Repurpose a Wood Sign Tutorial

Todays tutorial is going to show you how to repurpose a wood sign.  You can use one you already have or buy a cheap one from a garage sale or thrift store.  

Here is the before picture.  I found this at a garage sale for $1.  

The other supplies you will need are:
1. Paint-I use all purpose acrylic paint that you can get at any craft store.  
2. Foam paint brushes
3. Vinyl (words and/or design)
4. Sander
If you want to add a distressed look you will also need:
5. Sandpaper
6. Stainer wood finish
7. Paper towels

Steps:
1.  Use a sander to take off all of the old paint.

2. Paint the wood with the base color.  I used white and did 2-3 coats.  Let it dry.
3. Place the vinyl over the wood.  I didn’t use transfer paper because the letters were pretty small.  I just put the outline of the words right onto the wood.  
4. Paint over the vinyl with the color of the letters.  I used yellow and did 2 coats.  Let it dry.

5. Remove vinyl after it is dry.  If you don’t want a distressed look then you are done!  If you do want a distressed look then here are the extra steps.

Extra steps for distressed look:
6. Use sand paper to sand the wood evenly and in the same direction.  Then sand harder around certain areas and letters to remove the paint to give it that distressed look. 
7. Time to stain it.  Make sure to use the right color of stainer because once you apply it there is no going back.  You might want to try it on an extra piece of painted wood before applying it to your sign just to make sure you are happy with it.  I used the “Special Walnut” color of the Minwax brand.  **It will always look darker when you first apply it.  After it dries it lightens up quite a bit.**  Use a foam paint brush to apply the stainer.  Be careful not to apply too much, a little bit goes a long way.  Use paper towels to remove the excess.  Let the stainer dry completely.  I usually let mine dry overnight.