Masterwork Plaques Blog

Ask the Plaque Maker: Mounting Methods

Written by Masterwork Plaques | July 28, 2014

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO MOUNT MY CUSTOM PLAQUE?

It is necessary to mount your plaque with care.  Cast bronze, in particular, is a very dense and therefore heavy metal, and installing a heavy plaque incorrectly can be hazardous.  Our most popular mounting techniques for our cast bronze plaques are “Front Mounts” and “Hidden Stud Mounts”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FRONT MOUNT INSTALLATION METHOD

A front mount is the ideal option for a plaque that may need to be moved in the future.  It is also a great choice for interior wall-mounted plaques, especially when a plaque is installed to dry wall or sheet rock.  A front-mounted cast bronze plaque will be shipped to you with four holes through the face of the plaque—one in each corner.  Depending on the size and shape, certain plaques may require more or less attachments.  The plaque is then mounted to the wall with threaded screws through each hole. We will send the appropriate screws for your front-mounted bronze plaque depending on the particular wall type.

Sometimes our clients prefer adding decorative rosettes in place of standard screw heads.  These dimensional elements add a touch of design interest and sophistication to a front mounted plaque.  Different sizes and shapes of decorative rosettes are available, as shown in the image below.  And don’t let the name fool you; as you can see, rosettes don’t always look like flowers!

HIDDEN STUD MOUNT INSTALLATION METHOD

For a more permanent installation method, we recommend the hidden stud mount technique. This type of installation is ideal for situations with greater risk of theft, i.e. public parks or other high-traffic areas. A hidden stud mounted plaque has special mounting hardware cast onto the backside of the plaque.  This hardware allows for stainless steel rods to be secured and hidden from the viewer (this technique is also aptly called a "blind mount").  Using our provided template, holes are drilled into the wall or stone where the cast plaque is to be mounted.  The steel rods are inserted and secured into the holes with epoxy.  The blind mount should not be used for interior plaques installed on sheet rock or drywall.  

Hidden stud mounted cast bronze plaques provide a very clean and seamless look.  Property owners, management companies and other businesses often use a hidden stud mount to secure cast bronze plaques to the exterior walls of their buildings for pedestrians to see at street level.