The Contractor's Guide to Custom Engraved Apparel at Burl Wood Designs

Hey there! Mike here from Burl Wood Designs. If you’ve spent any time working outdoors around East Texas or across the border in Louisiana, you know one thing for certain: your gear has to work as hard as you do. Whether you’re running a landscaping crew in Nacogdoches, a plumbing team in Lufkin, or a roofing company out of Shelbyville, your equipment gets put through the ringer. The humidity, the red dirt, and the long hours under the sun don't play favorites.

I’ve talked to a lot of local business owners who feel the same way about their company apparel. They want their guys to look professional when they show up to a job site, but they’re tired of hats that fall apart after two weeks or embroidery that frays and gets snagged on every low-hanging branch in Carthage.

That’s exactly why we’ve built our custom hat program here at Burl Wood Designs to be "contractor-proof." We aren't just slapping a logo on a cheap cap. We’re building tools for your brand. In this guide, I want to walk you through exactly how we do things differently: from the hats we choose to the industrial-grade adhesive that keeps our patches exactly where they belong.

The Gold Standard: Why We Use the Richardson 112

When a contractor calls me up looking for hats, the first question is usually, "What kind of hats do you have?" My answer is almost always the same: The Richardson 112.

There’s a reason this is the most popular hat in the service industry. It’s a classic six-panel trucker hat with a pre-curved visor and that signature mesh back. For those of us living through a Texas summer, that mesh back isn't just a style choice; it’s a survival feature. It lets your head breathe while you’re out there on a slab or up on a roof.

But beyond the comfort, the Richardson 112 is built like a tank. It holds its shape. You can throw it on the dashboard of your truck, toss it in the backseat with your tools, or accidentally sit on it, and it usually pops right back. It gives your crew a uniform, professional look that says you care about the details.

Leatherette vs. Tri-Layer Acrylic: Picking Your Patch

One of the coolest things we do here is give you options for how your brand is displayed. We don’t do traditional embroidery, honestly, I think our patch options look cleaner and last longer. We specialize in two main types of patches: Leatherette and Tri-Layer Acrylic.

1. The Leatherette Patch (The "Essentials" Tier)

Our leatherette patches are the backbone of our "Essentials" tier. This is a synthetic leather that we laser-engrave right here in the shop. It gives you that high-end, rugged look of real leather but with a lot more durability.

The beauty of leatherette is that it doesn't dry out or crack like real leather can when it gets soaked with sweat and dried out by the sun a hundred times. We offer these in several earth-tone colors: like light brown, dark brown, or even a sleek black-on-silver. For a contractor, it’s the perfect balance of "I mean business" and "I'm ready to work."

2. Tri-Layer Acrylic Patches

If you want your crew to really stand out, or if you need something that is practically indestructible, you’ve got to see our Tri-Layer Acrylic patches. These are made from specialized industrial materials that allow us to engrave through layers to reveal different colors.

We can do a "Brushed Stainless" look that engraves to black, or even high-contrast colors that pop. These are perfect for businesses that want a more "industrial" or modern feel. Plus, since they are made of a rigid, high-grade acrylic, they are incredibly easy to wipe clean. If you're in the oilfield or timber business around Center or Shreveport, these are a popular choice because they can handle the grime.

The Secret Sauce: No-Stitch Industrial Adhesive

This is where we really pull ahead of the pack. Most patch hats you find are either stitched on or used with a standard iron-on backing that peels off the first time it gets hot in your truck.

At Burl Wood Designs, we use a specialized industrial-grade, heat-activated adhesive.

We’ve tested this stuff in the toughest conditions we could find. We’re talking about 100-degree days on a roofing job in Marshall and humid mornings in the woods around Shelbyville. Because our adhesive is heat-activated and bonds directly into the fibers of the hat, there are no threads to snag, no stitching to fray, and: most importantly: the patch isn't going anywhere.

We call it "No-Stitch, No Problems". It creates a clean, low-profile look that won’t catch on your sunglasses or your safety gear. It’s the kind of bond that makes sure your brand stays on your head, not on the floor of the job site.

The "Mix and Match" Policy: Growing With You

I know what it’s like to run a small business. Sometimes you don't need 100 hats all in the same color. Maybe you have three guys in the field who need high-vis orange, and you want a couple of nice charcoal ones for yourself when you're doing estimates.

That’s why we offer a flexible Mix and Match policy. Within a single order, you can mix up your hat colors as long as the patch stays the same. It’s a great way to get your branding on a variety of looks without having to place five separate orders. Whether you're a one-man show in Nacogdoches or a growing fleet in Shreveport, we’ll work with you to make sure you get exactly what you need.

Local Service, National Quality

Even though we ship hats all over the country through our Etsy and Shopify stores, our heart is right here in East Texas. When you work with us, you’re not talking to a call center; you’re talking to me or someone on our small team. We take pride in seeing our hats on the heads of the folks we see at the grocery store or the gas station.

If you’ve been thinking about upgrading your crew’s look, I’d love to help you out. We specialize in bulk orders, and we’ve made the process as simple as possible. You send us your logo, we send you a proof, and then we get to work in the shop.

Ready to Get Started?

Your crew is your best advertisement. When they’re out there in the community, you want them looking sharp. Let’s get some hats on their heads that can actually stand up to the work they do.

Give me a call or shoot me a text at +1 (936) 935-0185.

Whether you have a fully designed logo ready to go or just a rough idea of what you want, we can make it happen. I’m happy to talk through hat colors, patch materials, or give you a quote for a bulk order.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Best, Mike Burleson
Owner, Burl Wood Designs
Shelbyville, TX