F.A.Q.

Placing of plaques in cemetries/ churchyards It is recommended that permission is sought before ordering your memorial plaque. Each local or church authority have their own particular regulations which will need to be observed and we can be of help here. You can liaise with our design team by telephone/email to design your memorial. We can supply you with mock ups by email until you are perfectly satisfied. Once you have decided on the layout you can either print off a copy or email it to them for permission. We can also provide customised cameos from customers' photos by email for most of our products. We do not get involved with the actual fixing which is reflected in the price, but we can supply ground stakes for some of our memorials. Many customers lay the plaques flat on the ground, sometimes on a bed of pea gravel which is widely available from garden centres etc in some attractive colours which can provide a nice contrast against the stone. We can also fix 'raisers' to the flat plaques to give an enhanced viewing angle. Our plaques are also used as an additional modification to an existing memorial and these can be quite easily fixed with the various high grab adhesives readily available like 'no more nails' etc. Care of your Plaques Wooden Plaques Your Hardwood Plaque comes to you with several coats of Marine varnish which envelopes the surface, lettering and motifs and offer an ultra violet barrier. This weatherproofs the sign & restricts degradation. Like any natural wooden product the surface will break down eventually unless it is resurfaced with an regular coat of marine or yacht varnish. The surface should be 'keyed' with a rub down with light finishing paper or sandpaper before applying a coat of varnish. This is literally a 2 minute job and if done regularly your plaque will keep its mirror finish and weatherproof integrity forever. We supply back brackets for fixing and discourage drilling holes in the face which will result in water ingress and eventual rotting. Slate Plaques Slate is very durable and has been around for millions of years. The lettering and motifs on your slate plaque will have been deeply sandblasted into the surace and usually infilled with a couple of layers of enamel paint. Once the plaque is in position you can more or less forget about it. It will look good in all weathers and the only maintenace required will be a wipe down with a soapy cloth. You can give it a light coating of olive oil to bring out the natural pigment if required. There is also a choice of leaving the engraved slate "unfilled", which also looks very effective. Marble Plaques The same technique is used as for slate plaques and again the marble is very durable and will only require the occasional soapy water treatment. Laser Engraved Metallic Plaques. We only use the best quality state of the art laser engraving material which is especially designed for outdoor all weather use. It is very difficult to tell the difference between the metallic laminate plate and brass or stainless steel and it has the added advantage of being able to give the lettering, motifs and photogrpahs a very crisp and sharp finish. The plates are completely maintenance free and only require a wipe over now and again with a soapy cloth. Mahogany We use contourted mahogany plinths for mounting our brass and metallic engraved plates and for our memorial crosses. This material is rock hard and durable and it comes to you protected with several coats of teak oil. It is recommended that you give the exposed areas a quick top up lick periodically like you would for hardwood garden furniture. Delivery Times We quote 'within 14 days' so as not to disappoint , but usually achieve a lot better than this. If you have a particular deadline to meet we can usually help - We may have to charge a little more to courier or overtime charges for very fast turnaround if necessary. Sign arrives damaged Great care is taken in packing the signs but should your order arrive damaged in any way we will replace it completely free of charge. It is helpful if you could email us an image of the damaged article so that we can recover any loss from the carriers. Can I specify Landscape or Portrait aspects for my plaque Yes - Please leave a note in the instructions box in checkout. Can I see a preview of the sign before ordering We are happy to send you mock ups of your house sign or memorial beforehand and can send you various layouts and fonts until you are satisfied to proceed with ordering. There is no charge for this service. Please contact us here Do I have to pay online through the shop. Payment can be taken over the phone with credit cards or you can send a cheque payable to Handmade Signs. We accept most credit cards   We can also send you a link to our online secure payment platform at Cardnet.  Any refunds made through Cardnet will be subject to a 10% handling charge unless there is an error in the order on our part .