Building numbers signwriting is generally the street address & number of the building painted onto its walls, entrance doors or windows, but it can also be numbering individual flats or apartments within a building.
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Several typefaces were offered to the clients who then chose which they most preferred. Then several sizes were drawn out so that too could also be chosen by the clients & the preferred choice then used on site. The drawings were printed to differing overall widths the No. & number had. Each of the sizings produced on different sheets of paper. So once decided the overall width the chosen sizing could then be cut up into individual templates from the set on the large piece of paper. Once cut into individual templates they were laid out next to each of the doors so the template would be to hand, as each door entrance was painted.
Before each could be painted there were further choices the clients wished to make/ alter. Firstly their positioning, whether to be above the door or to the side of each door. Then also the colour paint to be used. Due to their indecisiveness I mixed up several shades of colour & they chose the one most preferred. It was explained to them that due to the lighting & the colour of the tiles, that the colour of paint will look different in a tin or pot than it will once on the wall. To demonstrate this 2 shades of paint were used to produce a ‘mock up’ example on the tiles.
This also assisted in them deciding whether the building numbers signwriting would be to the side of the doors or above.
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The paler colour was chosen, which as can be seen, was used to paint the No. in the example. This was then wiped off the highly polished tiles & as they had decided to have the signwriting above the doors too, there was no need for the example written.
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Each of the door areas were measured & marked out so that each building numbers signwriting would be positioned in the same place. Its also important to ensure its level & writing will be straight. thes guide marks were wiped off after each door was completed & the paint had dried. Once marked out, the templates were traced so charcoal would relief onto the tiles, much like how carbon paper worked in typing years ago.
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All the building numbers signwriting was planned to be produced in 1 day. There was a total of 14 flat/apartment numbers to be produced, which meant 14 lots of marking out, 14 lots of signwriting them & 14 lots of adding protection to them so they would be durable if the walls were washed & cleaned. This then meant that in a 8 hour day not including the travel deduction in time, each door number needed to be produced within half an hour & all without a break or including time taken to move from door to door. The apartments were on 2 levels of building.
Thats makes for a busy day for one person! So time was important to not fall behind on but also to not rush the signwriting or it wouldn’t be neat.
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The difficulty was that each building numbers signwriting once painted then had to dry & only once dry could the protective varnish be added. So it meant starting at one end, ending at the other then, getting the stairs back down before going back over each one again. Before each had the protective varnish added the marking out had to be wiped off, being careful not to take off any paint whilst rubbing.
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The varnish has to be applied gently with a brush & so it just covers the lettering with a slight overlap. The only downside to this if it the lighting makes the varnish reflective, but its better to have the lettering durable & the walls cleanable, which was the brief from the clients as nothing else was working.
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At some angles the varnish is noticeable but on at others, so it’s difficult to achieve a complete ideal, given the surface & the brief from the clients.
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The surface was an unusual one it had a nice marble look to it but was a kind of formica like you get in kitchen & so designed to be splash proof & wipe clean, Perhaps its this that caused the issues with any other signage being possible.
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Traditional & Contemporary Hand Painted Sign Writing in London
Sign Writer Traditional Signs of London
https://traditionalsignsoflondon.uk/contact/
info@traditionalsignsoflondon.uk