Timbers for Wooden Signs, Memorials,
Engraved Plaques & Large Signage

Oak, Cherry, Sycamore, Douglas Fir, Chestnut, Cedar, Sapele, Iroko, Opepe, Balau & Eucalyptus

All the above timbers can be used to make wooden signs. They all have their own unique character and look, but each has a different set of properties, making them useful in different situations. Each has advantages and disadvantages.

We keep most of the timbers in stock in a range of sizes. For large wooden signs the timber is planed to an appropriate thickness and the boards are jointed. This creates a stable wooden sign that resists twisting and bowing.

They all need to be maintained if they are to stay looking lovely, but the high oil timbers - Red Cedar, Iroko, Opepe and Balau can be left untreated to naturally weather often to a greyish colour.

Click here for wood treatments and finishes

Oak

The English oak has a majesty all of its own. It has been used for generations for building the strongest ships and adorning the finest houses. It is a hard, heavy and durable hard wood. Although generally having a coarse straight grain, it can have wonderful variations in grain, texture and colour and small pin knots and burrs are an attractive and acceptable part of its appearance.
Although very durable it does need to be maintained - if water creeps in, fungal activity will cause the grain to blacken.

Oak is very beautiful and the most poplar timber for wooden signs.  Click here for Extra Large Oak Signs

Iroko

Iroko is similar to teak in appearance. It has a colour which can vary from pale golden brown to dark chocolate brown and medium to coarse texture with an interlocking grain that often produces interesting patterns.
It is a medium density timber which is very stable, naturally oily and therefore highly durable and ideal for external signs.  It is another timber which can be left untreated. It is used widely for boat building, window frames as well as cabinet work and furniture making.

An attractive timber which is naturally oily and can be left untreated. However, to keep it looking as new, wipe over with Devon Oil every couple of months.

Sapele

Pronounced Sa peel e, this species is another of the world's most extraordinary hardwoods. Its rich, lustrous, and variable reddish-brown colour give it a mahogany-like appearance. However unlike most mahoganies, Sapele has substantially less movement in service. It is also even harder than oak. It is moderately durable and should always be maintained with oil or varnish. As it is so stable we do use Sapele for our painted signs.

A rich mahogany-like appearance which looks great with white lettering.

Douglas Fir

t has a reddish brown to orange colour with a prominent grain and is characterized by exceptional strength, hardness and moderate durability. It is not only very tough but also water resistant, which makes it useful in exposed situations where maintenance is difficult.

A tough strong softwood with a distinct grain, best used for large signs.

Opepe

It is commonly used for piling and decking in wharves and docks, jetty and marine work, boat building, wagon bottoms, exterior and interior joinery, furniture, cabinet work, and decorative turnery. Remarkably resilient, it can be left untreated, even in contact with soil, and will usually age to a silver-grey patina over time.

This attractive, oil-rich timber is exceptionally durable and versatile.

English Cherry

A beautiful, rich brown hardwood of exceptional quality, though often hard to source. It is close-grained, resists warping and shrinking, and develops a deeper, richer tone with age, reddening when exposed to sunlight. This timber is moderately durable and requires regular maintenance 

Chestnut

Sweet chestnut is traditionally known as poor mans oak! However we don't look at it this way - more of an interesting alternative to oak. It certainly does look very similar to oak with a fairly dense grain, although it is not as heavy. It also has a high tannin content that makes it very durable. An advantage over oak is that it does not tend to blacken if not treated properly.

Red Cedar

Cedar renowned for its natural beauty and outstanding physical properties that make it one of the world's most unique softwood species. This exceptionally beautiful wood has natural colorings in mellow ambers, reddish cinnamon's and rich sienna browns.

Slow growing and naturally durable, Red Cedar has one of the longest life spans of the softwoods. The heartwood contains substances that are toxic to the decay causing fungi

Softer than oak, yet very stable and long lasting - cedar can be left untreated and matures to silver grey colour.