fbpx

Christina Maria Blog

Peaceful purposeful home

DIY Large Wood Sign Tutorial

Making a show-stopping DIY large wood sign is easier to make than you think! Here’s a great tutorial for how you can make your own gather sign for your home.

I shared this “Gather” sign on our front porch on Instagram and I had so many people ask me to write up how I made it.  Here’s a quick tutorial so you can make your own customizable gather wooden sign

Gather large wood sign perfect for a porch

How to make a large wood sign –

I shared this “Gather” sign on our front porch, and I had so many people ask me to write up how I made it.  Here’s a quick tutorial so you can make your own customizable wooden sign

subscribe to my e-mail list at the bottom of this post to receive this printable wooden sign template for FREE!

freebie teaser

Materials needed (this post contains affiliate links for your convenience. full disclosure here.)

I made a video of the process here – to see the pictures and instructions, keep scrolling down!

 

The back of this sign is made of plywood.  I got mine cut at Lowe’s once I figured out the correct dimensions.  Make sure that if you’re going to be using this sign outdoors (like I did) that you get an exterior plywood.

Paint the plywood your color of choice – I did a coat of primer & a coat of satin white paint.  Then you’ll make the “frame”.  It’s so simple – I stained flat trim wood (it’s $5 for an 8 ft. piece) and adhered it with liquid nails.

DIY Large Wood Sign

 

How to transfer text onto a wood sign –

Once the adhesive dries, figure out what word/phrase you want to write, and pick a font you love.  I enlarged the word, and split it up in a Word document.  I did one page per letter for this sign.  Tape them in place on your painted plywood:

how to transfer text onto a large wood sign

 

Trace the letters with a ballpoint pen.  Make sure you press hard – you want to make an indent in the wood underneath the paper:

transfer a word onto a wood sign

 

Finish up your gather sign –

Once you’ve traced your word, you’ll want to fill it in.  You could choose to use paint and a small brush, but it makes it SO much easier if you use a paint pen.

make a gather large wood sign with a sharpie paint pen

 

And that’s it!  We attached two large sawtooth clips on the back to hang on concrete nails:

Big gather wood porch sign

Gather sign DIY tutorial

See more pictures of our welcoming porch space here.

Now, if you don’t want to make your own sign – there’s no judgement here!  There’s a LOT of options of gather signs you can buy online – here’s my favorite picks:

 

I made another version of this sign, using a similar technique, in our kitchen.  Come see how I did it:

fresh produce kitchen wood sign

 

Like this large wood sign tutorial?  Share with other and save for later by pinning on Pinterest here!

Learn to love ANY home in 4 easy steps

…without adding more STUFF. Let me teach you - it's 100% free!

You're the best! Check your inbox (and spam folder too) for your first free resource!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Abby says

    So cute! My SIL and BIL are moving into their first home soon and this would make an awesome house-warming present. Do you mind sharing the name of the font you used?

    Reply

    • Christina says

      So sorry – I know that the sign was 5 feet wide – but I don’t remember how high. I can measure when I’m home (and can run outside with my measuring tape) 🙂

      Reply

  4. Nancy says

    I always thought I would never be able to make a sign like yours but you make it sound easy! I’m going to give it a try! Thanks!

    Reply

  6. Beth says

    I can’t wait to make one for the porch!! Thank you so much for the “how to” especially the tip about using the paint pen!

    Reply

    • Christina says

      Hey Brenda – I’ll actually be providing the printable for this sign (as soon as I finish formatting it correctly) with my e-mail subscribers! If you subscribe, you’ll receive the link for that printable shortly! 🙂

      Reply

      • Misty says

        Just came across this tutorial and it is EXACTLY what I’ve been wanting to create for my family room. Has a printable been created for this sign? If so, I’d love to find out how to obtain it 🙂 Thank you!

        Reply

  10. Patti H says

    My brother and s-i-l just rebuilt a cottage on a lake on property that has been in her family for several generations. The previous cottages were all named the same so I’d like to gift them with a sign with the same name to put over their front door. This sign would be out in the weather. Do you have any suggestions of recommendations as to weatherproof this? Thanks.

    Patti H

    Reply

    • Christina says

      That’s a great idea, Patti! I’d make sure you use an outdoor approved plywoood and exterior paint/stain. Then seal it with exterior polyurethane, and it SHOULD be good to go! 🙂

      Reply

  11. Susan says

    I love this! Unfortunately I haven’t been able to get the video to load. Can you explain a little more about how you adhered the frame? Did you adhere to the front of the plywood or the side? Thanks so much! I’m anxious to try it!!

    Reply

  13. Bekah says

    How did you do the frame around it? I’ve made my sign, and now I’d love to know how you did your simple frame? thanks!

    Reply

    • Christina says

      Yay! So glad yo hear you’ve made your sign! I used flat trim wood from my hardware store. I stained it before I adhered it to the front of the sign with liquid nails. Hope that helps!! 🙂

      Reply

  14. Brittany says

    I appreciate this tutorial! Did you use a water or oil based paint pen? How do you hang a heavy sign likūe that?

    Reply

  20. Debra Hanson says

    I just painted our dining room table with white chalk paint and the chairs are black and I distressed them all. This will go perfectly in that room. I just need to know how thick was your plywood? Thanks!

    Reply

  27. Alix Leach says

    Hi! Did you use the oil based sharpie paint marker? I’m going to pick up a pack of them, but they also offer water-based, so just double checking!
    Thanks!

    Reply

  35. Amy Pridgen says

    Thank you for the tutorial and for sharing the template. This will not only save time & money, it will add the perfect touch to my dining room.

    Reply

  37. Katie Lueck says

    Thanks for the idea and tutorial. I upcycled an old cabinet door that was in our Catholic Church’s original parish hall. For some reason my Dad had saved it over 30 years ago when the hall was torn down to build a new one. The door was in his barn and I spotted it last weekend and knew it would be perfect for the project. I cleaned off the dirt and painted chalkboard paint on the center of the door and used a chalk paint pen to write with. It will be the perfect addition to our kitchen décor just in time for Thanksgiving!

    Reply

  45. Nicole says

    Thanks for the great project! Any tips on how to use the liquid nails without making a mess of it? I’m hesitant to use glue instead of real nails…

    Reply

  50. Hailey says

    This is such a fabulous tutorial! I have a few empty walls in my house that need something pretty just like this! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    Reply

  52. Kim says

    What did you do to finish the edges, if anything? If the trim is on the front, I’m trying to visualize what the edges look like. Thanks!!

    Reply

  54. Kristin Norman says

    I just wanted to pop in and say that this tutorial brought me to your blog way back in 2016! This DIY piece has been a focal point in multiple spots around our home since then, and it is now making its debut on our updated front porch nearly 6 years later. This sign has been through two moves and a new marriage since then, and it is still such a sweet reminder of what makes life so grand – gathering with those we love. Such a subtle message, but one that I am reminded of every time I pass it.

    Reply

Trackbacks

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Footer

Let’s Connect

Christina Maria Blog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and links to Amazon.com.  As part of this Amazon Associates program, the Website will post customized links, provided by Amazon, to track the referrals to their website. This program utilizes cookies to track visits for the purposes of assigning commission on these sales.