Have Your Say With a DIY Decorative Sign
Express your thoughts in just the right amount of space with a hanging sign you easily make yourself
Signs are the bumper stickers of interior design, and a phenomenal way to share something of ourselves in our homes. They add an “other” element to walls — a different texture and a different feeling than you get from hanging artwork. Signs can be funny, serious, whimsical or historical; contemporary, country or classic. They can be hung on walls or over mantels, used as headboards or placed in entries.
Although signs never really go out of style, they have become something of a fad. Consequently, gift stores are full of them these days. But it can be difficult to find a ready-made sign that says exactly what you want it to say, in the size you need.
No problem. Follow these simple steps to create a custom sign that will whisper, talk or shout from your walls — and your heart.
Although signs never really go out of style, they have become something of a fad. Consequently, gift stores are full of them these days. But it can be difficult to find a ready-made sign that says exactly what you want it to say, in the size you need.
No problem. Follow these simple steps to create a custom sign that will whisper, talk or shout from your walls — and your heart.
Once you choose your sentiment and size, you’ll need some basic tools. Our space allowed for a sign 6 feet long and about 6 inches tall, so we purchased a 1-by-6 pine plank 6 feet long from our local lumberyard. You can get planks up to a foot wide — although they will actually measure 11¼ inches. Go figure. For some reason understood only by the lumber industry, a plank is actually smaller than the stated dimension (so a 1-by-6 is ¾-by-5½). If you want to do a taller sign, you can glue planks together, edge to edge, until you reach your desired size. But sticking to one plank is a great way to start.
Then you will need a pencil, a jigsaw (or a handsaw, if you do not want shaped ends), some basic guides, stencil letters and paint brushes.
Then you will need a pencil, a jigsaw (or a handsaw, if you do not want shaped ends), some basic guides, stencil letters and paint brushes.
We wanted the ends of our sign to have some shape, so Mike came up with this rounded idea — sort of like a barber pole but horizontal. You could do an arrow shape or check out the shapes of curtain finials for more ideas. I scouted around the bungalow until I found something circular that was the right size to create the rounded end, and then traced the shape …
… and Mike cut it out with his jigsaw, adding the gentle curves that soften the line from the circular end to the linear body. If you want just a straight end, you will still probably need to give your plank a clean cut. Ask a staffer at your lumberyard to do this for you; often someone will oblige.
Here the ends have been cut and the plank has been hand sanded. A power sander is really not necessary — we just cleaned up any rough spots and blunted the edges with a medium-fine sandpaper.
Now you need to pick your sign color. We love red, and the holiday season was approaching, so red it was going to be. You need very little paint, so I went to our local hardware store and bought a pint of a ready-made red. Paint companies have so many great colors available now that you should not need to pay for a custom color. If your sign is going to be rustic and worn looking like mine, buy an inexpensive flat water-based paint. If you want a more contemporary, sleek look, you may want to use a paint with more sheen.
For the worn, antique-y look we wanted, I brushed on a light coat of paint, let it dry and then sanded it back to expose edges and patches of wood. I also beat it up a bit with a chain and a corkscrew to add distressing.
Now you are ready to stencil your sentiment onto the sign. Nothing in my inventory of stencils seemed right for this project, so we went to Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft and purchased Martha Stewart’s lettering stencils in the size and font that seemed appropriate. Do not be shy about taking a piece of your plank with you to the store, if you want to see how the available sizes will work on your sign.
Now comes the math part (definitely not my strong suit). You need to figure out how to place your letters so that what you want to say will fit evenly in the space available on your plank. You will notice that my sign transmogrified from “gather taste” to “gather eat” thanks to my really bad arithmetic. I always pencil in the stencil before starting to paint, because then it’s easy to make adjustments.
Now comes the math part (definitely not my strong suit). You need to figure out how to place your letters so that what you want to say will fit evenly in the space available on your plank. You will notice that my sign transmogrified from “gather taste” to “gather eat” thanks to my really bad arithmetic. I always pencil in the stencil before starting to paint, because then it’s easy to make adjustments.
In this instance I used basic white paint for my letters. The color stands out beautifully from the red, and I would be muddying it up later to keep the worn look I was after. I also went back and filled in all the little gaps in the letters that were left by the stencils. I used a 49-cent disposable sponge on a stick to apply the stencil paint, because cleaning brushes is also not my strong suit. A tiny artist’s brush (which Mikey cleans) is great for filling in the gaps. We also added a stenciled fleur-de-lis at each end of the sign, for added decoration.
This next step requires a steadier and more patient hand than mine, so Mike took over. Using a black permanent marker, he added a bit of shadow to each letter. This can be tedious, but it will add great dimension to your sign’s letters and is well worth the effort.
Briwax is a sign maker’s best friend. It’s an English paste wax that adds great patina to any wood surface, while giving an antique look. It comes in several colors, but I usually pick a medium brown. You can get it at many antiques stores and hardware stores, and online at Amazon. Use latex gloves when applying this wax, if you don’t want to spend days cleaning your fingernails. The wax works best at room temperature; it will flow on easily. Using a soft cloth, rub it over the entire surface of your sign, let it rest for a few minutes and then buff it to a silky shine with a clean rag. You can reapply Briwax anytime you want more patina on your wood.
Signs made this way are pretty light and easy to hang. Mike usually drills a hanging hole right into the wood, and that works really well.
And here it is, exactly as we wanted it. At our first dinner party after we hung it, our friends instantly noticed the sign and commented on it. It communicated to them a bit of our heart — our purpose in sharing a meal with them.
Maybe this spring we will take it down and put up some other saying, like, “We have pitched our tent in the land of hope” or “Carpe diem.” Or my favorite quote from Luciano Pavarotti: “One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Of course, that would require a bigger dining room! But the thing about signs is that they are very inexpensive to make, and they can be readily changed when your mood or the occasion requires.
Enjoy! And if you try this project, please post pictures and share details in the Comments section.
More: Signs of Fun Around the House
Maybe this spring we will take it down and put up some other saying, like, “We have pitched our tent in the land of hope” or “Carpe diem.” Or my favorite quote from Luciano Pavarotti: “One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Of course, that would require a bigger dining room! But the thing about signs is that they are very inexpensive to make, and they can be readily changed when your mood or the occasion requires.
Enjoy! And if you try this project, please post pictures and share details in the Comments section.
More: Signs of Fun Around the House
“Aha!” I thought to myself. “There’s an idea lurking there.” Mike and I love hospitality, love the dynamic of what happens around a dinner table, so we decided that our sign would say “Gather Taste Listen Love.”