DIY Engraved Wood Signs [Tutorial]

sandy toes salty kisses sign

I’m not usually big into art and signs with quotes and sayings…but I can appreciate a cute little saying every now and then.  I’m especially a sucker for beachy [I wish spell check would stop telling me “beachy” is not a word…it is in my vocabulary!] quotes & sayings.  I always have lots of scrap wood laying around that I like to find uses for, so the other day I decided to turn one of them into an engraved sign!  Of course I chose one of my favorite quotes to put on it…anyone who lives near the coast can relate this 😉
How to make an engraved wood sign [tutorial]

All you’ll need for this project is a piece of wood to engrave, two paint colors, and a printer!

step 1

Select a piece of wood to engrave and apply a base coat of paint to it.  I always have scrap wood laying around, my piece of wood actually came from an old table I took apart!  I chose to paint my sign in CeCe Caldwell’s Nantucket Spray to give it a beachy feel.

**For best results, I recommend using chalk paint because it will sand off and give the cleanest finish in the end.

step 2

Next, decide what your sign will say!  Again, I went with the beachy vibe, so mine said “Sandy toes, salty kisses”.  Print your message in whatever font you’d like your sign to be in.  Cut it out and arrange it on your sign.

step 3

Next, using a ball point pen (preferably one you wouldn’t mind ruining!), trace the text onto the wood.  Press hard as you go, the key here is for the pen to engrave into the wood!

After you’ve finished tracing the letters, your sign should look a little something like this!

step 4

Next, use your second paint color and a tiny paint brush to paint over the engraved text.  I chose CeCe Caldwell’s Cinco Bayou Moss, the gold was a great contrast on the pale Nantucket Spray

step 5

After you’ve painted on the text and it’s dried, take a super fine grit sand paper and rub lightly over the text.  You will see the paint on the outside of the letters sand off, while the engraved portion of the text remains!  You can touch up any areas that rubbed off too much, if you need to. This will also give your sign a nice, weathered effect!

Here’s how the finished product should look!

Now all I need is a sandy beach to dig my toes into…ah well, summer will be here soon enough!

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