Prices/Payment
Signs are charged per letter, using the height of a capital letter (e.g. "T"):
- Up to 50mm or 2" tall, £5 per letter
- Up to 75mm or 3" tall, £7 per letter
- Up to 100mm or 4" tall, £10 per letter
- Up to 125mm or 5" tall, £13 per letter
Painted letters cost £1 extra per letter
Please email or call if you have any other sizes in mind or other requirements such as logos, etc. I will calculate the cost and get back to you promptly.
Full payment is required before I can start work on your sign. You can pay using BACS, cheque, PayPal account or a credit/debit card. Credit/debit card payments are made securely through the PayPal system, but you don't need to have a PayPal account to do this.
What's included?
These prices cover the time spent designing and carving and the cost of the timber. Free optional extras include weather and UV-resistant oil finish, a moulded edging, and brass hanging plates or hooks.
What's not included?
Postage and fitting are not included in the price. Anything that will take extra time will also have a small extra fee. For example, non-rectangular signs, carved logos or shapes, very small or very large letters and any extra hardware, such as brass chains for hanging the sign.
Postage
Postage is charged at cost price, I don't charge any extra for packaging. Postage for the average sign costs around £6-8. It can cost more, dependent upon size, weight and whether you need a 24 hour service.
Fitting
If you live within 15 miles of Kingham (Oxfordshire, UK), I offer a fitting service for £25. Alternatively, I can attach one or more brass hangers onto the back for free, to allow you to hang the sign on a screw or similar fixing.
Finishes and maintenance
Oak and other durable woods such as mahogany (and its relatives) can be left unfinished and unmaintained, and they will naturally "silver" as the sun bleaches the colour out of the wood, and this will look very natural and rustic. The sign will develop tiny splits and checks, and look "old" quite quickly, but it will last a very long time.
My favourite finish is a UV resistant danish oil by a company called Liberon, and this is what I will use on your sign. I'll give the sign several coats before I send it, and ideally it should have another 2-3 applications of oil per year, which is something anyone can do. Simply wipe the oil on with a small clean rag or a kitchen towel then let it dry. Applying the oil takes less then five minutes. Do this anytime the sign looks "dry" (2-3 times per year) and your sign will stay looking great for many years. Before and after winter are great times to oil the sign.
Yacht varnish is another weather-protecting finish, which requires little or no regular maintenance, but sometimes varnish does peel and flake, which looks terrible. Another issue with varnishes is they can turn a yellow/amber colour over time, and so if used, are best used only on darker woods such as black walnut and mahogany.
In short, there is no perfect maintenance-free finishing technique, but oil finishes are my favourite and are great at enhancing the natural beauty of the wood without giving the sign an artificial glossy look.
More Info
Please contact me if you'd like to know anything else, I'm happy to answer any questions I can!
