How much does a neon cost?

Why nobody will quote you a neon over the phone

A neon is not an off-the-shelf product. Every piece is made to a specific order: different wording, different wall width, different mounting height, different conditions on site. Two neons carrying the same word can differ several times over in price, because one is half a metre wide in a reception and the other five metres up on a facade above a street.

So instead of inventing ranges that tell you nothing, we show the mechanism. Once you have been through the points below, you will be able to judge whether your project sits at the cheaper or the more expensive end — and you will know what to ask when comparing quotes.

Five things that decide the price

The order is deliberate — from the biggest influence to the one clients most often forget.

• —Technology. Glass neon is craftsmanship: a tube bent by hand over a burner and filled with noble gas. LED neon is the affordable alternative, but it is an imitation and we recommend it for interiors only. 3D letters and lightboxes sit in different brackets again.
• —Size. The same name at one metre and at five metres are two different jobs — material, weight, supporting structure and installation method all scale up.
• —Number of characters. With 3D letters every character is made separately, so the length of the wording raises the cost more than with a lightbox, which is priced more as a whole.
• —Installation method. A sign at height means a lift or scaffolding and certification for work at heights. The same neon inside a venue goes up incomparably more easily.
• —Power supply. If there is no power run to the target spot, electrical work is added — and this is the item that surprises people most often.

How to lower the cost without spoiling the effect

A few things genuinely reduce the bill and none of them shows in the result.

Shorten the wording. Instead of the full registered name — just the recognisable mark. Fewer characters to make, and nobody reads long strings from across the street anyway.

Split the technologies. The name in glass neon above the entrance and a cheaper lightbox with your offer beside it looks better than everything executed in the most expensive option.

Consider the interior rather than the facade. If the neon is there to set a mood rather than catch passers-by, an interior opens up the LED option, which costs less.

Allow time. A deadline of tomorrow always narrows the options — with a calm schedule it is easier to fit a solution to the budget.

What not to save on

Three items where cutting costs comes back at you within a year.

Outdoor materials. Letters in lightweight substrates and a lightbox without proper sealing look identical in a photo to a version built for a Polish winter. The difference shows after the first frost. For facades we use materials resistant to rain, frost and UV — and that is worth asking about in every quote.

Installation. Illuminated advertising is a structure hanging above people's heads and connected to mains power. We carry out installation ourselves, including electrical connections and work at height, for which we are certified.

LED neon outdoors. The most common price-driven mistake. We do not recommend it for outdoor use in any variant.

Why buying from the maker costs less than from a middleman

Most firms in this trade take the order and pass the work on, adding their margin. We run our own workshop near Warsaw and are one of the few direct manufacturers of traditional glass neon in Europe — our projects are made entirely in-house, with no subcontractors.

For the client that means not only no middleman's margin, but real influence over the project: you can come, see the neon while it is being made, and ask for a change before it is too late.

What to prepare to get a quote without delay

The quote is free and carries no obligation. The more detail you give upfront, the faster we come back with a specific answer — with the full picture we usually have nothing left to ask.

• —Your logo or the wording — a vector file ideally, but a photo is enough to start.
• —A photo of where it will hang — facade, window or an interior wall.
• —The approximate width of that wall or window, and the mounting height.
• —Whether power is already run to that spot.
• —When it needs to be ready — even roughly.
• —Your budget, if you have one — not so we spend all of it, but so we can propose something that fits it straight away.

What you get back

From your logo or wording we prepare a design and a visualisation before production starts, together with a quote. So you see how the neon will look in your space before you decide anything.

We will also advise the solution that fits your space and budget — including when the answer is a cheaper option than you assumed. Describe your project in the form below.