- Call Us Today! 1800 595 422
- installs@ssvi.com.au
- Call Us Today! 1800 595 422
- installs@ssvi.com.au
What looks perfectly straight on a drawing often turns out to be anything but once installers reach the site. Walls curve, cladding ripples, concrete dips, and even small variations can throw off alignment and appearance. This article explores what really happens when installers meet with mounting signs on uneven surfaces — from the hidden challenges of tricky substrates to the expert adjustments that make finished signage look flawless.
Architects and designers usually start with the assumption that a wall is level, plumb, and uniform. Out in the real world, though, very few are.
Rendered walls can bow out by a few millimetres per metre. Sheet cladding might flex, ripple, or move with temperature changes. Brick and blockwork often hide subtle inconsistencies. These variations can make spacing, sightlines, and fixing points much harder to line up.
That’s why experienced installers rely on more than what’s on the plan. They use real-world judgement to ensure that, even if the wall isn’t technically straight, the sign looks perfectly straight to the human eye.
Mounting signs on uneven surfaces calls for creativity and precision. Here are some of the tools and techniques that make it work:
Laser levelling: Establishes a visually true line, even when the wall itself is uneven.
Packers and spacers: Balance out dips, bows, and bulges behind panels or lettering.
Template mounting: Ensures exact hole placement when markings or tape won’t stick.
Structural adhesives: Distribute load evenly across fragile or inconsistent materials.
On-site fabrication tweaks: Adjust brackets and frames on the spot to suit the real surface.
And even then, sometimes when the sign is perfectly straight, other factors make it look wonky, which is why expert installers will look at it in-situ and ‘straighten it up’ if need be.
Different wall materials present different challenges:
Concrete or blockwork: Reliable but rarely flat. Often needs patching or shimming.
Cladding and composites: Lightweight, but prone to movement with temperature and wind.
Render or plaster: Can conceal voids, uneven layers, or weak spots.
Timber: Expands, contracts, and warps with moisture and age.
Each requires its own approach to ensure both safety and longevity. Knowing how materials behave is the foundation of a secure, compliant installation.
You can’t see experience in a quote — but you can see it in the finished job.
SSV Installations has completed signage projects on everything from curved glass façades to rough masonry and aged timber. Their teams adjust for the unexpected and maintain alignment, structural integrity, and safety from start to finish. That’s the difference between a sign that just fits the wall and one that fits the environment.
Do uneven walls make a sign look crooked?
They can, which is why installers use levelling tools and optical adjustments to ensure the sign reads visually straight, not just mechanically aligned.
Can I still use heavy or illuminated signs on rough surfaces?
Yes, with the right bracket system or subframe. Structural support is designed around the actual wall conditions, not just the drawing.
How do installers prepare for tricky substrates?
By conducting a site inspection before the install. This allows time to design mounts, check access, and identify potential hazards or weak points.
Plans are nice and tidy. Real walls are not. Skilled installers bridge that gap so that the finished result looks sharp, safe, and consistent, even when the surface underneath tells a different story.
For installs that look perfect, no matter what lies beneath, talk to SSV Installations.