Plaque catalogs list seven or eight wood finishes, and the names do not explain much. Walnut and genuine walnut sound the same and are not. Piano finish and high gloss sound different and are close cousins. This guide compares each finish on how it looks, what it costs relative to the others, which plate it pairs with, and which occasions it suits, so you can choose a plaque the way the shop would choose it for you.
The finishes
Walnut finish
The walnut plaque is the standard award plaque: a medium brown wood tone with visible grain on a solid board. It is the most widely stocked finish, available in the most sizes, and the baseline for cost. It pairs with a brass plate for a traditional look or a black plate with silver text for a modern one.
Best for: coaches awards, employee recognition, service anniversaries, school honors, anything where a classic look is wanted at a sensible price.
Genuine walnut
A genuine walnut plaque is solid American walnut rather than a walnut toned finish on another wood. The grain is richer, the color is deeper, and the board has more weight. It is the plaque for occasions where the recipient will notice the material.
Best for: retirements, executive recognition, military and public service awards, memorials, donor recognition.
Cherry finish
The cherry finish plaque has a warm, reddish brown tone that reads lighter and brighter than walnut. It suits offices with lighter furniture and pairs well with a black plate and gold text.
Best for: corporate awards, healthcare and professional recognition, settings where walnut would look dark.
Rosewood finish
The rosewood finish plaque has a deep reddish brown with a subtle grain and a satin to semi gloss surface. It looks formal without the mirror shine of a piano finish. Pairs with a black plate and silver or gold text, or with a bright brass plate.
Best for: executive awards, board recognition, legal and financial awards, formal ceremonies.
Alder
The alder plaque is a lighter, honey toned hardwood with a fine, even grain. It takes direct laser engraving especially well, since the engraved areas darken against the pale wood with good contrast. Many alder plaques are engraved directly into the wood rather than fitted with a plate.
Best for: rustic or natural themed recognition, outdoor organizations, engraved photo plaques, awards where the engraving is cut into the wood itself.
Piano finish
The piano finish plaque has a deep, mirror gloss lacquer over a dark wood, usually black or a dark rosewood tone, finished the way a grand piano is. It is the most formal of the plaque finishes and the most reflective, which makes it striking under stage lights.
Best for: top tier corporate recognition, lifetime achievement, hall of fame inductions, awards presented at galas.
High gloss
High gloss plaques share the mirror surface of a piano finish and are offered in a wider range of colors and often at a lower cost. They suit modern branding and settings where a colored plaque fits the room. The high gloss plaques guide covers them in more detail.
Best for: modern offices, branded recognition programs, awards where color matters.
Shield and specialty shapes
Several finishes are offered in shield plaque and other shaped formats, which are popular for public service, military, and club recognition.
Comparing cost
From least to most expensive, the general order is walnut finish, cherry finish, alder, rosewood finish, high gloss, genuine walnut, and piano finish, though size and plate choice shift the numbers. Walnut finish is stocked in the most sizes and at volume, which is why it anchors the low end. Genuine walnut and piano finish cost more because of the material and the finishing labor. For a program ordering many plaques, standardizing on walnut finish for the volume tier and reserving genuine walnut or piano finish for the top tier keeps the budget sensible and the tiers visually distinct.
Plate pairings
The plate does as much for the look as the wood. Common pairings:
- Walnut finish with a brass plate and black text: the traditional award.
- Walnut or cherry with a black plate and gold text: a modern, high contrast look.
- Rosewood with a black plate and silver text: formal.
- Piano finish with a black plate and silver text, or a bright silver plate: the most formal.
- Alder with direct engraving and no plate: natural, rustic.
- Genuine walnut with a brass plate: classic executive.
Plates can also carry a full color sublimated image, which suits photo plaques and awards with multi color logos. The plaque engraving guide covers plate and engraving options in depth.
Matching finish to occasion
Corporate
Walnut for volume recognition, cherry or rosewood for mid tier, piano finish or genuine walnut for the top. The top recognition plaques for corporate awards article goes further.
Schools and athletics
Walnut finish for nearly everything, since it is durable, affordable, and matches the plaques already on the wall. Roster and perpetual plaques are usually walnut. See walnut plaques for schools.
Public service and military
Genuine walnut or rosewood with a brass plate, often in a shield shape. The military awards and plaques guide has specifics.
Memorials and dedications
Genuine walnut for indoor memorials, with cast bronze for outdoor. The best dedication plaques and best memorial wall plaques guides cover both.
Retirement
Genuine walnut, rosewood, or piano finish. A retirement plaque is kept for the rest of a life, and the material should reflect that. See retirement plaques and awards.
Care
Wood plaques prefer dry indoor air and indirect light. Direct sun fades finishes over years. Dust with a soft cloth. Brass plates can be polished gently; lacquered plates should not be. A plaque hung in a damp basement or an unconditioned garage will eventually show it, so choose the location with the finish in mind.
Related reading
For a wider look at plaque providers and styles, see the best custom engraved plaques guide and the wooden award plaque providers article. For the decision between a plaque and a trophy, read trophies vs plaques. For team recognition, see roster plaques.
Direct engraving versus plates
The finish choice interacts with how the plaque is personalized. Most plaques carry an engraved metal plate, which allows any finish to pair with any text color and makes corrections a matter of replacing the plate. Some finishes, alder above all, take direct laser engraving into the wood, which burns the design into the surface for a natural, one piece look. Walnut and cherry can also be engraved directly, though the contrast is lower than on alder. Piano finish and high gloss plaques are nearly always plated, since engraving through the lacquer is less predictable.
For photo plaques and full color logos, a sublimated plate on any finish is the standard. For a rustic or outdoors organization, direct engraving on alder is the signature look. For everything else, a plate.
Sizes
Most finishes are stocked in standard sizes from roughly 5 by 7 inches for individual recognition up to 12 by 15 inches and larger for perpetual and roster formats. A 7 by 9 or 8 by 10 inch plaque is the common size for a single award. A 9 by 12 suits a plaque with a photo or a longer citation. Perpetual and roster plaques run larger because of the plate count. When a program will order many plaques over the years, choosing one size and one finish keeps the wall consistent.
Seeing finishes in person
Catalog photos flatten the differences between finishes. Walnut and genuine walnut in particular look similar on a screen and quite different side by side. For a buyer choosing a finish for a program that will run for years, holding samples is worth the trip. Chicago area buyers can see every finish at Viking Awards in Westchester, and remote buyers can request photos of specific pieces under normal light.
A practical way to decide quickly: if the plaque is one of many, choose walnut finish. If it is one of a few, choose cherry or rosewood. If it is the one, choose genuine walnut or piano finish. That rule covers most orders, and the exceptions are the ones where a specific room, brand, or tradition calls for something else.
Whatever the finish, the plaque should be proofed before it is engraved. A proof shows the plate text on the chosen wood and catches the mismatch between a dark plate and a dark finish before it is on the wall.
Where to order
Viking Awards in Westchester, Illinois stocks every finish above and engraves plates and wood in house, which means a buyer can see the finishes side by side, match a plate to a wood, and have the plaque proofed and produced on one timeline. Plaques have been part of the catalog since 1973. Chicago area customers can pick up in person. Everything else ships nationwide. Call 630-833-1733 or use the contact page.