How to Make a Weathered Sign With Stain & Paint

A weathered sign brings a touch of the rustic to any home interior or exterior. While you can find weathered signs at garage sales, flea markets and antique stores, you may want to create one specific to your needs. For example, you can create a small apothecary sign for your kitchen spice rack or a changing room sign for your closet. When creating your sign, customize it with your choice of stain and paint colors.

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Carved wooden sign
• Paintbrushes
• Paint sponge
• White acrylic primer
• India ink
• Rubbing alcohol
• Moss stain
• Acrylic paint
• Paper cement
• Sandpaper

1. Paint then Stain

   • 1
     Cover the carved sign with white acrylic primer. Allow to dry.
   • 2
     Stain your sign with an India ink and rubbing alcohol mix. You should use about one-tenth India ink and nine-tenths rubbing alcohol, according to Rusty Stumps.The result should appear light gray. Allow to dry.
   • 3
     Mix your moss-green stain with water to thin. Apply in naturally shaded areas of your carved sign, such as under projecting letters and at the bottom. You want the green to slightly change the color of the India ink stain and give the impression of moss growth inside the sign.

   Stain then Paint

   • 1
     Stain the carved sign with your choice of wood stain. Allow to dry. For this kind of weathering look, you apply two different colors (one stain and one paint) and remove the paint to create a worn-through look.
   • 2
     Rub paper cement over any part of the sign from which you want to later remove paint. Generally, signs wear at corners, so pay special attention to the edges of lettering and the corner of the sign.
   • 3
     Paint a layer of acrylic paint over the wooden sign. Choose acrylic paint colors which complement the area you want to hang your sign.
   • 4
     Sand, using sandpaper, any areas where you previously applied the paper cement. The paper cement prevents the coat of paint from sticking to the stained sign, and allows you to easily remove any of the top layer of paint without removing stain. Do not sand through the stain, revealing the natural wood.
   • 5
     Repeat paint, paper cement application and sanding for as many paint layers as you’d like. Each layer represents a new painting job. Do not exceed four layers, as the sign starts to look too colorful.