ADA compliant signs are required in buildings that are public facilities. We were working on some interior and exterior signs for SV Marketplace, an office building in Simi Valley, California. One of the signs they needed was a tenant ID sign which needed to be ADA compliant. As you can see from the photos, we made a brushed aluminum sign with raised text and Braille.
For the backer panel, we used 1/8″ Rowmark. Rowmark is an acrylic panel that can have two different colors. Rowmark is commonly used for engraved signs. For example, if you engraved letters into a panel of black and white Rowmark, you would end up with a black panel with white letters. Although we didn’t do any engraving for this sign, we used a brushed aluminum and black Rowmark because it was a cheaper alternative to using solid aluminum. The sides, however, are black so if the client is not okay with the sides not matching the face of the panel, this option may not work out.
On the bottom of the brushed aluminum Rowmark panel, we applied 1/32″ thick raised lettering for the suite number and the Braille translation underneath per ADA guidelines. On a separate panel, we put the tenant’s business name in black vinyl. This panel was 1/8″ thick clear acrylic, the same thickness as the backer panel. The clear acrylic panel was attached to the backer panel with standoffs so it can be removed easily. The vinyl can be replaced, or the entire acrylic panel can be replaced if anything happens to it. Standoffs can be removed just by unscrewing them, and they come in many different styles, colors, and finishes so they’re a great option for interior signs. These silver standoffs blend in well with the brushed aluminum backer panel and don’t stand out too much.