Base coat. Because the wooden sign will look “antique,” the base coat will show through to outer coat of paint. This means that the base coat should be a different, high contrast color as compared to the outer coat of paint. Pick the color you want the base coat to be, and buy it at your local hardware store. You will want to buy acrylic paint. Outer coat. Once more, you want a high contrast color compared to your base coat. Electric sander Large and small paintbrushes Vaseline Tape Ballpoint pen Minwax Steel wool
Make sure to leave the vaseline on the board as you begin to paint the next coat.
If you are artistically inclined, you can paint the letters on by hand.
After the wax dries, you may want to add another coat, depending on how well you coated the board the first time. Every year or so consider applying another layer of wax to keep your board safe.
Acrylic paint of your choosing Large and small paintbrushes 3-4 plastic place mats Scissors Spray paint primer Silver spray paint Electric drill Pencil Stringed bulb lights Super glue Nails Cork board
You can create a “vintage” look by dabbing on darker colors to the edges. Use a small piece of foam and dab it in the dark paint. Gently press and rub it around the edges of your wood.
When you set the strips to the side, let them stay in the bended positions. Remember which strip goes where.
In between the primer, black, and silver coats, wait for the plastic strips to dry completely. Do this outside so that the fumes don’t build up, and so you don’t get paint everywhere. You might want to wear gloves and goggles when you are spray painting.
Make sure the drill bit you use is at least the size of the largest part of the light socket. When you insert the lights later on, you want to make sure they fit into the holes. Determine the number of holes you want by how many lights you have available. If you only have a few, do fewer holes in each letter. Remember, you will need a relatively high number of bulbs to create the effect of the marquee sign.
There will be some overlapping, depending on how much you overlapped when you originally bent the strips. If you notice the strips are already coming off in certain areas, apply a few drops of super glue behind the loose areas. Reapply pressure for another 15 seconds.
When you run out of one line of sockets, simply attach the next line and continue on. Once you have finished putting in the sockets, go ahead and attach the bulbs on the front side of your sign. This will give your sockets some extra security as well.
Remember that you will not be able to print these signs at home. So, if you use an online website to create your design, you will have to save it to your computer. Make sure to buy a USB flash drive. That way when you have the design saved to your computer, you can transfer it to the USB and take it in to your nearest printing business.
