Specialty Projects in Asheville, NC

Hand-Painted Barnwood Mural

Big Ivy Beef & Cattle Company

This mural for Big Ivy Beef & Cattle Company was painted by hand directly onto rough barnwood in Barnardsville. The uneven boards, knots, grain, and gaps were not obstacles to hide — they were part of the character of the finished piece.

The large black lettering and simple cream background create the look of an old agricultural advertisement painted directly onto a working building. The result feels like it belongs there and may have been there for decades.

Hand-Painted Industrial Mural

Biltmore Iron & Metal Company

We hand-painted this large exterior mural for Biltmore Iron & Metal Company, better known around Asheville as BIMCO. The oversized white lettering and recycling symbol were painted directly onto the dark brick wall, creating a bold industrial graphic that suits the building perfectly.

BIMCO also happens to be one of our favorite sources for metal “junk” — scraps, odd pieces, and discarded bits that have occasionally found their way back to Asheville Signworks and been transformed into sign art. Around here, one company's scrap pile can be another project's raw material.

Custom Paper Goods

Business Cards

Not everything we produce has to be mounted to a wall, post, vehicle, or building. Asheville Signworks can also produce coordinated paper goods such as business cards when a customer wants branding carried through to the smaller details.

These cards for Chonzie Inc. use a simple black background with high-contrast lettering to organize the company's services, contact information, and owner information in a clean, professional format.

Custom Fabrication

Dimensional Vintage Camera

This may be one of the better examples of a project that simply refuses to fit into a normal category. We fabricated a dimensional replica of a vintage wooden camera for use during photographic sessions at Biltmore Estate.

The best part is hidden inside. The camera contains a concealed compartment designed to hold a modern cell phone, allowing the vintage-looking prop to actually function as part of the photography setup while keeping the technology out of sight.

It is part fabrication, part prop building, part problem solving — which is pretty much why this page exists.

Museum-Wrap Canvas Print

Custom Canvas Artwork

Large-format printing is not limited to vinyl and sign panels. This vivid artwork was printed onto canvas and stretched over a wooden museum-style frame.

With a museum wrap, the printed image continues around the sides of the frame rather than stopping at the front edge. That allows the artwork to be viewed from an angle without exposing unfinished canvas and eliminates the need for a separate decorative frame.

Custom Paper Goods

Door Knob Hangers

Door knob hangers are another example of branding that falls well outside traditional signage but uses many of the same design principles: the message needs to be noticed quickly, understood immediately, and make it easy for the customer to take the next step.

These custom hangers for Pouring Concrete Solutions combine bold advertising copy, company branding, contact information, and a QR code in a format designed to be left directly at a potential customer's door.

Custom Engraved Presentation Piece

Engraved Oak Gavel

Sometimes the project is not a sign at all. This oak presentation gavel was personalized with an engraved brass band recognizing the organization's president and term of service.

The warm brass works beautifully against the finished oak, turning a functional ceremonial object into a permanent commemorative piece. Small projects like this are a good example of how engraving can add meaning without overwhelming the object itself.

Vintage Sign Restoration

Original Greyhound Sign Face

New signs are only part of what comes through the shop. This original Greyhound cabinet sign face was worth saving, but age had taken its toll on the surrounding trim.

We carefully cleaned the original face rather than replacing it, preserving the historic Greyhound graphics. The old trim cap had become extremely brittle and was broken in several places, so it was removed and replaced with new trim cap to make the sign presentable and serviceable again.

Sometimes the best fabrication decision is knowing which parts not to replace.

Boat Graphics

French Broad Riverkeeper — Windy Flats

Boats need graphics too. This French Broad Riverkeeper boat received clean black lettering along the hull, including the Riverkeeper name and the boat's name, Windy Flats.

We use cast vinyl for this type of exterior application. Cast vinyl is the highest-grade material in the vinyl graphics industry and is designed to conform well and withstand long-term exposure to weather, sunlight, and changing temperatures.

It is also the vinyl we use for vehicle graphics because maximum longevity matters when the finished graphics are expected to live outdoors every day.

Laser-Engraved Cedar Signs

Eastern Red Cedar Sauna Signs

These sauna instruction signs were laser engraved into locally sourced Eastern red cedar. The engraving creates crisp dark lettering and graphics without covering up the natural beauty of the wood.

Eastern red cedar has a particularly distinctive color, ranging from warm reddish brown to the beautiful pink tones visible in these pieces. Each board has its own knots, grain, and color variation, which means no two finished signs are exactly alike.

Traffic-Control Installation

Private Community Speed Bumps

And then there are projects that prove “sign company” can be a very loose job description.

A private community in Candler needed a way to slow vehicle traffic, so Asheville Signworks supplied and installed these highly visible black-and-yellow speed bumps. Their alternating yellow reflective sections make them easy for drivers to recognize while the modular construction allows them to be securely fastened to the pavement.

Is a speed bump a sign? Not exactly. Did the customer need it done? Yep. That's good enough for us.

Custom Imprinted Canopy

Black Mountain Community Emergency Response Team

This 10-by-10 canopy was produced for the Black Mountain Community Emergency Response Team, better known as CERT. The finished canopy was custom imprinted in eight separate locations so the organization is clearly identified from multiple viewing angles.

Large CERT logos appear high on the canopy, while additional logos and lettering are positioned around the valances. The result is a highly visible, professional shelter that can serve as both a functional field setup and an instantly recognizable point of contact during community events, emergency-response activities, and public outreach.

Custom Garden & Trail Plaque

Methusela Trail

This custom freestanding ground plaque was made for Bobby Ezor for the walkers and bikers of Grove Park - Sunset Mountain. The plaque marks the “Methusela” trail and recognizes the people involved in making it possible.

The sign face is 1/4" aluminum composite with digitally printed vinyl applied to the surface. It is fastened to a steel backing plate, which was welded to 1" square steel tubing to create a sturdy ground-mounted stake. The entire steel assembly was painted black for a clean, finished appearance.