House sign

House signs have been used since ancient times to personalise a dwelling, turning a house into a home.^[1]

Types

Stone

Having already been around for half a billion years, stone signs are hard to beat for durability. The most commonly used types of rock are marble, granite, and slate. Marble and Granite can look quite elegant, but do not have much scope for artwork beyond simple line drawings. Any sculpture in these signs would be extremely costly. Slate has its own distinctive appearance which is also popular despite being again not suitable for sculpture. If gilding is desired, these signs should be hand carved for maximum effect. Sand-blasting, though less expensive, creates a rounded groove, with inferior reflective quality.

Cast metal

These signs are usually made of aluminium, iron, or brass. The unique cast look can be quite appealing but these signs are not long-lasting. Brass tends to tarnish and corrode after a few years, as does Iron. Also, artwork on these signs is generally restricted to a motif chosen from a gallery. Although poorly suited for custom decoration since individual artwork would require a custom mould, these signs do remain popular due to their traditional appearance.

Ceramic

Ceramic signs give a very traditional feel, though there is little scope for carving or sculpting, hence they can look a little flat. These signs tend to last very well once mounted. Care must be taken not to crack the sign in the mounting process, or by dropping it prior to mounting. Ceramic signs tend to be expensive, due to the complexity of the manufacturing process.

Acrylic

Plates, similar to those made of stainless steel or brass, can be used where a more modern look is desired.Acrylic signs are best suited for indoor/outdoor or business applications, but can also be used for house signs. Light and inexpensive. Again restricted to simple designs with less opportunity for sculpture until the launch by Acrylic Master who have developed techniques to decorate acrylic with patterns|designs|graphics and text creating unlimited opportunities for personalisation.

Carved

Traditionally made of wood, carved signs allow for the most creativity in terms of painting, shape, and sculpture. Western red cedar and redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) is most common, although cherry and oak are also used along with a range of darker tropical woods. Wood requires regular maintenance and repeated coats of varnish or paint. More recently developed synthetic materials, notably high-density urethane (HDU), have been extremely successful, allowing the same quality and craftsmanship coupled with a much greater weather resistance.^[2] Carved signs have been a traditional icon of the New England states in the USA, and are frequently also gilded with real gold. Traditional hand carving techniques are still used to create carved signs, although CNC routers are sometimes employed, and some sites exist which allow users to design their own sign prior to having it hand carved.

References

1. Miles, J.: "Owl's Hoot: How People Name Their Houses", John Murray, 29 June 2000
2. Spielman, P.: "Making Wood Signs", Barnes & Noble, Oct 2003