By Dayna Reed
Posted on Monday, February 23rd, 2026
It always bothers me to see raised letters on a flat panel with no border or a painted border. They look incomplete, and it seems an opportunity has been missed to add a little more 3D appeal to a sign.
I prefer to add a border that’s raised, using either one layer or two of HDU board to such signs. It doesn’t take long and besides, what’s cooler than a 3-in.-thick sign?
I always have plenty of scraps of HDU board around, and they’re perfect for making borders. On a rectangular sign it’s really a breeze, and on shaped sign panels, I take a shortcut that adds a little more interest to the sign. Rather than try to make perfect joints then fill and sand them before I paint, I often bevel the edges of the joint and let that be part of the design.
On a sign that has an arched panel, I usually make the border of HDU board rather than cut the border from a whole sheet of HDU. I use pieces of scrap to make the border. On a 2-by-8-ft. sign with an arched top, you waste a lot of material if you cut the border from a sheet of HDU board.
You can also use those HDU board scraps to put a “roof” on a sign. You can use it in conjunction with a raised border as I have here or just add the roof to a panel of routed or blasted HDU. It only takes a few minutes, but it’s another way to add more dimension.
Besides increasing the side wall thickness of the signage and adding the feel of more dimension, a raised border also protects the other raised elements on the sign. This is one of those things that doesn’t take much time or materials but adds a lot to the appeal of a sign with 3D letters.
Dayna Reed’s shop, Sign Art Signs, is in Hood River, Oregon. His two DVDs, 3D Signs Made Easy and More Super Cool 3D Signs, are available at SignCraft.com.
