How to Make Vintage Iron & Wood Craft Signs
Turning a new piece of wood into a weathered, tattered and aged sign is a creative process that you do not have to wait 100 years to occur. You can speed up the process with a few basic tools and stains so that within a few days, you can transform a new wood board from your local hardware store into an antique wood sign. Add iron chain links to the top of the sign and some strong twine to provide a vintage look that you or your customers can enjoy.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Pine board
- Sharp wood carving knife or jig saw
- Fine and rough-grit sandpaper
- Wood stain
- Paintbrush
- Old rags
- Hammer
- Oil-based or acrylic paint
- Weatherproof clear wood sealant
- Power drill with 1/4-inch bit
- 2, 1/2-inch wide iron loop screws
Instructions
-
-
1
Purchase a piece of pine wood in roughly the dimensions that you want your sign to be. Use a sharp wood carving knife or jig saw to hand carve curves and edges to your sign.
-
2
Sand the board with a piece of rough-grit sandpaper to rough up the surface and provide a place for stain to settle into. Use your carving knife to whittle away small, narrow strips out of the surface of the wood to create a distressed look after staining.
-
-
3
Apply a dark wood stain to the sign with a paintbrush. Wipe away excess stain with an old rag. Allow the board to dry completely.
-
4
Hit the board with a hammer to create indentations along the board and aid in giving it an old, weathered look. Run over spots of the board with another piece of rough-grit sandpaper to remove some of the stain, making way for the next color of stain to be applied.
-
5
Paint a second coat of stain onto the board, but this time use a lighter color of stain. Wipe away the excess with a clean, old rag and allow the board to dry.
-
6
Sand the edges smooth with a piece of fine-grit sandpaper. Wipe away sand ash with a dry paintbrush.
-
7
Paint words or a message on your sign with oil-based or acrylic wood paint. Choose a contrasting color of paint so that your letters show up nicely against the background of your sign. Let the paint dry completely.
-
8
Seal the board with a clear, waterproof wood sealant. Although your board looks old, you want it to maintain its composition and distressed look without actually breaking down and weathering itself.
-
9
Use a power drill with a 1/4-inch bit to drill two pilot holes into the top edge of the sign, 2 to 3 inches in from either end.
-
10
Thread two sturdy, 1/2-inch wide iron loop screws into the holes to create iron loops that can be used to hang the sign. Run strong twine or leather stripping through the iron loops, even the ends, and tie two knots in the ends of the twine to secure the ends together and create an easy mechanism for hanging the sign.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Tell customers that they can remove the twine, if desired, and attach iron chains to each loop to hang the sign from two, rather than one point.
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
