Custom Signs
Flex LED Neon Signs Chicago
Flexible LED rope bent to your artwork and mounted on a cut acrylic backing. The look of glass neon with none of the fragility, the gas or the high voltage.
- Bent to your artwork
- Low voltage, no gas
- Interior or weather-rated
- Licensed Chicago sign contractor
- Built in our own shop
- Permits and drawings handled
- One team from quote to install
The problem
Why flex LED replaced glass neon
What customers tell us before we start, and what we do about it.
What usually goes wrong
- Traditional neon is fragile, expensive to repair and runs at a voltage that makes some landlords nervous.
- You want the neon look for a bar, salon or studio without the maintenance that comes with glass tube.
- The sign needs to be photographed constantly and flat printed signage does not do that job.
How SignFreaks handles it
- Flexible LED rope, bent to the same shapes, at low voltage and without gas or glass.
- Mounted on laser-cut clear or colored acrylic, so the backing follows the artwork rather than sitting behind it as a rectangle.
- Consistent brightness with no flicker, and individual sections replaceable if they ever fail.
What you get
How these are built
The parts that matter, and why each one is specified the way it is.
LED rope
Flexible silicone-jacketed LED in a range of colors, bent by hand to follow the artwork.
Backing
Laser-cut acrylic, either clear, colored, or cut to the outline of the shape itself for a floating effect.
Colors
Fixed single colors, or RGB with a controller where the color needs to change.
Power
A low-voltage driver, usually plug-in for interior work, hard-wired where the installation is permanent.
Dimming and control
Optional dimmer or remote, which matters in a bar or restaurant more than people expect.
Mounting
Standoffs, chain hung, or flush, depending on the backing and the wall.
Compare
Flex LED against glass neon
What you gain and what you give up.
| Flex LED neon | Traditional glass neon | |
|---|---|---|
| Durability | Silicone and acrylic, hard to break | Glass tube, genuinely fragile |
| Voltage | Low voltage driver | High voltage transformer |
| Repair | Section replaced | Specialist glass work |
| Light quality | Even, slightly more uniform | The characteristic glow, subtly different |
| Shipping | Travels well | Needs crating and care |
| Outdoor use | Possible with a rated specification | Established but higher maintenance |
Swipe to see the full table.
Approvals
Permits and what to expect
The part of the job most likely to move your timeline.
Interior flex neon is generally quick, needs no sign permit and is limited mainly by artwork and lead time. Anything in a window facing the street may fall under window signage rules, which in some municipalities limit how much of the glazing can be covered and whether it may be illuminated or flashing. Exterior installations need a weather-rated specification and the usual approvals.
We handle the drawings and the filing as part of the job. There is more detail on our sign permit page.
Our work
Projects we have built
Real installations, photographed on site.
Get a real number for your flex led neon signs
Send a photo, a rough size and your deadline. You get a written quote with line items, not a range and not a guess.
Who uses it
Industries we build this for
The requirements change with the building. These pages go into how.
Restaurants
Learn moreSalons
Learn moreHotels
Learn more
Coverage
Where we work
The City of Chicago and more than 150 suburbs, from three by-appointment offices. Every village writes its own sign code, so we check yours before we design.
Budget
What moves the price
Roughly in the order they matter.
We do not publish price lists, because a number without your size, site and deadline attached would be fiction. Give us those three and you get a real quote.
- Total length of rope, which follows from how complex the artwork is.
- Backing size and whether it is cut to the outline or left as a shape.
- Number of colors, since each is a separate run of rope.
- RGB and control, which add a controller and wiring.
- Indoor against outdoor rating.
- Mounting method and whether it is hard-wired or plug-in.
Questions
Questions we get asked
Call (872) 250-4743, Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Questions we get asked
Does it look like real neon?
Close, and closer than most people expect from across a room. The difference is visible up close: flex LED is slightly more uniform, where glass neon has a subtle variation along the tube. For most signage that reads as a positive rather than a compromise.
How long does it last?
LED rope is rated in tens of thousands of hours and the driver is typically the first thing to need replacing. Both are serviceable, and a failed section can be replaced without rebuilding the whole sign.
Can it be dimmed?
Yes, with a compatible dimmer or an RGB controller. Worth specifying up front for hospitality work — a sign set for daylight is usually too bright once the room lights come down in the evening.
Can I have my handwriting or logo?
Yes. We work from your artwork, and script and handwriting suit the medium particularly well because the rope naturally follows a continuous line. Very fine detail and tight corners are the limit — the rope has a minimum bend radius.
Can it go outside?
With an outdoor-rated rope, a sealed driver and a backing specified for weather, yes. It is a different build from an interior sign and priced accordingly, so tell us at the start where it is going.
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