Materials guide
Six materials, every one rated for outdoors. The differences are how they look, how they age, and how big they can go.
Engraved plastic
Two-layer laminate. We cut through the top colour to reveal the core, so the text can never rub off.
- Thickness1.6 mm
- Sizes20 × 10 to 600 × 400 mm
- OutdoorsYes
- Colourways6
Polished brass
Solid brass, engraved and lacquered. Ages beautifully and takes a polish for decades.
- Thickness1.6 mm
- Sizes40 × 20 to 400 × 300 mm
- OutdoorsYes
- Colourways2
Anodised aluminium
Anodised then laser-marked. Won't rust, won't fade, happy on a wall facing the sea.
- Thickness1.5 mm
- Sizes40 × 20 to 900 × 600 mm
- OutdoorsYes
- Colourways2
Stainless steel
Brushed 304 stainless. The serious one — for surgeries, chambers and anywhere that gets scrubbed.
- Thickness1.5 mm
- Sizes40 × 20 to 600 × 400 mm
- OutdoorsYes
- Colourways1
Acrylic
Cast acrylic with a polished edge. Reads as glass, costs a great deal less.
- Thickness3 mm
- Sizes30 × 20 to 800 × 600 mm
- OutdoorsYes
- Colourways4
Solid oak
European oak, engraved and oiled. For cottages, gates and anything with a name rather than a number.
- Thickness18 mm
- Sizes80 × 40 to 700 × 400 mm
- OutdoorsYes
- Colourways2
How they age
Every material here earns its keep outdoors — they just grow old differently.
Engraved plastic
A two-layer laminate: we cut through the top colour to reveal the core, so the text can never rub, peel or wash off. Rated for ten years of British weather without fading — it is the workhorse for doors, labels and anything that gets cleaned.
Polished brass
Solid brass, engraved and lacquered, so it holds its shine for years and takes a polish for decades. Left unlacquered it develops a patina, which some people prefer — tell us and we will leave it bare.
Anodised aluminium
Anodised, then laser-marked. It will not rust and will not fade — happy on a wall facing the sea, and it looks the same in year ten as it did on day one.
Stainless steel
Brushed 304 stainless — the serious one. It is what we make for surgeries, chambers and anywhere that gets scrubbed properly, because scrubbing is exactly what it is for.
Acrylic
Cast acrylic with a polished edge. It reads as glass and costs a great deal less, which is why it ends up in windows and on office doors clients actually see.
Solid oak
18 mm of European oak, engraved and oiled. It improves as it ages; give it a fresh coat of oil once a year if it sits in full sun and it will outlast the fence it is screwed to.
Why the lettering lasts
Nothing here is printed on. Text is cut into the material — engraved through the top layer of a laminate, into solid brass or oak, or laser-marked into anodised aluminium — so rain and sun have nothing to peel off. We like lettering to stay at 3 mm and up; smaller than that it stops being readable at arm’s length, and the designer warns you before it gets there.
Still torn between two? Order a free sample pack and hold them both up to the wall — or start in the designer and flick between materials on your own sign.