How To Make a Wooden Sign

February 01, 2023

Author Country Chic Paint

If you love the look of vintage, wooden signs, come see this tutorial to learn how to make your own with some distressing and stenciling techniques!

In this video tutorial company co-founder, Rosanne will show you how to paint, distress, and stencil a wooden sign!

How To Make a Sign | DIY Stenciling Tutorial for Making Wood Signs

Step 1) Sand your wood

How To Make DIY Vintage Wood Signs #DIY #vintage #rustic #distressed #wood #sign #art #homedecor #countrychicpaint #furniturepaint #stencil #stenciling #glaze #glazing - countrychicpaint.com/tutorials

For this sign, we used a simple piece of plywood. You can use any piece of wood you like really; it doesn’t have to be fancy! Before you begin painting it, use a piece of course-grit sandpaper to make sure the edges are smooth and there are no splinters. You can use a damp cloth or a dry brush to remove any dust this creates.

Step 2) Glaze or paint your wood

For this sign, we used Smoky Quartz glaze to “stain” our plywood a dark brown color. You can also use a base coat of paint for this step if you prefer.

Make sure you let this dry for 30-60 minutes before proceeding to the next step.

Step 3) Paint your sign

Now it’s time to choose a color for your sign. We chose cheesecake for this piece! Apply one or two thin coats all over your wood.

Step 4) Wet distress your sign

To achieve a more aged, vintage look, use a damp rag to gently wet distress the paint to reveal the color beneath. For more tips on wet distressing, click here.

Step 5) Apply your stencil

For a small stencil like this, you can just lay your stencil down and hold it in place with your hands. If you’re working with a larger stencil, you may want to consider using a spray adhesive to keep things in place and prevent bleed-through.

Step 6) Dab paint onto your stencil

We like using a Country Chic Paint wax brush for this step, but you can also use a foam brush or a dobber. You want a very small amount of paint on your brush, so dip it in the paint and dab off the excess. Lightly dab or swirl your brush all over your stencil. When you’re finished, you can immediately peel your stencil off.

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We would love to hear what projects you’re working on, so make sure to leave a comment or post a picture of your project to our Facebook page or Instagram (@countrychicpaint)!