How to Make Pallet Wood Signs

Pallet wood is a fantastic material for crafts and decorating. It is environmentally friendly to use because you are essentially up-cycling industrial waste. This is much greener than buying new wood for crafts. It is also normally free, which is a definite plus for your budget. Finally, pallet wood just has a great character to it. It has an aged, rustic look that I love. There are countless ways to use pallet wood, but I especially love pallet wood sign.

Tools

To make a pallet wood sign, you are going to need a few tools.

A saw

A sander/sand paper

Paint

Paintbrushes

Transfer paper and pencil (optional)

Technique

1. If you have a complete pallet, the first thing you need to do is take it apart. This can be surprisingly difficult because pallet wood is often hard, and the nails are often rusted and bent. If you can't get it completely apart, simply cut out a section of wood to use for your sign. If you do manage to disassemble it, then cut one of the boards to your desired length.

2. Once you have a board, you need to sand it. You can choose how rustic to leave it, but you don't want the obvious splinters that pallets often have. This will go much faster if you can use an electric sander, although you can also do it by hand with sand paper.

3. The next step is to paint the background. You can leave the background plain, but I think it looks better when painted. Choose a solid color and let it dry. Rustic, barn-type colors, like reds and yellows, often look the best.

4. Distress the background. Once the paint has dried, you will want to sand your board again. This strips back enough of the paint to retain the aged look and show more of the board's character.

5. Add your design. If you don't trust yourself or don't like your handwriting, copy a design onto the sign with tracing paper. If you do this, all you need to be able to do is trace. If you want to be braver or more artistic, you can freehand the design onto the board. I particularly like short messages or quotes, but you can paint anything onto a pallet wood sign.

6. Once the paint has dried, the last step is to choose where your sign is going, and whether it needs a hanging attachment. Many signs are stood up on shelves or mantles, and so don't need any way to be hung. If you do want to hang it, you can hammer in a small saw tooth hanger or use picture wire. You can also nail or screw straight through larger signs into the wall. Just decide where you want your sign and work from there.

7. Admire your handiwork.