Looking for clever ideas to create your own wall art? Learn how to make this unique DIY wooden sign decor, with faux metal to create cheap vintage wall art.
Inspiration for DIY Wooden Sign Decor
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Decorating a room is so much fun, especially when you’re working around a theme.
To say that our youngest, Mr. A loves his cars would be the understatement of the century! I can’t even begin to describe how much he loves his cars.
So where did I get my inspiration for this vintage faux metal Route 66 sign decor?
As you know from other elements in this Ultimate DIY Cars Bedroom, I’d incorporated this faux diamond plated metal into the design of the Tool Chest Dresser and the Cheap and Unique Headboard.
I’d already been planning to make some sort of wall art to hang above the USA map art.
When I came across this diamond plated metal look carpet protector for the dresser top, I knew I wanted to incorporate it throughout the room!
(This runner, sold by the foot may only be available in store at your local Home Depot, however I did find a ton of similar options they have available online. Take a look.)
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Applying faux metal to the DIY Wooden Sign Decor
As mentioned in the DIY dresser and headboard posts, this carpet protector is really easy to work with.
Once you have the dimensions of your DIY wooden sign decor, you can measure and cut the carpet protector to size.
(For the base of this wooden sign I used a scrap piece of MDF and cut it about the same length as the USA map art.)
The quickest way I found to make a nice straight edge was to use my cutting mat, ruler and a utility knife.
Scissors also work well to cut this! They actually worked a lot better than I thought they would. You can definitely use scissors to cut the entire piece if you don’t have access to these other tools.
I used this contact cement by DAP. It was really easy to use, had very little to no odor and has a strong and durable bond.
Be sure to follow the directions for accurate application tips, and specific dry times.
I used a small foam roller to apply the adhesive to the scrap piece of MDF as well as the carpet protector.
(Just to clarify so I’m not confusing you…I worked on both the dresser top and this DIY wooden sign decor projects at the same time. That’s why there are two pieces of carpet protector in this picture.)
Carefully line up the carpet protector and press into place. You may need an extra set of hands for this step if you’re working with a large piece.
Adding Vinyl To the DIY Wooden Sign Decor
A quick and easy way to add the saying and Route 66 image to this DIY wooden sign decor is to add vinyl.
We used our silhouette machine with font type “magneto” to create the “Get your kicks on” portion of the saying, in red vinyl.
The Route 66 symbol was downloaded from the silhouette store and cut in black and white.
The black symbol was solid without any words and was cut about 1/4″ larger than the white piece to create the border.
The white symbol with “Route 66” cut out was then applied to the top of the black piece.
(Because the vinyl was applied to the textured surface of the carpet protector, there were many air bubbles underneath the vinyl. To remove the air bubbles, I simply took the weeding tool and poked a small hole in the vinyl to push out the air and remove the bubbles.)
If you don’t have a cricket or silhouette machine you can always search on Etsy to find a shop that does custom vinyl cutting.
Building The Frame For The DIY Wooden Sign Decor
I’m drawn to the straight and simple lines of the ever popular farmhouse style frames.
They’re pretty simple to make, and adding this faux diamond plated metal onto the sign creates the unique piece of wall art I was after.
To create the frame for this DIY wooden sign decor, we used a 1×2 furring strip which can be found at your local hardware store.
When finding that perfect piece for your frame be sure to look for one with minimal to no knots in the wood, as well as a strip that isn’t bowed.
Creating this farmhouse frame is really simple to do.
Line the furring strip along the bottom edge of the MDF board, butting it up to one edge. Then mark with a pencil the length of the MDF board at the other edge.
Repeat this for the top of the MDF board.
Once the top and bottom frame edges have been marked and cut, line them up along the piece of MDF.
Then take the furring strip and line it up on each side of the MDF board. This piece will be positioned flush with the entire length of the piece of MDF and both the top and bottom edges of the horizontal furring strips. Once the strip is square, mark with a pencil and cut to size.
Before applying the furring strips to the MDF board, we waxed the wood to create that vintage and aged look.
To attach the furring strips you’ll need some wood glue, pneumatic nail gun and an air compressor.
If you don’t have access to these tools you can use a good old hammer and nails.
(You can skip using any tools altogether if you want. Add a fair amount of wood glue to each furring strip and secure each board into place using large clamps. Allow the wood glue to fully cure before removing the clamps.)
Begin with the horizontal pieces. Apply a strip of wood glue along the edge of the MDF, line up the furring strip, keeping it flush with the vertical edges of the MDF and secure into place with the pneumatic nailer.
Repeat this for both the top and bottom horizontal pieces.
Then line up the vertical side pieces, apply wood glue and secure into place.
That’s it! Now you’re ready to admire your DIY wooden sign decor in your home.
You can get pretty creative with making your own DIY wooden sign decor. You can see some of the other decor items we’ve created using this farmhouse frame look.
Thanks for spending some time with us today! We hope you enjoyed this post and are ready to tackle some of your own DIY wooden sign decor pieces!
What kinds of signs do you like? What kind are you interested in making?
Share your thoughts and ideas with us either in the comments below or via email, we’d love to hear from you!
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And as always here at Sunny Side Design
WE HOPE TO BRING YOUR HOME TO THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET!
To see the full tutorial on creating this DIY tool chest dresser click here.
You can see how we used the faux diamond plated metal carpet protector to create this cheap and unique headboard here.
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