Weather-Resistant Materials
Weathering the Great Outdoors
Anything meant to be kept outside - lawn sculpture, exterior portions of a house, mailboxes, or signs with house numbers - is typically crafted using weather-resistant materials. Weather-resistant materials are those that can withstand the intensity of ongoing sun exposure, wind, rain, and temperature extremes, without showing significant wear and tear. Of these, high-density urethane foam and polypropylene are the current leaders in the industry.
House Numbers that Last
A common issue with outdoor decor is the loss of color and the peculiar attraction it holds for animals and birds. While birds may still peck at your plastic house numbers, the color and texture are guaranteed against years of abuse by the sun, wind, rain, and snow. These plastics can be dyed, stained, or carved, and are capable of replicating the exact look of expensive woods, while weighing (and costing) much less. With plastics, you can have the impressive house numbers you always admired, at a lower cost and with a much longer lifespan than the "real thing".
While this is encouraging, it places further emphasis on the importance of coming up with a unique and timeless design for your house numbers. When you realize your house numbers sign may last up to ten or even fifteen years, it becomes clear that the design - the graphics, the lettering, the shape and size - should all be the best they can, so that several years from now you don't regret putting a Scottish terrier silohuette beneath the house numbers.
Being able to use non-natural materials, yet achieve a natural look, has opened up some interesting options in house numbers sign design. For example, if you wished, you could create a sign to resemble house numbers carved into wood or stone. For homeowners who want their house numbers to evoke a sense of natural beauty and rural living, these could be perfect.
Vibrant Color All Year Round
There's nothing worse than spending your hard-earned money on outdoor decorations or furniture, only to see them quickly bleach beneath the light of the sun. With fade-resistant plastics, you don't need to worry. What appears to be glossy lacquer on your house number plaques is actually dye, locked safely inside the weather-resistant surface of your house numbers, and it will not fade. In the case of polypropylene, colors may change under extreme heat, but it's very unlikely that the outdoor temperatures will ever get that high.
Another important aspect to consider is the strength and durability of these materials. In addition to standing up to constant changes in the weather, plastic house numbers and outdoor sculpture are sturdy enough to withstand moderate force without bending, warping, cracking, or splitting. Polypropylene is used to make car parts and pieces for industrial machines; polypropylene house numbers and home signs are not going to fall apart or show damage from the weather at all.
If you've stopped purchasing outdoor decorations for your home because you hate to see things destroyed by the weather, consider looking into one or both of these strong and long-lived materials. They can stand up to what Mother Nature has to offer.