Wood Sign - How to Distress

In my previous post, I showed how I took an inexpensive pine board and stenciled it to create a primitive wood sign. The video below is a very brief tutorial on how to sand and stain the sign to make it look aged and distressed.

I used an electric palm sander because it goes quicker, but you can sand the piece by hand. I used a fairly dark stain. You can experiment with different stains to achieve the desired look. I also stained the back and all sides of the board. You'd be surprised at what a nice, rich look a piece of ordinary pine can have when it's been stained.



Handcrafted Primitive Wood Sign Stencil Tutorial

I decided to make a stencil tutorial to show how easy it is to take a plain pine board and turn it into a handcrafted primitive wood sign.

Since it seems to be nearly impossible to upload videos to Blogger, if you click: here, you can watch the tutorial. I've given some time-saving tips.

Keep in mind that it's possible to purchase stencils with full words and sayings, but they're usually expensive. I use basic lettering stencils; whatever I can find and wherever I can find them.

This particular wood board cost me less than $4 at my local Lowes. I painted it lightly with some ordinary white house paint. I used acrylic craft paint for the stenciling.


In my next tutorial I'll be showing how to distress and stain the board to make it look antique and primitive.

Homemade Primitive Wood Signs

I’ve always been a big fan of rustic wood projects. Making primitive reproductions is one of my favorite things to do. Unlike making fine wood furniture and accessories, you don’t have to be as particular with primitives. They’re also in high demand among collectors. Real antiques cost hundreds of dollars. Reproductions give people the opportunity to accessorize their country homes for far less money. When I sold these primitive wood signs and similar items, at craft shows, they sold out quickly, long before the sale was over.

I went to my local Home Depot and picked up a 12-foot long pine board for just under $12. Mine was 7 inches wide and 1-inch thick, but other widths will do fine. I had the lumber associate cut the board in 3 pieces, so each sign only cost me $4!

I sanded the board on all sides and rounded the corners to add a look of age. I used a palm sander, but you can sand by hand if you like.

Then I added a coat of mustard yellow craft acrylic paint and let it dry. I used letter stencils; not full word stencils, which is a teensy bit more difficult since you have to take care to keep your letters properly spaced and straight. But, that's what I had to work with, so I made do.

And here's the finished product. I used two different size letters to accent "Home" and included some stenciled chickens, roosters and primitive stars. Finally, I lightly sanded the entire piece with the palm sander and applied a coat of light wood stain to really make it primitive looking.

So, now I have a primitive kitchen sign that I made myself at a fraction of what I would have spent on a sign purchased online. Anyone can do this. They make great gifts too! I'll be posting some more pictures of other signs I've made. My mom gave me some scraps and I've made some nice signs from those too...and the best part was they were free!