Weather Proof Materials
A Lasting Impression
When purchasing outdoor accessories for your home such as personalized house signs and house numbers, it's important to make sure they are made of weather-proof materials. "Weather-proof", strictly speaking, means any material which will not fade, crack, peel, or otherwise deteriorate in the effects of normal outdoor exposure to sunlight and weather.
No material, synthetic or natural, is totally weather-proof, but materials that claim to be weather-proof often last much longer than others under the same conditions. The majority of weather-proof materials are hard plastics or other materials coated with plastic, which, depending on the chemical structure, can withstand constant outdoor exposure for more than ten years without obvious signs of decay or degradation. Of these, signs and house numbers made of high-density urethane have the longest lifetimes with the least decay.
Investing in the Future of your Home Signs
House numbers and home signs are an excellent example of a home accessory that must regularly withstand outdoor exposure. In order to be most effective, house numbers must be large, weather-proof, and made of a durable material, so the homeowner doesn't need to waste time and money replacing house numbers every other month.
If you live in an area prone to wet weather such as thunderstorms, typhoons, frequent rain, or floods, you will need to invest in house numbers that will stay affixed to a surface and suffer very little in a rainstorm. The most practical choices would be engraved slate, a heavy-duty solar address light mounted on your home or on a fence, or large metal house numbers mounted above the common flood level but no higher than your mailbox, for easy visibility.
Weather-Proof vs. Weather-Tolerant
Most plastics, different types of quality stones, and specially treated metals are highly weather-tolerant and able to withstand outdoor exposure on a daily basis. When purchasing any outdoor accessory for your home - from patio furniture to house numbers to yard decorations - keep in mind that paint will flake in less than a year, metal may rust or corrode, fabrics may become home to mildew, molds, and fungus, and plastics can warp, melt, or become stained over time. Be sure to inquire about durability when buying your outdoor accessories, keeping your local climate extremes in mind.
House numbers in stone can disappear when wet, and house numbers in plastic might be too lightweight to survive a heavy storm. However, various plastics have been shown to survive outdoors for long periods of time with little to no damage. High-density urethane, a common outdoor sign material, is virtually indestructible by daily exposure to sun and wind. Your house number is as important an accessory as your patio furniture; equal care should be taken during the purchase of either one. Keep your local year-round weather in mind when shopping for permanent outdoor home accessories.