo, project address, and desired mounting method give us enough to identify the practical fabrication path.

  • Project address and site photos
  • Vector logo or best available artwork
  • Wall, blade, monument, or interior location
  • Desired face and edge-lighting effect
  • Landlord criteria, if available
  • Opening or installation date
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