Engraving and printing on stone

What we engrave

• House names and numbers, by the gate or set into a wall. A lot of owners give their French house a name.
• Business plaques for doctors, lawyers, architects and wine estates.
• Logos on a stone reception desk or bar.
• Patterns in wall cladding or a fireplace.
• Commemorative plaques.

2D or 3D

2D cuts the letters at one depth or as a V-groove. A V-cut letter catches the light on one side and the shadow on the other, so it reads from a distance even without colour.

3D varies the depth, for raised letters or a carved coat of arms. It takes longer on the machine and works best on fine-grained stone.

Colour

Letters can be left plain, painted or gilded with gold leaf, which lasts well outside if it's done properly. Screen printing puts coloured ink on the surface without cutting, so it can do detailed logos in several colours. Outside, a print is more exposed to the weather than an engraving.

Which stone

• Black granite is the most legible, the letters go pale grey, and it lasts decades outside.
• Marble works indoors, but outside white marble loses its sharpness over the years.
• Slate is a classic for house signs and takes fine lettering.
• Limestone matches old façades in the Aube but needs a frost-resistant grade outside.

Size and fixing

A house plaque is often 30 by 15 cm to 50 by 25 cm, 2 to 3 cm thick, fixed with hidden pins and adhesive or with decorative caps. In the protected centre of Troyes, check what the Architecte des Bâtiments de France allows first, see sills and surrounds.

What we need

The exact text with its accents, the size, and a logo as a vector file if there is one. A missing accent on "Le Clos du Pressoir" is there for good, so check the spelling twice.

An offcut from our clearance can make a small plaque. Call +33 7 45 20 76 39.