Making a House a Beautiful Home with a Custom-Made House Sign

House signs have been around since the end of the fourteenth century, when Britain’s King asked alehouses to identify themselves with signs. Any tavern ignoring this instruction risked having its brew confiscated.

Things may have changed, however an Englishman’s home is still his castle, and house signs remain one of the finest ways of giving where you live its unique appeal, especially if your home has a similar look to the other buildings in your street. And, if your house has a name which is special to you, there’s no finer way of showing it off than with a customised sign.

One study has actually shown that the correct house sign can pro-actively enhance the market value of a home.

Wooden house signage with hand-carved letters, images or numbering is, of course, enormously popular and looks fantastic. Oak, for example, is incredibly durable, and, one of the best timbers available for home signs. Over time, it acquires even more character, without ever rotting. For a smarter look, you may want to consider a varnished finish. Cherry and cedar can also be used in signs on the outside of houses.

With custom signage, you can copy logo’s or photographs on to your sign, or create something new to suit your tastes. You can let your creativity run riot!

Lettering can be hand-carved in a traditional way, and you can add colour to them to improve clarity. You will have to decide on a typeface – Roman Trajan is one example of a very popular typeface for wooden house signs – and whether you have capital or lower case letters, or title casing. Of course, you’ll want visitors to find your house easily, so clarity is very important.

If you are going for gold lettering, make sure the final sign is gilded with real gold leaf, and never gold paint.

If you want an alternative to wooden house signs, think about stone such as marble, slate or granite. But bare in mind that carving can be limited to simple drawings. But it’s hard to think of a more durable material.

Ceramic often gives a traditional feel, and lasts very well when mounted on a wall, but there is less scope for carving and sculpting. If you drop it as you’re mounting it on the wall, a ceramic house sign may shatter.

For a more contemporary feel, consider an acrylic sign. Acrylic may not be the most long-lasting product, and there’s less scope for sculpting and carving, but it is light and inexpensive.

Similarly, cast metal signs such as those made from aluminium, brass or iron may loose their tarnish after a few years. The artwork you can have on these signs tends to be limited, since a custom made mould is required, but metal remains a popular choice because of its appealing and striking appearance.

Whatever you decide on, it should suit the appearance of both your home and its neighbourhood. To assist you, look for professional makers of custom made home signage, and ask for a full-colour print-out so you have an accurate idea of how the finished product will look.

Only with the experts can your creative flair be transformed into a true work of art!!