Upstate New York has become a much more beautiful place – when it’s not engulfed in snow, anyway – thanks to the work of Francis and Stephen Lestingi, proprietors of Signs of Gold Inc. (Williamsville, NY). Their handiwork crossed the border to this insurance agency in Windsor, ON, Canada that’s operated by the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic service organization. A rustic, handcarved-wood sign confers permanence and reliability, and Signs of Gold delivers the customer’s brand handsomely. After having designed the system with Adobe Illustrator software, the Lestingis built the panel, which comprises mahogany, by cutting it with a saber saw, and carved out its depth by hand with a repertoire of chisels.
To protect the signface and its support posts from harsh Canadian winters, Signs of Gold coated the face with Jay Cooke’s primer, TJ Ronan bulletin enamels and 1Shot lettering enamels. The shop cut the logo from Duna’s CoraFoam® HDU, and decorated the lettering with water-based primer and 1Shot.
The customer hired its own installer; to facilitate the process, Signs of Gold carved custom finials from Spanish cedar, built support posts from yellow pine, and fabricated aluminum channel brackets for connecting the posts and panel.