A cherry-themed birthday backdrop set with wavy arch panels, balloon garlands and floral numbers

Woodwork & Props · Peterborough · Est. 2021

Send us a picture.
We'll build the thing.

Backdrops, giant letters and one-off props for weddings, birthdays and events — drawn with you, cut on our own CNC router, and finished by hand in the workshop.

Cut in-houseOur own CNC router. Nothing is sent away, so nothing gets lost in the post.
Painted here tooSprayed to your colour in the same workshop it was cut in.
One-offs welcomeA single castle or fifty snowflakes — both are a normal week.
Nothing off a shelfWe work from your photo and agree the design with you before we cut.
A Moroccan fretwork arch freshly cut in raw MDF, before any paint
Off the router
The same fretwork arch sprayed terracotta and standing outside the workshop
Sprayed and standing

How it's made

From a flat sheet to your setup.

Those two photos are the same arch, a few days apart. Everything happens under one roof, which is why we can change something on Tuesday and still have it painted by Friday.

  • 1Drawn. We turn your photo or scribble into a cutting file, sized to your space.
  • 2Cut. On our own CNC router, in MDF or birch ply depending on where it's going.
  • 3Sanded and sprayed. Finished here to your colour, not sent out to a paint shop.
  • 4Built and checked. Assembled, stood up and looked at properly before it leaves.

Our work

Every piece here was made for somebody.

A specific size, a specific colour, a specific day. Tap any photo to see it full size.

Who we make for

Most of our week is one of these four.

If you recognise yourself here, you'll get a straight answer quickly — we've almost certainly made something close before.

Parents planning a party

First birthdays, christenings, 18ths and 21sts. Usually one big centrepiece and a name or number, and usually a date that cannot move.

Stylists and balloon artists

Arches, plinths and panels built to your spec and your colours, ready for you to dress. Repeat runs from a pattern we already hold.

Weddings

Ceremony arches, welcome boards, seating plans and giant letters. Often one set of pieces that has to work across two venues in a day.

Venues, shops and schools

Signage, seasonal displays, stage flats and window pieces. Things that go up every year and need to survive being stored.

What we make

If it can be drawn, it can be cut.

A starting point, not a menu. Most jobs are a version of something below, sized and coloured for you.

Letters & numbers

  • 4ft freestanding letters and names
  • Light-up numbers for big birthdays
  • Open frames for flowers and balloons
  • Word sets — ONE, LOVE, MR & MRS

Backdrops & arches

  • Wavy, scalloped and round-top panels
  • Fluted and ribbed panel sets
  • Moroccan and fretwork screens
  • Plinths, cylinders and cake tables

Signs

  • Welcome boards and seating plans
  • Toilets, bar and this-way arrows
  • Engraved house names and numbers
  • Shop, salon and bar signage

Props & themes

  • Castles, cottages and shopfronts
  • Animal silhouettes — giraffe, horse, elephant
  • Backlit moons, stars and lanterns
  • Photo-booth and selfie frames

Seasonal

  • Christmas trees, reindeer and snowflakes
  • Grottos, sleighs and advent calendars
  • Halloween pumpkins and ghosts
  • Eid, Ramadan and Easter sets

Trade & batch

  • Send your DXF or SVG — we cut it
  • Batch cutting for stylists and hire firms
  • Spraying to your colour reference
  • Flat-pack builds that fit in a car

How it works

Nothing gets cut until you've seen it and said yes.

You don't have to describe what's in your head perfectly. Send a photo, and we'll draw it up and show you before a single sheet is touched.

Send the idea

A photo, a screenshot, a Pinterest save or a scribble. Tell us roughly how big and when you need it. If you don't know the size, say so — we'll work it out.

We draw it and price it

You get a written quote and a private link of your own. We swap sketches on it until you're happy — change the size, change the colour, change your mind. If the idea won't work as drawn, we'll say so and suggest what will.

You approve it, then we build

When you tap approve and we confirm, it's booked in and we start cutting — not before. Collect from the workshop, or tell us where it's going and we'll sort delivery.

What it costs

Why two similar pieces can be very different prices.

Everything is made to order, so there's no price list that would tell you the truth. These are the four things that actually move the number — worth knowing before you ask, and worth saying in your enquiry.

SizePrice follows sheets of material. A piece that needs two sheets instead of one costs roughly twice the material and takes longer to cut, move and spray.
How intricate the cut isA plain arch cuts in minutes. Fretwork with hundreds of small openings can take hours on the machine and needs sanding by hand afterwards.
The finishRaw MDF is cheapest. One sprayed colour is standard. Multiple colours, metallics, lighting or a mirrored inlay each add time.
How manyOne of something carries all the setup on its own. Fifty snowflakes share it, so the tenth costs far less than the first.

Tell us your rough size, colour and date and you'll get a proper written figure — not a range, and no obligation to go ahead.

Questions we get asked

The things people ask before they ask.

I've seen something online. Can you make one like it?
Usually, yes — send us the picture. We'll build our own version to fit your space and colours rather than trace someone else's design. If it's clearly somebody's original artwork or a licensed character, we'll say so and suggest something that gets you the same effect.
How much notice do you need?
It depends entirely on what's already in the workshop that week. Send your date with your enquiry and you'll get a straight yes or no quickly — we'd rather turn a job down than take it and let you down on the day.
I don't know what size I need.
That's normal, and it's not a problem. Send a photo of the room or the wall it's going against, with something recognisable in shot for scale, and we'll work the size out and show you before anything is cut.
What's it actually made from?
Mostly MDF and birch plywood, cut on our own CNC router and finished here. MDF takes a sprayed colour beautifully and is the usual choice indoors. Ply is stronger and better where something will be handled a lot or stored and reused.
Do you deliver, or do I collect?
Both happen. Collection from the workshop near Peterborough is always an option. Tell us where it's going and we'll quote delivery with it — large pieces are often built so they come apart for the car.
Can I reuse it, or is it for one day?
Built properly and stored dry, most of what we make lasts for years — plenty of our pieces come out every Christmas or Halloween. Say if it needs to be reused and we'll build it to take apart and stack.
Do you do trade work for other companies?
Yes. Send your DXF or SVG and we'll cut and finish it, or we'll draw it up from your sketch. Batch runs for stylists and hire companies are a normal part of the week.
What happens to the photos I send?
They're used to understand and price your job, and nothing else. We don't publish photos of your event or your finished piece without asking you first. The full detail is in our privacy policy.

Get a quote

Show us what you're picturing.

A photo of something similar tells us more than a paragraph describing it. Rough is fine — a screenshot, a scribble, a picture of the wall.

Every enquiry gets a reply, even the ones we can't take.
You'll see a drawing and agree it before anything is cut.
A written price, with no obligation to go ahead.
Your photos are only used to price your job.
Drop your photos here or tap to choose — sketches, screenshots, Pinterest saves, anything Up to 10 files
Or email Info@top-notch-events-ltd.co.uk
Also from us: Topnotch Entertainers — event & wedding specialists, run by the same team. Visit the site →
Send your idea for a quote