Reclaimed Oak
The studio's signature field. Open grain that catches raking light, salvaged from beams and flooring, with nail shadows and saw marks left visible where they tell the truth about the board.
Materials
Every board is chosen off the rack
Nothing here is ordered by the bundle. If a species is wrong for your piece, the studio will tell you before you pay for it.
Walnut
Deep chocolate brown with purple undertones that settle toward amber over years. The most requested wood for lettering because it reads clearly against a lighter field.
Maple
Pale, tight, and even. Takes engraving with the crispest edge of any species in the rack, which makes it the default for small keepsakes.
Cherry
Starts a soft pink-tan and darkens to a deep red-brown with light exposure. A cherry piece you hang today will not look the same in five years, by design.
Ebonized Oak
Oak treated with an iron-and-tannin reaction rather than paint, so the grain stays legible under the black. Used for frames and for fields that need lettering to float.
Copper Leaf
Applied by hand over sealed hardwood for medallions and accents. It patinates slowly unless lacquered, and the studio will do either.
Finishes
Four finishes, chosen for the room
- Hand-rubbed oil
- Several thin coats worked in by hand. Refreshable at home in an afternoon, decades later.
- Hardwax
- A tougher surface for tables, counters, and anything that gets touched daily.
- Matte lacquer
- For copper leaf and painted details that should not change color.
- Exterior spar
- Covered-exterior signs only. Expect to recoat every two to three seasons.
Keeping a piece looking right is simple and takes about twenty minutes a year. The care guide walks through it.