How to Build a Wooden 10-by-24 Billboard

Treated lumber is the premium choice for wooden billboards.

Wooden billboards are used on the sides of roads and freeways for advertising. These 10-by-24-foot billboards are large enough to be seen from quite a distance away under most circumstances. Billboards are made out of both metal or lumber. Metal billboards are more expensive, but have the advantage of being built very high due to their sturdy composition. Make a simple wooden billboard using treated lumber. Treated lumber will naturally withstand nature's elements and is handled comfortably by only a couple workers.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Post hole digger
• 4 treated timbers, 6-by-6-by-216 inches
• Level
• Hammer
• 8 landscaping stakes, 24 inch
• Shovel
• Cement mix, 12 cubic feet
• Ladder
• 6 treated plywood sheets, 1/2-by-48-by-96 inches
• 3 treated plywood sheets, 1/2-by-24-by-96 inches
• Screw gun
• 60 corrosion resistant screws, 3 inch

Instructions

1. Dig four 48-inch deep 12-inch diameter holes in a straight line. Space the middle pair of holes 84 inches apart and the two outside holes 81 inches from the middle pair. The 84 inches creates 96 inches of space between the centers of the middle pair. The 81 inches of space between the outside holes will allow the outside edges of the billboard to be flush with the outside edges of the timbers.

2. Position each timber perpendicularly inside the center of each hole so two sides of each timber are parallel and aligned within the set. The centers of the posts are aligned with the centers of the holes. Pound two landscaping stakes around each timber. Each pair of stakes are at right angles to each other and are the timbers in the perpendicular position. Use your level to ensure they are perpendicular. Pour 3 cubic feet of cement around each timber and let it cure according to instructions on the package.

3. Hold a full 96-by-48-inch plywood sheet against the left pair of timbers so the 96-inch edge is flush with the top ends of the timbers and so the left 48-inch edge is flush with the outside of the left timber. Screw the plywood to the two timbers using four screws for each 48-inch edge. Screw another full sheet of plywood directly below it using eight screws and screw a 24-by-96-inch sheet directly below the first two. The shorter edges on each sheet will be aligned and the 24-inch sheet will be 48 inches above the ground.

4. Screw three more sheets of plywood to the two middle timbers. Starting from the top of the timbers, work your way down just as you did in the previous step attaching two 48-by-96-inch sheets first and then a 24-by-96-inch sheet. The shorter edges of each sheet are against the shorter edges of the sheets screwed in the last step. All of the longer edges are parallel between all of the sheets. Repeat this step on the last pair of timbers on the right and this will be your 10-by-24-feet billboard area.

5. Paint, screw or glue your advertisement on the nine sheets of plywood.

Tips & Warnings

• Check local restrictions and codes for building billboards.

References

• "Step by Step Basic Carpentry"; Ben Allen; 1997
• AWC: Designing With Lumber In The 2001 NDS; Kevin Cheung, et al.; 2002