Cabinet & Light Box Signs in Central Ohio

    Zealot Signs fabricates cabinet and light box signs at our Powell, Ohio shop — welded aluminum cabinets with internally illuminated faces, built single or double face for wall mounting, pylon mounting, or freestanding installation. We also replace faces and retrofit older cabinets that are still structurally sound.

    A cabinet sign is the most cost-effective way to put a large, evenly lit, changeable message on a building. Because the graphics live on a replaceable face rather than in the structure, a rebrand or a tenant change is a face swap instead of a new sign — which is exactly why they dominate retail centers, service businesses, and multi-tenant properties.

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    Cabinet & light box signs fabricated and installed by Zealot Signs in Central Ohio

    How Zealot Signs delivers this work

    Every step below happens inside Zealot Signs — no brokered design, no subcontracted fabrication, no day-rate install crew.

    How cabinet signs are built

    • Cabinet — welded aluminum extrusion or fabricated aluminum body, finished in automotive-grade paint, with hinged or removable retainers for face access and weep provisions to shed moisture.
    • Faces — flat or formed polycarbonate and acrylic, digitally printed or with translucent applied vinyl graphics; pan-formed faces add depth and rigidity on larger spans.
    • Routed and push-through faces — an aluminum face with routed copy backed by push-through acrylic, giving a dimensional, higher-end look while keeping the changeable-panel advantage.
    • Illumination — LED modules matched to cabinet depth for even lighting without hot spots, driven by Mean Well power supplies chosen so future service uses available parts.
    • Mounting — wall-mounted cleats and through-bolted attachments, pylon and pole mounting with engineered brackets, or freestanding on a foundation.
    • Configurations — single face against a wall, double face for cabinets seen from both directions, and stacked multi-tenant cabinets with individual tenant panels.

    Cabinet signs versus channel letters

    Channel letters read as individual dimensional letters mounted to the wall and generally look more custom and more premium. Cabinet signs put the whole message on one lit panel and are less expensive per square foot of lit area, easier to change later, and simpler to permit and install as a single unit.

    Practically, cabinets win where the message is long, where a logo has fine detail that will not survive being fabricated as individual letters, where tenants change often, or where the budget will not carry a letter set. Routed and push-through faces close much of the appearance gap when the look matters but a cabinet is the right structure.

    Face replacement and LED retrofits

    Most calls about cabinet signs are not for new cabinets. Faces yellow, crack, or blow out in wind, and older cabinets still running fluorescent lamps or neon cost money every time a lamp or ballast fails. If the cabinet body, retainers, and mounting are sound, replacing the face and converting the lighting to LED is dramatically cheaper than a new sign.

    We measure the existing cabinet, produce a new face to the actual opening rather than the nominal size, and retrofit the interior with LED modules and new power supplies. Where the cabinet is corroded, the retainers are failing, or the mounting is unsafe, we say so and quote replacement instead — retrofitting a dying cabinet is a repair you pay for twice.

    Permits and sizing

    Cabinet signs are permanent signs, so allowable area, height, projection, and illumination are set by the zoning district and the building's frontage. Columbus issues a Graphics Permit; suburban jurisdictions run their own reviews and some restrict internally illuminated cabinets in favor of dimensional letters in certain districts and overlays.

    We verify what the parcel allows before finalizing the cabinet size, because a cabinet designed to the wall rather than to the allowance is the most common reason a sign package comes back from review.

    Cabinet & light box signs: common questions

    What is a cabinet or light box sign?

    A cabinet sign — also called a light box sign — is a welded aluminum enclosure with an internally illuminated face. The graphics live on a replaceable acrylic or polycarbonate face, so the message can be changed later without replacing the sign structure. They are built single or double face for wall, pylon, or freestanding mounting.

    Can you replace just the face of an existing light box sign?

    Yes, and it is one of our most common jobs. We measure the existing cabinet opening, fabricate a new printed or vinyl-graphic face to that dimension, and install it. If the internal lighting is fluorescent or neon we usually recommend converting it to LED at the same time while the sign is open.

    Cabinet sign or channel letters — which should I choose?

    Channel letters look more custom and premium; cabinet signs cost less per square foot of lit area, handle long messages and fine logo detail better, and are far easier to change when a tenant or brand changes. A routed aluminum face with push-through acrylic copy is a middle option that looks dimensional on a cabinet structure.

    How are cabinet signs illuminated?

    With LED modules spaced and selected for the cabinet's depth so the face lights evenly without hot spots or dark bands, powered by serviceable Mean Well power supplies. Older cabinets running fluorescent lamps or neon can typically be retrofitted to LED while keeping the existing cabinet and faces.

    Do cabinet signs need a permit in Central Ohio?

    Yes. A cabinet sign is a permanent sign, and its allowable area, height, projection, and illumination depend on the zoning district and the property's frontage. Some districts and overlays restrict internally illuminated cabinets. We confirm what the parcel allows before finalizing the size and file the permit application.