How to choose a glass neon sign maker
Choosing a glass neon sign maker? Pick a workshop that bends its own glass, tests each neon in the dark and installs it itself. Here is what to ask first.
How to choose a neon workshop - the short answer
Choose a workshop that bends its own glass, shows a design and visualisation before production, tests the finished neon in the dark and installs it with its own team. Ask where you can see its work in person and who will look after the neon in a few years. Specific answers rather than generalities mean you are talking to a maker, not a middleman.
Below are the questions to ask any maker - and how each one works in our workshop in Rybie near Raszyn, where we have made glass neons since 2000.
A neon shop versus a glass workshop
Search online for a neon manufacturer and you often land on shops selling ready-made signs. These are usually LED neons: a flexible light tube that imitates traditional neon. It has its uses, but it is not glass neon and it is not made in a glass workshop.
A glass neon workshop works differently. Each tube is heated over a burner, bent by hand and filled with noble gas. The neon is made for a specific wording, logo and place, not stocked in a few sizes. So the first question is simple: does the company sell, or does it make?
Who bends the glass - question number one
Ask directly: do you have your own workshop and who bends the tubes? It is worth asking, because a neon order can be passed on to another company. The client then does not know who works on their sign, and every correction goes through two companies.
Our answer is short. We run our own workshop near Warsaw and are one of the few direct manufacturers of traditional glass neon in Europe. Projects are made one hundred per cent in-house, without subcontractors - from design and glass bending to the 3D letters and lightboxes a neon is sometimes set into.
A good test is asking to visit. A workshop that really bends glass can show it. Clients who want to see how a neon is made are welcome in Rybie. The French-German broadcaster ARTE produced a report about our workshop.
Neon design - a design and visualisation before production
The second question: will I see a design before production? Neon is a line of light of constant thickness, so a print logo almost always has to be translated into neon - simplified here, moved to a background there. A good workshop does this with the client, not quietly on its own.
From a logo, wording or sketch we prepare a design and visualisation. It shows the overall size, the line layout, the light colours and the mounting - directly on the wall, on a panel, on a separate structure or inside 3D letters. Comments at this stage cost the least: you correct a drawing, not the glass.
A lighting test before handover
A neon shows its character only in the dark. Ask whether the finished neon will be switched on and checked before it goes to installation. That is when you see the colours and evenness of the glow, and a correction is still simple.
We switch on and check every neon in the workshop before it leaves. On large projects this matters even more: a correction after installation on a facade would mean hiring equipment again. The 3D letters with neon along the perimeter that we made for Orlen, for example, had an evening lighting test in the workshop.
Transport and installation by our own team
Glass is delicate, so transport is not a formality. Ask who will carry and install the neon. If several companies are involved, responsibility for the result is spread between them.
We deliver finished neons with our own transport - like the set of glass neons for the Park Glinianka shopping centre. Our own team installs them, including the electrical connection, also at height: we hold certificates for such work. We also remove the previous sign.
For the client this means one contractor from design to a lit sign.
Already have a project in mind?
Get a free quoteServicing and restoration years later
Glass neon lasts for years and keeps its full colour. That is why it is worth asking what happens when a section goes dark or the sign has to be moved. A maker that bends its own glass can make a new section of tube to the original shape. A middleman has to find someone who can.
After installation we provide servicing and maintenance of illuminated signs. The skill that builds a neon from scratch also saves one that is decades old: we restored 130 glass neons for the Neon Museum in Warsaw, and we restored the historic neons of the Cepelia pavilion and put them back on the facade.
Glass or LED - honest advice
Ask what the maker recommends for your space, and notice whether the advice depends on the space or on their catalogue. We make both glass and LED neons, but outdoors we recommend glass only.
Our rule is fixed: we recommend LED neon for interiors only. It is a cheaper imitation of classic neon, fine for decorating a venue, a reception or a quick project, but not suitable outdoors. For a facade, a street-facing shop window or a roof we choose glass neon, 3D letters or a lightbox.
If someone offers you an LED neon for a facade because it is cheaper, treat it as a warning sign.
Polish neons you can see in person
The best reference is a neon glowing somewhere you know. Ask where you can see the maker’s work without an appointment, and go and look in the evening.
Our work glows in many places in Warsaw. Glass neons sign three metro stations: Płocka, Młynów and Księcia Janusza. We have worked with Hala Koszyki since it opened, our neons glow at the Nocny Market, and in the former Cepelia building they became the signage of the new Empik. On Marszałkowska Street glows the „Wielka Warszawa” neon, made to a design by Arek Vaz.
Polish neon history also includes the Neon Museum collection, with 130 neons restored in our workshop. There is also the neon for the Lubaszka bakery - the largest animated glass neon in Poland, 25 by 5 metres, with automated control.
What to ask a neon workshop - a summary
The questions in one place. The right-hand column shows our answers - compare it with what other makers tell you.
When comparing quotes, also check what the price covers. We explain what drives the price of a neon in a separate guide.
| Question for the maker | Why ask it | How we do it |
|---|---|---|
| Who bends the glass? | To know if you are talking to the manufacturer | Our own workshop in Rybie near Raszyn, all in-house, no subcontractors |
| Will I see a design? | Corrections on paper cost the least | Design and visualisation before production |
| Will the neon be lit and tested? | Colour and evenness show only in the dark | Lit and checked in the workshop before it leaves |
| Who transports and installs it? | Glass is delicate; installation means electrics and height | Our own transport, installation with electrical connection |
| What about servicing later? | A tube section can be remade | Servicing, maintenance, restoration of old neons |
| Glass or LED? | Advice should follow the space, not the catalogue | LED for interiors only, glass outdoors |
| Where can I see your work? | A neon in person says more than a photo | Metro, Hala Koszyki, Nocny Market, Neon Museum |
What to prepare for a quote
The quote is free and non-binding. The more information we get at the start, the sooner we come back with a design and visualisation.
- —The logo or wording - ideally a vector file, but a photo is enough to start.
- —A photo of the place where the neon will glow: the facade, shop window or interior wall.
- —An approximate size, or the width of the wall or window.
- —Whether the neon will be outdoors or indoors - the technology depends on it.
- —Whether you need installation and whether there is a power supply at that spot.
- —The deadline, if it matters - mention it at the start of the conversation.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a neon workshop different from a neon shop?
- A workshop makes each neon to order: it bends glass tubes by hand and fills them with noble gas. In an online shop, ask whether it is glass neon or a ready-made LED neon - the latter imitates glass neon and suits interiors only.
- Can I visit your workshop?
- Yes. Clients who want to see how a neon is made are welcome at our workshop in Rybie near Raszyn, just outside Warsaw. In person, the difference between glass and LED is far clearer than in photos.
- Do you use subcontractors?
- No. Our projects are made one hundred per cent in-house, without subcontractors. Design, glass bending, transport and installation are in one pair of hands.
- Will I see the neon before it is installed?
- Before production you get a design and visualisation. We switch the finished neon on and check it in the dark in our workshop before it goes to installation.
- Do you look after the neon after installation?
- Yes. We provide servicing and maintenance, and we restore old glass neons - including 130 neons for the Neon Museum in Warsaw.
- How do I request a free quote?
- Use the form on the contact page or call us. Send the logo or wording and a photo of the place - the quote is free and non-binding.
