Standing Stone House Signs

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Information about our House Signs, Nameplates and House Plaques

Including materials, lettering, fixing, house names and articles

Hand crafted house sign from Standingstone.

Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any queries or require any further information about our house signs which is not covered on this page.
All house signs are hand crafted in our own workshops in rural Carmarthenshire. The processes involved - from original design and modelling to casting, lettering and finishing - are carried out entirely in Standing Stone studios, enabling us to have full control over production and maintain a high standard of service.
Materials  -  Lettering  -  Fixing  -  House Names  -  Press

Materials and Processes
Standing Stone house signs are made from only the highest quality materials which are used to create a functional, yet elegant product. The castings are strong and durable but lighter than a true bronze casting or an actual piece of slate. They are unaffected by even the most extreme weather conditions and will not rot, warp, split, crack or rust.

What is cold cast bronze?
Cold casting is a process of casting using metal or mineral filled resins. It was developed in the 1950's by Sir Alec Tiranti and is now widely used by fine art sculptors. Cold cast bronze is also known as resin bronze and bonded bronze.
The first layer applied into the mould, and so forming the exterior of the sign, is a mixture of pure bronze powder and a small amount of polyester resin - just enough to make the mixture brushable. When this layer has set, the casting is strengthened with further layers of reinforced resin composite. This process results in a casting with a slightly hollow back.
Once the casting is removed from the mould, the low relief modelling is highlighted by the application of paint washes to create a patina effect; the bronze-rich surface is then polished to enhance the metallic finish. Finally the sign is sealed with several coats of clear gloss lacquer in order to give the surface long-term protection against dulling and tarnishing. Customers can specify a waxed finish as an alternative to lacquer but should be aware that the surface will quickly mature to a dark nut-brown colour.

...and resin-slate?
A similar process is employed when making resin-slate house signs except a resin/slate mixture is the first layer applied in the mould. To prevent finger marks showing on the slate-rich surface when handling and fixing these signs, a traditional linseed oil finish is applied. With time this will weather away leaving the sign a lighter slate grey but is easily re-applied if desired.

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Lettering
There is a choice from seven different lettering styles (fonts) for your house sign, these are illustrated on the Lettering styles page. If in doubt 'A - THE OLD SCHOOLHOUSE' is recommended. Heritage house signs are supplied with a clear calligraphic style of lettering as standard. A choice of one of these styles is not mandatory - we can, where possible, use a font of your choice.
Great care is taken with the design, layout and accurate spacing of the lettering in order to provide the best visual effect and legibility in the space available on the nameplate. If you have a preferred layout please enclose it with your order.
All Foliate signs (Vine, Oak, Dog-rose and Strawberry) and  Heritage signs have the option of a larger nameplate to accommodate longer names on two lines.
Both cold cast bronze and resin-slate house signs have the lettering engraved into the sign using a grit blasting process - set just below the surface of the nameplate. It is then finished in white using a durable sign writer's paint.
If you are unsure how your address will look on a sign in a particular lettering style or layout please use our free "View before you buy" service and we will email you a draft picture of the sign with the lettering for your approval.

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Fixing
All house signs are supplied ready for fixing with pre-drilled holes, appropriate screws, masonry plugs and press-fit screw covers. They are easily secured using ordinary DIY tools.
If there isn't a vertical surface available where you want to site your sign - with a little ingenuity and maybe carpentry - it could also be fixed to a post, gate or similar. For example, at the end of a drive you could set a paving slab into the ground or a bank and then fix the sign to it. When positioning your sign be aware that walls are sometimes out of true, in which case don't be a slave to the spirit level - take the attitude 'if it looks level it is level'.
As part of the casting process, all our signs have a slightly hollow back to them and will 'give' slightly when screwing them into position; this helps if you're fixing house signs to a rough or uneven surface.

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House Names
The procedure for changing the name of a house address in the UK is as follows:
1) If your house address has a number, then that number will always remain as the postal address. A house name can be added as an alias, e.g. "11 Church Lane" becomes "Rose Cottage, 11 Church Lane". You can inform your local Council of the change but this is not obligatory. In these circumstances you should display the new house name and, most importantly, the existing house number.
2) If your house address has a name only and not a number, then a request for a change of name must be put in writing to the Naming and Numbering Department of your local Council. Before approving the change, they will contact all the relevant authorities to ensure the change of name is satisfactory and all records are updated. This also applies if you are building a new home and wish to give it a name only.

It is most important to follow these procedures and ensure your house name or house number can easily be seen from the road - you never know when the Emergency Services may need to find your address in a hurry!

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Press
Articles about Standing Stone signs have appeared in the following publications:

Period Living & Traditional Homes - four times, including article 'Six of the best door plates'
BBC Homes & Antiques
Country Living
Period Ideas For Your Home
Homebuilding & Renovating
Perfect Home
Self Build
Period House
Your Cat
Horse & Hound

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House Signs Handcrafted by the Artists and Artisans at Standing Stone

Address details, Standing Stone house signs.

Copyright S. Maslin - Standing Stone 1996 - 2008