Lasercut Toilet and Staircase Signs : 8 Steps (with Pictures)

Toilet and emergency staircase signs can be pretty dull and boring and not too visually interactive. Well, of course they’re supposed to stand out against their surroundings to get the message out “TOILET” or “FIRE ESCAPE”. Might as well make them more beautiful and add to the ambiance of the space they’re deployed in.

The hangout space at Maker’s Asylum Mumbai shares a wall with the toilet and staircase. It’s like a lounge where we hang out and have a cup of coffee in the evenings right by the black leather map wall.

You will need:

-a laser cutter

-3mm plywood

-gateway paper (tracing paper)

-bulbs

-wire

-plug point

-glue

Step 1: Step 1: Living Hinge Sides

Depending upon size (diameter) of your lightbox sign, use 3mm plywood to make the living hinge sides. This is extremely important functionally as it gives a certain depth for the lightbox and aesthetically because the cuts allow the light to escape through and project a beautiful play between light and shadows against the wall.

Step 2: Step 2: Reinforcement Rings

These plywood rings will impart stiffness to the flex hinge strip. The circumference of the rings should be equal to the length of the flex hinge strip

Step 3: Step 3: Face

You will need 3mm ply and gateway paper to make the face of the light box. Laser cut the Male, Female and staircase logos (as per your design).

You can laser cut the gateway paper to an equal
diameter of the face. Use glue to stick the paper to the back of the ply.

(Pro tip: make sure to leave on offset while applying glue Gateway paper crumples a lot while in contact with any liquid. Make sure the paper is kept taut).

Laser cut another ring 3mm smaller than the face. This will help you glue the living hinge sides to the face of the lightbox.

Step 4: Step 4: Assemble the Light Box.

As the face, the sides and the reinforcement rings are ready, glue them together. Take care to glue the side hinge to the inner ring of the face one inch at a time. Include the locking rings to the back of the lightboxes. Refer to the locking mechanism of a CD box

Step 5: Step 5: Wall Mount and Bulb Holder.

This is where the lightbox meets the wall. It’s

important to make the box removable so as to change the bulb and access the wiring whenever necessary. The rewritable CD box seemed to be the perfect inspiration for this.

Laser cut the final ring with notches to attach to the wall mount.

The wall mount will have 3 layers.

● the notch for locking the lightbox

● spacer ring

● MDF circle attached to the wall.

Step 6: Step 6: Mount on Wall

You will need

● a drilling machine

● 5mm drill bit

● 3 Wall plugs

● 3 screws

Drill 3 holes on the wall with the board in a triangular manner. Fill the holes in the wall with wall plugs. Align the entire wall mounting board to the wall with the screws.