DIY House Numbers

I finally installed my modern DIY house numbers. Here are the details

- The number are 'deep ribbon' font 8 high, made of cast aluminium. About 1 deep
- The glass is opaque laminated glass about 16 x 32
- Stainless steel spacers are used to set it off from the wall

Lovely! How did you affix the numbers to the glass?

I used a slow setting epoxy. Then carefully aligned the numbers. Finally i clamped it down with a big piece of plywood and several clamps. Takes about 12 hours to be cured. It is very strong now...

by DIY, you mean you assembled the display, right?

Yes, sourcing the materials was the hardest part...I find it really hard to source modern materials. Online Searches usually lead you to country kitsch or astronomically priced designer stuff. So I looked for some nicely made numbers, then had the glass fabricated. The spacers were found at a shower door hardware store!

Where did you find the cast numbers.... I've been looking for something like that for quite a while. It looks great.... imagine it back lighted with BLUE LEDS!

I found them here http://westonletters.com/

YES! back lit would look stunning. I just havent found a fixture for that. any ideas for small led fixtures?

In the April/May issue of Dwell, page 120, there are several websites listed for house numbers:

www.houseart.net
www.architecturalnumbers.com
www.wrightcatalog.org
www.customhousenumbers.com
www.chiasso.com

Jennifer

I have considered adapting some solar garden lights(from target)... they have leds (either White or Amber) they should stay lit for about 4-6hours at night. I havent torn one apart yet, but you should be able to add additional rechargable batteries.. You can replace the LEDs to Blue... you can get the blue LED's from Digikey.com. Make sure you buy the white LED garden light, 'cause the voltage drop across the white will be similar to the Blue you replace it with. If you do change out the LED's, look at the LED from the side, and match up the nodes inside, since the LED is 'polarized'. No guarantees, but in theory should work.

bravo for your gorgeous DIY project!

FWIW, i vote white backlighting.


ami

Whoa! I just bought the same style numbers in 6 inch from westonnumbers and came on here to post about it. Low and behold, I find this thread. LOVE what you did with them. I had a simular idea with some frosted glass I'd bought at IKEA. I scrapped the idea, but you've re-inspired it.

I went for even cheaper -- basically all available at Lowe's. The numbers themselves were about $5 each, max. A small length of oak, some primer and red paint (left over from my new door), and then a bunch of nuts and washers to keep the wood from touching the wall. All told, I'm pretty happy with it, particularly since this was a micro fraction of the cost of a single Weston number!

Hi benbrew,

The numbers look good! What I like even better is the use of existing resources such as left over red paint, nuts and washers to put it all together. Bravo!

Hello Kale,

Beautiful contrast of opaque lettering with translucent glass. If you're still deciding on the backlighting, I'd vote for white.

Benbrew,
Your numbers look cool! My project ended up costing a lot but it is holding up nicely...

I am still struggling with finding the right backlighting. LEDs are just not bright enough and other lights tend to hotspot...

Any suggestions for uniform backlights?

Benbrew, looks great!

I'll try to get a pic and post of my first draft of what my Weston numbers came out like. Just mounted them last night.

Not DIY or nearly as exceptional as all of the options shown above, but maybe a cheap, quick fix for someone wanting backlit LED house numbers.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/gear/870f/?cpg=34H%22%20target=%22_topcpg=cj

As promised, nowhere near as spectacular as Kale's, but it's only a rough draft, as is the whole house. A 1940 MCM. We JUST moved in, so the pink is going along with a lot of other stuff. Lot of work to do.

A better view.

Kale, I may have a suggestion for your back lighting dilema. I'm already in the process of improving my house numbers pictured above. The first improvement was changing the location (I'll explain to where later). Now, this new location has introduced a lighting issue for me, as well. Do I simply spotlight, or back light? I may wind up doing both. My backlighting would be different from yours in the it would not actually shine through my backing plate, but from around it. IF I do this, the lighting source just may be... (this is the part you've be waiting for)... a solar powered landscaping light. Yeah, I know, but after I get the new pics up from what I'm doing with my numbers, you'll see it's not so crazy in MY instance. In YOUR instance, it is a little crazier, until you get into the local big box stores and start looking at their landscaping systems and how you could possibly use them as-is or start taking them out of the casing and using them that way.

Again, feel free to outright dismiss the idea. I don't even know if I'm going to trying it, yet.

Ackvig,

Nice numbers! I am curious to see your lighting after it is done. I am open to ideas. I have bought LED lights and they are too dim to shine throught the 3/8 laminated glass. Rope lights are bright but there is too much hot spotting.

I am going to lurk around here to see how yours turn out

Kale,

I used the same numbers from Lowe's but wanted a floating effect. I used 1/2" PVC pipecut into1" lengths and used these as spacers between the block wall and the number. Sorry the photo is not so great. I will try to get you another. It was REALLY quick to do and cheap for the look I was trying to achieve.

david

[quote:kale format=text/plain]Ackvig,

Nice numbers! I am curious to see your lighting after it is done. I am open to ideas. I have bought LED lights and they are too dim to shine throught the 3/8 laminated glass. Rope lights are bright but there is too much hot spotting.

I am going to lurk around here to see how yours turn out [/quote]


Pics to come!

I am going to use 'glow in the dark' plastic for my numbers.

I most certainly haven't abandoned this post. In fact, I've been diligently working on the numbers, however, a good dose of life/busy has caught up to me, so I haven't had a chance to take pics. Plus, the numbers still aren't done. Please, hang in there, and I will get some pics up.

Wow, I just have to say what a great thread this house number thread has been! I feel like we rarely step back at notice what we are doing here and its really great. Thanks a lot for sharing these and most of all - great job with your numbers.

I have to make a set like this for my office...

OK, I couldn't hold out any longer. These numbers and trimmings are still nowhere near finished, but I'll still show you these basic gist of where they're headed. Kale, I still bow to your workmanship, even when I AM done with these.

And again

Another view. I will uplight with a solar spotlight.

Last one, full street view.

Previously Kale wrote:

I found them here http://westonletters.com/

YES! back lit would look stunning. I just havent found a fixture for that. any ideas for small led fixtures?

Here's another good source for Modern House Numbers in recycled aluminum.
<a href="http://www.moderndwellnumbers.com">www.moderndwellnumbers.com</a>