Make a Rustic Wood Sign

Digging through my wood pile, I found some weathered wood scraps that were perfect for rustic signs. I chose one board to experiment on and am quite pleased with the finished product.

I used a reverse stenciling technique for this project with letters I cut out using my Cricut Expression. The size of the board depends on the size of the letters (or the other way around). It's kind of like the "Which came first, the chicken or the egg? question. If you like the size of your wood and choose not to cut it, you would simply make your letters to fit the board. That is what I did, but the instructions will detail the sizes of both the board and the letters I used, plus the paint colors. Whichever method you choose will be successful.

Weathered board
Measuring tape
Jigsaw
Sandpaper or electric palm sander
Rustic red latex acrylic wall paint
Paintbrush
Cricut Expression machine and Doodletype cartridge
Card stock
Repositionable spray stencil adhesive
Dusty green latex acrylic wall paint

Step 1
My weathered board measured 8 inches wide by 30 inches long. If you are following these instructions to a tee, measure and cut your board using a jigsaw. Lightly sand the cut edges to remove any splintering.

Step 2
Lay the board with the side you like best facing up. I made this decision based on the texture of the sides as the surface color and grain would be covered up. I did not sand it. I liked the rustic imperfections of the weathered wood.

Step 3
Paint a coat of rustic red latex acrylic wall paint over the front surface of the board. I did not paint the edges or back of the board. Allow the paint to dry. I did not add a second coat.

Step 4
I cut "farm fresh" on card stock using the Cricut Doodletype cartridge and setting the size at 3 inches.

Step 5
Spray the back of each letter using repositionable stencil adhesive. Position the letters on the board and press down with your hands to adhere them. The texture of your wood may prevent a perfect adhesion around the letter edges, but that is okay.

Step 6
Dip your paint brush into dusty green latex acrylic wall paint. Lightly tap the bristles over the edges of the letters. Tapping the brush in an up and down motion will prevent the paint from leaking under the edges as a side-to-side brushing technique will do. If some paint does leak under the edge, don't worry. It will just add to the rustic charm. When you have tapped paint over all of the letters, allow the paint to dry for about 5 minutes. This will give the edges of the letters a green-seal. Paint over the entire front surface of the board and letters using the dusty green wall paint. This is reverse stenciling. The negative of the design is the letters.

Step 7
Carefully pick and peel off the letters while the paint is still wet. Discard the letters. Allow the paint to dry.

Step 8
Sand the front surface of the sign to weather the new paint. You can do this with a sheet of sandpaper, or use an electric palm sander.