We build our all of our Redwood and Western Cedar signs in our studio and workshop in Fallbrook, California.We start with 6 to 12 inch wide, 8 ft long, clear all heart kiln-dried California Coastal Redwood or Western Cedar, either 0.8 or 1.6 inches thick, depending on the sign size and whether sign has one or two faces.

We generally start with edge-glued strip panels of cedar or Redwood, for large signs. These are panels typically 4 ft x 8 ft. and 1.5 inches thick. They are built of kiln-dried all heart clear redwood or cedar strips 2 in x 1.5 in x 8 ft long, edge glued together. The panels are then placed on the router table and cut out and CNC routed in 2.5D or 3D relief.

After routing, fine hand-sanding (to 300 grit) and sand-carving have been completed, the sign is cleaned with high-pressure air and, depending on whether the sign will be painted or left natural,we either use a wood primer (painted)or a pre-stain sealer(natural) to coat the entire sign. After the sealer has dried, all letters, numbers, borders , and Silhouette Art icons are hand-sanded with 300 grit and then 500 grit sandpaper, to provide a smooth finish. If the sign is to have a natural finish, we then stain (optional) and apply three coats of Polyurethane clearcoat over the entire sign. The stain and clearcoat is applied to the background, borders, letters, numbers and Silhouette Art with an airbrush or miniature roller. It is applied to the CarvedArt with artist brushes.After the first coat, all letters, numbers, borders, and Silhouette Art icons are hand-sanded with 300 grit sandpaper, to provide a very smooth final finish.

If the sign is to be painted,rather than natural, we apply two coats of Mathews polyurethane sign paint or Sherwin Williams premium acrylic housepaint over the entire sign, similar to HDU signs.

The text , borders and CarvedArt icon may be painted with 1-SHOT enamels, like HDU, or it may be stained or left natural. For the purposes of contrast, when wood signs are finished naturally, either the background must be stained and letters, borders and art left unstained, or visa-versa. Alternatively, the art,letters, etc can be painted with 1-SHOT enamels.We do not varnish over 1-SHOT enamels, but only over natural or stained wood.

The sign is inspected and allowed to dry two full days. It is then packaged and shipped. Each sign has the signature of the craftsman who built it on the back.