Carved Lettering
Stonecutting for Signs
In times gone by, when you requested a house sign, a professional stonecutter was employed to carve the numbers into the rock. This involved immense skill and deliberation, as a single mistake could ruin the entire project. For their work, the stonecutters were paid a small amount, as their efforts were seen as purely utilitarian and not of much worth.
These days, it's nearly impossible to find a person with those skills, and even if you managed to do so, they would charge upwards of a hundred dollars for one house number sign. Most of the work of carving and etching is now done by computers, using a combination of sophisticated software programs and laser-guided carving machines.
Stonecutter Fonts
Many manufacturers boast "carved stone" house number signs, but these are actually patterns printed out from a software program and sand-blasted onto the stone. If you and your neighbor were both to order the exact same house number signs, they would return looking exactly the same, except for the difference in your addresses. This is because none of the carving is actually done by hand.
However, due to many customers complaining about the lack of uniqueness inherent in such methods, some manufacturers have developed a better way to replicate the "carved stone" house number experience. Software is still used, but the fonts are tweaked and adjusted for each client, so that no two will print up exactly the same. Then, when the pattern is printed, the sandblasting is augmented by work with handheld sculptor's chisels, giving the stone house number sign a genuinely handmade appearance.
Although this method is more labor-intensive and time-consuming, it holds true to the spirit of the "carved stone" house number sign and its inspiration. Many customers have reported feeling very pleased with the individual attention their stone house number sign received.
Carving Wood
Carved lettering for wooden house number signs is equally rare, and as yet, no suitable system for replicating the effects of actual hand-carving has been developed. However, it is much easier for folk artists and local artisans to actually hand-carve a house number sign in wood than to do so in stone. Chances are if you know a local woodworker, furniture maker, or wood carving artist, you could commission them to make you a handmade wooden house number sign. It could be pricey, but you would be supporting the local artistic community.. and your home sign would be absolutely unique.
Most of the carving done in the house number sign industry today is foam carving. High-density urethane is a popular and very flexible sign making medium, and carving it is extremely easy. Many signmakers are learning how to carve impressive shapes, fonts, and three-dimensional signs from blocks of HDU. The appearance of wood or stone can be easily simulated, at a fraction of the weight and the cost. If you want the look of a stone house number sign, but can't afford the real thing, consider getting a nigh-invulnerable HDU version instead.