DIY Painted Wood Sign

A painted wood sign is a perfect DIY project: it is something that anyone can make for almost free, and it is so charming that you make good use of a painted wood sign in almost any room.

Today I invited my talented blogger friend LZ, who sells her beautiful painted wood signs on Etsy, and just wrote an awesome ebook on DIY wood signs, to share with us her pro-tricks on how to make your own wood signs!

LZ used pallet wood which is so rustic and full of character. If you have been wondering where to find pallets, how to take apart pallets or how to work with pallet wood, check out this detailed guide all about pallets.

All about pallets

Now it’s time for LZ’s tutorial! 

Hello, A Piece of Rainbow readers! I’m LZ from The Summery Umbrella, and I was so excited when Ananda asked me to share this gorgeous DIY Farmers Market Wood Sign Tutorial with you. PLUS… I’m even including a FREE SVG Cut File so you can make your very own too! I don’t know about you, but I definitely love free stuff!

Just in case you’ve never stopped by my neck of the woods (aka. my blog) I love to share my three favorite things: DIY, Design, and Decor projects. You’ll find everything from wood signs in my shop to my all-time favorite DIY coffee station and even my hand drawn vectors for all of your crafting needs.

With that being said, a few months ago I decided to share my tips and tricks that I’ve learned over the years running my own shop about sign making in an eBook I’ve written called The Ultimate Guide to Making Your Own Signs. It includes 30+ techniques, suggested materials, tutorials, videos, and various other tips to help you create the best looking signs for your own wall decor needs!

Are you ready to get started?

Supplies: ( Some of the helpful resources are affiliate links. Full disclosure here. )

Steps

  • Clean and sand off your pallet boards. I like to literally brush off all of the dirt from my surface after sanding them to ensure I have not missed anything.
  • After you have finished sanding it is time to create your sign. Line up your three boards on a flat surface so they sit evenly next to each other.
  • Next, take your two back support pieces and place them evenly away from each other on the backside. Nail into place.

  • Then, add a light layer of your top coat spray paint to help reduce the amount of your paint you will be using. Let it dry.
  • Next, it’s time to add your design! It’s extremely important that you do not apply too much paint, or it will go underneath your stencil creating a less than perfect design. Always use several, light layers.
  • Using your Silhouette CAMEO cut out your SVG cut file design with the vinyl on your mat. NOTE: Need more in-depth instructions on how to do the above steps? Check out this video tutorial for more info!
  • Remove the vinyl from your mat, and apply your transfer tape.
  • Now, remove the backing from your vinyl, and carefully take out the vinyl pieces of your design that you will be painting.


  • Once you have removed all your vinyl pieces it is now time to apply your stencil to your sign. Line up your vinyl with your board so it will be applied evenly, and using your squeegee firmly push it down. Check out the video above!
  • Next, slowly remove your transfer tape so that only your vinyl is left on your board.

  • In a ventilated area, evenly apply a light coat of spray paint it (or with lacquer paint and your airbrush) to your vinyl. Allow it to dry and then apply your next coat. Repeat this step until your desired color has been achieved.
  • Once your paint has completely dried remove your vinyl.

  • For a more vintage look use your sander and lightly distress the edges as well as your entire wood sign.
  • Then, add a light layer of your top coat spray paint for protection and let the wood sign dry.
  • Last, add hangers such as these to this beauty and hang it up!

Thanks again for having me Ananda, and I hope everyone enjoyed the tutorial!! Please feel free to send me an email (LZ@thesummeryumbrella.com), or drop by my page for more info. I’m always looking for ways to help ?

Have a wonderful weekend!

Pssttt…. want to learn more about making your own home decor signs? Check out my new eBook, The Ultimate Guide to Making Your Own Signs, which includes 170 pages, 27 techniques, 35 projects, and 46 video tutorials (which is over 2+ hours of instructions)!

Thank you LZ for the wonderful tutorial! Check out her beautiful site, you will love it!

Another way to create custom wood art and home decor pieces is to transfer images to wood- a super easy method here.

Detailed tutorial on how to transfer image to wood easily and make beautiful, one-of-a-kind printed wood wall art, home decor or gifts! - A Piece Of Rainbow

You may also love this DIY stenciled pallet wood floor mat, free pattern included!

How to make your own stencils and create beautiful stenciled pallet wood floor or wood door mat in this detailed tutorial! Free template download included.

DIY stenciled pallet wood floor mat

Happy creating! See you next week! =)

9 Comments

  1. This is so cool! I love to see things repurposed into other items. Using a pallet to make a cute sign is a great idea. So creative.

  2. A sign like this would be a great addition to my home. I’m a crafter (former scrapbooker actually) and my husband is a carpenter.

    This tutorial makes me wish I didn’t sell my CAMEO when I stopped scrapbooking!

  3. What a great looking sign! I have heard of pallet crafts but have not tried one yet. I appreciate that you have a link with info on how to find pallets here! I may try this one. Thanks!

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