Tutorial: DIY Holiday Barn Wood Signs

DIY a barn wood sign.

Don't you just love barn wood signs? I've been been on a roll making holiday barn wood signs and today I'm sharing a step-by-step tutorial with you in case you want to give it a try yourself. I bought an 8 foot piece of barn wood flooring at Home Depot and had it cut in half at the store so that I ended up with two 4' pieces. A supply list is available at the end of this post.

Barn wood from Home Depot

Next I selected a 1 x 2 piece of trim and cut it myself at the store. Well actually I had my husband cut it because I couldn't take a picture and saw the wood at the same time.

Sawing trim pieces at Home Depot

Assemble the Wood:

I hammered the nails through the front of the wood (it blends in later) into the trim piece on the back. I used a little wood glue to help secure the trim, too.

Hammer nails through front of wood

Two pieces of trim, one at the top and the other at the bottom, secure the two pieces of barn wood together. The sign can be leaned up against a wall, but I also add a d-hook ring to the piece of trim for the option of hanging it.

Barn wood pieces joined together

Create a Background:

For this design I wanted a background color with a border. First I used painters tape to tape off a border area. To avoid paint bleeding underneath the rough texture of the wood, I applied a clear coat of gloss medium sealer before applying paint. Mod Podge would also work for this step. Either product will look milky when applied but will dry clear.

Seal the tape to prevent bleed through

Once the sealer was dry, I painted on my background color. I used an old paint brush for this step. An inexpensive chip brush would work just as well, too.

Paint background color

I used a hair dryer after each application of paint through out the project to speed up the drying time.

Use a hair dryer to speed up drying time.

Once the background paint was dry, I removed the painters tape and trimmed it to fit the background area in order to paint the border. You could use fresh tape, but I like to re-use the tape whenever possible.

Tape off border with painters tape.

Once again I used a sealant to seal the tape to prevent bleed through. Then I painted a red border.

Painting a red border.

After the paint was dry I removed the tape. I love the crisp transition between the colors.

Use this trick to get a crisp and clean line between paint colors.

Stencils:

Before I start the stenciling process, I first trace the letters onto paper to layout my design. It's much easier to make adjustments at this point! I make a note of how many inches down from the top I will start my design, and also how much space I will allow between each letter.

Layout design on paper first.

Hold the stencil flat with one hand.

Hold stencil down with one hand.

Then pounce the paint up and down with a stencil brush. I used Chalk Paint for the letters, but acrylic paint will work, too. Use a small amount of paint and add more as needed, but be careful not to overload your brush or it might seep under the stencil.

Pounce paint over stencil.

I applied a final coat of sealant after all the letters were applied and dry.

Seal the paint.

To give the sign a little more rustic flair, I applied a dark glaze with a foam brush over the entire sign.

Apply glaze for a rustic look.

After:

And here's my finished "Fa-la-la" holiday barn wood sign!

Fa la la holiday barn wood sign

I wanted a little more dimension to the sign, so I attached some sleigh bells using jute twine and a staple gun.
Sleigh bells on sign.

I had so much fun making the sign that I made a few more. Here are some photos of my other designs:

Unique holiday sign designs

Designer holiday barn wood signs

Rustic holiday barn wood sign

I hope today's project inspires you to be creative and make your own DIY holiday decorations.

Supply List:

Here's the supply list for what I used on this project. But you can be creative and use whatever colors or design you choose. (Some affiliate links included.)
Joyeux Noel holiday barn wood porch sign.

Comments

  1. These are really cute Patricia and I love how the dark glaze gives them a vintage vibe.

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  2. Oh I love them. I'm planning to make some signs with my 14 year old grandson today. But Ireland being Ireland, it's wet miserable and cold. So we will put our sign painting on hold for now. But thank you for the great tutorial. 👏👏👏👍👍🎄🎄

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Sandra! I hope you get a change in the weather soon and enjoy the project with your grandson.

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