Painted house numbers are very previlant within London. they come in several forms, with the numbers being on portico pillars, on front gate/entrance pillars or on fanlight windows. Traditional Signs of London pride in painting these by hand & to clients wishes for the typeface or by producing very traditional & sympathetic typefaces for the age of the properties.
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At this property in Central London, the clients had an existing vinyl sticker of the street address on their transom entrance window. They were prefering to have this removed & have hand painted house numbers & name written. The painted house numbers being written on the portico pillars and the property name to be painted across the transom window where the vinyl sticker had previously been.
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The clients wished to change from the Bodoni style of typeface the vinyl sticker was in and have a serif style lettering, which they chose from a selection, and went with a Times New Roman, which is fast becoming the staple diet of London signage, despite it not being all that traditional compared to other serif Roman typefaces.
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The house numbers are produced first with this type of work, largely just due to it being exposed to the weather, therefore its best to get the numbers produced before any poor weather arrives. The glass work is produced on the internal side of the pane & if its not for any reason, such as its a frosted glass, then the portico still shields from the weather.
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The surface made for more time consuming & requires more skill in executing neat house pillar numbers, but this is the advantage hand painted signwriting has over other methods. Its often suggested that the costs is over what is deserved for just one or a pair of numbers on a building, but its the skill level & years of learning that is being paid for not just the time on the job.
The finished result is just what the client requested & it makes for a very smart finish to a very beautiful home.
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The signwriting for the glass was the name of the property. This was produced on paper first with the lettering sized & positioned correctly on the paper prior to being used on site. Once on site the lettering is taped onto the outside of the glass, once measured into the centre. The signwriting is then painted on the inside of the glass, using guiding tape for the top & base lines.
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With the lettering on the glass painted , the guide that is the paper layout is removed from the outer side of the glass.
The signwriting is then touched up if need be as its easier to see any blemishes or any lines that need neatening.
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The signwriting is completed with a few flourishes just to add width to the lettering. this can add style & finesse as well as being practical when it comes to guiding the eye. The final work is produced after the paint has dried, which can take a little time. Its essential if the window is to be regularly cleaned, as chemicals window or property cleaners use can rub away at the paint & over time comes away from the glass. Therefore a clear varnish is painted over each letter to provide protection from this. Once the varnish has dried it hardens & works like a blister protecting the painted letters from errosion.
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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