Most plaques and signs are mounted with invisible fixings, and we’re often asked how they stay up. So here’s everything you always wanted to know about fixing house signs and plaques of all materials in any position.
All signs and plaques are supplied ready-drilled with brass screws, which are rust-proof, and domes that screw into the tops of the fixing screws to hide them. The domes come in a range of finishes, including chrome, brass and bronze, to complement or contrast with the material of your signage.
What will you be fixing the house sign to?
If you’re fixing house signs or plaque to the wall, it will normally come supplied with a backing board that fits under the plaque. The board is pre-drilled for you and is fixed to the wall first, then the plaque is attached to the board with screws, glue or double-sided tape, depending how you want it to look.
Secret fixings for house signs
If you don’t want the fixings to be visible, we can supply your plaque with secret fixings. These are attached to the back of the plaque and glued into pre-drilled holes in the wall so that the plaque fits flush to the wall with no visible means of support.
If you’re fixing your house sign or plaque proud of the wall, you can use a short length of tube called a stand-off. Stand-offs are about half an inch long and the same colour as the screw cap on the surface of the plaque. The screw goes through the plaque and stand-off at the same time, so using stand-offs is no more complicated than fixing straight to the wall.
Consider stand-offs for uneven surfaces
Stand-offs often work better than flush fixings on uneven surfaces such as brick and stone. They look particularly good with modern plastic signage.
Fixing house signs on rough surfaces
If you have a really rough surface, such as harling/pebbledash, we can supply extra-long screws. We also have galvanised poles and fixings, wooden stakes to which plaques can be screwed or glued and stainless steel stakes to which they can be glued.
Fixings for stainless steel signs
Stainless steel stakes for use with tree-plaques come with a hole drilled in the point that goes in the ground, so that they can be fastened to the roots of the tree to prevent theft. Sad, but necessary in many situations.
How to fix Foamex signs
Large Foamex signs are often attached to poles at gateways or road-ends, rather than to walls. Being light and somewhat flexible, they can be a problem in windy situations, so we supply them with 10mm thick bracing that fits into tracks which are attached to the poles. With that support they can withstand any weather for many years without problems.
And how about bent shape signs?
Most people realise that house plaques and signs can be supplied in most sizes and that we can cut them into shapes, but may not know that they can also be bent to shape: for example, we can curve them to fit round gateposts, trees or other fixtures. They’re just as easy to fix as flat plaques and quite unusual and smart.
When it comes to fixing house signs and plaques, you don’t have to stick to what everyone else is doing. We’re always happy to discuss the best way to create and fix your signage, so get in touch today.