A large wood welcome sign seems like the perfect way to greet guests at my front door. I’ve wanted one of these big signs for years and finally set out to make my own. It cost just a few dollars and is a wonderful addition to a Spring front porch. Watch how easy it is to make and learn how you can create your own!
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My front porch always looks so sad and bare when Spring rolls around. I jump at the first hint of warm weather and use this time to add color and life to my porch. I’ll show you my full Spring porch soon, when it’s safe to plant annuals, but for now let’s take a look at how I made this welcome sign.
Wood Welcome Sign Supplies
- 1×10 piece of wood, 6 feet long
- Sandpaper
- Spray paint in white and gray
- Letter stencils
- Temporary spray adhesive
- Spray sealer
I used a 6 foot board because fits my porch perfectly, but this project can be scaled to fit your needs. The 1×10 is the ideal size for the following stencils.
I started by sanding down any rough edges of the board, then adding a few coats of satin white spray paint. I let the paint dry fully and started to create the stencils.
You’ll need a Cricut for this project, learn how to get started with yours, this is a great beginner project. I chose a simple stencil font and typed the word Welcome. Then I cut each letter individually from a 12×12 piece of scrapbook paper. Nothing fancy here! I didn’t need to invest in reusable stencils, all I needed was a something simple for a one time use.
To ensure I got crisp lines with these paper stencils I used a temporary adhesive on the back of the paper and stuck each letter to the wood board.
Once the stencils were laid out as I wanted them, I sprayed a few very light coats of gray spray paint over the letters. I waited for the paint to dry a bit between each coat. When I was happy with the color I pulled off and discarded the stencils. I was left with nice lines and a big bold welcome sign!
The 12×12 scrapbook paper covers the 1×10 board perfectly so I didn’t get any overspray from the apint.
Once the gray paint was dry, letting it rest overnight is best, I added a few light coats of sealer to protect my sign. You can find out why I chose this sealer and what sealer is best for your wood signs here.
This welcome sign is the perfect addition to my porch, it welcome guests and adds some much needed interest to the front yard.
I keep my sign in a covered area so the wind doesn’t catch it. It also is protected from the elements. I did seal this sign, but keeping it out of the rain helps it stay white and bright.
Be sure to pin this project and share it with your DIY loving friends!
How do you decorate your front porch?
Thanks for visiting!
Paper Butterfly Wreath
Adrianna
Wednesday 9th of September 2020
Lovely! But where did you get your piece of wood? Is it heavy??
Sarah
Wednesday 9th of September 2020
It's not too heavy, I made it using 1x4 common boards. Check out my video and post on how to build a sign. Otherwise you can buy a lightweight sign from a craft store to start the process.
Angela T Boult
Monday 9th of December 2019
love your sign....where du=I'd you find the stencils... I've looked several places but cannot find that size. most are for a 4 or 5 ft board and I also have a 6ft board?
Melissa Baucom
Monday 5th of October 2020
I like to use Graphite paper because I can print on it using my printer then simply trace over the printed graphite and onto the wood and it leaves an outline. Then I go back in with paint pens and outline again making it permanent then. Last thing is to fill it in with paint and a small paint brush. I get my Graphite paper in a pack of 12 sheets for only 8.00$ I don’t have a Cricut machine
Sarah
Monday 9th of December 2019
I make most of my stencils and for large signs like this I make them in pieces. Check out this post and video for more details. https://www.creativeramblingsblog.com/build-paint-wood-sign/