It never fazes me that maybe some projects are too hard to handle. I am always turning to my poor husband asking "Can we do that?"
The wooden sign in my living room makeover was no exception. Trevor is slightly short on time lately so I roped my Dad into it. He is used to these shenanigans because I learned it from my mother.
Here is the inspiration picture from the blog Ekster Antiques. This home was also in the book Romantic Prairie Style by Fifi O'Neil. Just gorgeous but, what really caught my attention was the huge antique Rose Inn sign in their kitchen.
Enter the question "Can we make that?"
Enter eyeroll and standard Trevor "and just where are we going to put it?"
"Always a place dear, always a place."
The process. Pretty self explanatory but, here goes. I purchased the individual wood letters at 6" height from Michaels to spell Oliver and Rust Antiques (the name of my etsy store and maybe one day brick and mortar store) I wanted the sign to mean something to us as it was going to be 12 feet long in our main room.
My dad bought a 6' x 2' pine board and used the table saw to cut it in half. I am sure the handy people at Home Depot could do this for you.
He attached the 2 pieces together with nails glue and metal plates from the back side. Small trim was brad nailed to the edges to give a framed look. The letters were then lined up and brad nailed to the board. Dap wood hole filler applied over nail holes.
unstained finished state
I added the stain mix in a throw it together process as follows:
First coat was:
2/3 baby fawn latex paint (colour of the walls in the room)
1/3 dark walnut minwax stain
and 1 plus size smidge of water
mixed well and
applied using a brush
let dry
Second coat:
dark walnut stain with plus size smidge of water
wipe on with clean rag and rub off until desired effect appears.
I wanted the sign to look slightly older so the stain gives it a darker aged appearance
Finished product.
Not so much fun to hang but, I love how it turned out. It adds the oomph to a very tall room.
Have a great day
Meg
