Hand Lettered Barn Wood Sign

Hand Lettered Barn Wood Sign

I don’t know about you, but I love making gifts for the people in my life! Last week, my friend Jenni had a birthday, and I wanted to give her a special, meaningful present. I know that her favorite Bible verse is Micah 6:8 {in fact, one of her kiddos is named for it}, so I decided to make her a sign with those words lettered on it. Here’s how I created it and you can too…

jennisign4

You’ll need:

an unfinished wooden sign
FolkArt Painted Finishes: Barnwood Tint and Barnwood Wax
Paintbrush
Plastic card {ie: gift card, credit card, etc}
White paint marker

jennisign1a

Creating the sign:

Step 1: Paint your wooden sign with one coat of Barnwood Tint.

Let it dry completely before moving to the next step. This will give the wood the appearance of a dark stain.

Step 2: Apply a coat of Barnwood Wax over top of your stained surface.

It will look as though you’re painting everything a light caramel color, but trust me, it works!

barnwoodprocess

Step 3: While the wax is still wet, scrape off the excess.

I like to use an old plastic gift card to do the scraping; it works like a charm. The remaining wax will settle down into the natural grain of the wood, giving it a beautifully aged and weathered appearance. Let it dry for about 24 hours before doing your lettering on top.

Step 4: Plan your design.

You can use any phrase you like; I went with Jenni’s favorite Bible verse, Micah 6:8. It’s good to sketch out your words on a scrap piece of paper so that you know what kind of spacing and placement you want before you actually write on the wood.

Hand Lettered Rustic Sign

Step 5: Letter your design using a white paint marker.

If you’re new to hand lettering, check out this super-simple beginner tutorial that will get you started. Or, you can always use another method like a stencil or adhesive vinyl.

Hand Lettered Barn Wood Sign

I’m so pleased with how it turned out, and I hope Jenni loves it too! What would you letter on a sign for your home?

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6 Comments

  1. Love love this sign!! That finish is amazing! Now did you have to use a wax/varnish/finish over the lettering when you were done? Does the barn wood wax leave a smooth surface? Thanks!

    1. I didn’t use anything over top of the lettering, but I’m sure you could if you wanted to. The barnwood wax does leave a smooth surface!

  2. This was so helpful! I made a sign for a wedding out of a section of old fence my neighbor was just throwing out (can you imagine ). The bride wanted to weathered look so I didn’t want to sand the wood but it would have been impossible to paint the lettering on it. The wax helped seal and smooth out the wood so it didn’t suck up all my paint pen and protected my pens from too much damage too. P.S. I love following you on instagram

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