I've wanted to make a welcome sign for our house since we moved in and I finally got around to doing it. Since it has warmed up outside we were able to add a flower bed to the front of our house so it was only fitting that I got around to making the welcome sign.
Supplies:
- Pallet
- Paint
- Black Paint Pen
- Polycrylic Wood Sealer
- Paint Brush
- Pen & paper OR a print out of words
- 20+ Screws (1") & Drill
- Saw
- Sander
How To:
1. Figure out what your sign is going to say and how many pieces of wood you will need. Cut up a pallet.
I used ten pieces of 14"x3.5" wood for the front of the welcome sign and one 40" or longer piece for the back to attach the sign together.
2. Sand your wood pieces and wipe them off. If the wood is dirty or still has saw dust on them, the paint won't stick as well.
3. Paint the wood pieces the colors you want. You can paint them all the same color or rotate colors. Make sure to paint the edges because you will be able to see them once the sign is put together. Let Dry.
I used 5 different colors of cheap Acrylic paint. Any color paint or left over paint should work. The darker the paint the harder it will be for your words to show up.
4. Write OR Print out the words you want to use in the font and size you want to use.
5. Transfer the words onto the wood. You can do this several different ways. In this case, I placed my words on top of the wood and centered them. I used a ball-point pen and gently traced over the words thus creating a small outline in the wood. If you look closely you can see the outline in the picture below.
*** Check out Step 4 in my blog, Growth Chart Ruler Tutorial, for another way you can transfer the words onto the wood.
You can use any color you want but black will stand out. I used a paint pen to save time but you can use regular black paint and a paint brush if you prefer.
7. Line up your sign to make sure it is in the order you want then flip the pieces of wood over. Make sure they are placed close together to avoid gaps once attached. Place the 40" piece of wood in the center on the back of the lined up pieces leaving the excess wood hanging off the bottom.
I made the back piece longer on purpose so it could be buried into the ground to avoid the wind knocking it over and damaging the sign. If you are setting the sign on your porch or hanging it, the back piece of wood needs to be the length of the ten pieces of wood together, in this case, 35".
8. Begin to screw the back piece to the front pieces. I used 1" screws and placed two screws in each piece of wood, using a total of twenty screws. It is important to measure the depth of the wood so that your screws won't poke out the front of the sign thus ruining the sign.
9. Apply a wood sealer to the front and back of the sign. I used Polycrylic Wood Sealer to seal in the paint and help prevent wear and tear on the sign from harsh weather. Let Dry.Since I used an oil based paint pen I had to use a wood sealer for oil based paint. If your sealer isn't for oil based paint it will smear the words.
10. Once your sign has dried you can dig a little hole and burry the bottom into the ground, hang it, or lean it on your front porch for your neighbors, friends and family to enjoy!
This welcome sign is colorful and definitely stands out in our flower bed. I can't wait for our flowers to fully bloom and all the colors to pop. This welcome sign is a GREAT addition to any home and is also a GREAT way to help make your guest feel welcomed. I received compliments on the sign from our neighbors as soon as we put it up! Feel free to comment with a picture of how your welcome sign turned out!