How to Create a Sign on a Board
- 1). Gather the line text and/or graphics that you want to appear on a sign.
- 2). Decide on a size and shape for your sign as well as board material, such as wood or fiberboard. Purchase a board in the material of your choice. Cut the board yourself or request a custom cut to your dimensions at your local do-it-yourself store or lumber store.
- 3). Choose a stencil type for the text and/or graphics for your sign. This can be a pre-designed or custom-made stencil. If you need a custom-made stencil, to use your graphics rather than pre-designed graphics, contact a commercial custom stencil business. Have them design the stencil to your specifications for text height, line width, font style, and text/graphics alignment.
- 4). Prepare the board for stenciling. Sand the board's rough-hewn surface flat in the direction of the board grain. Apply spray paint, interior/exterior paint, stain or lacquer to one side of the board in the sign background color of your choice. Allow the board to dry. If you plan to display your sign so the back is visible, repeat this process on the opposite side.
- 5). Wait at least 12 to 24 hours for the board to dry completely.
- 6). Position your stencil(s) on the board. Affix them with painter's tape, if necessary. If you're overlapping stencil designs (for example, double-painting lettering to create shadows behind text and graphics), position your stencils to paint background artwork before painting foreground art.
- 7). Paint your text and/or graphics onto the board. Start with the background color, using stencil, spray or airbrush paint. Allow the paint to dry according to recommendations by the manufacturer. Apply a second coat if needed or paint the foreground. If your sign design has metal foil text, graphics or highlights (silver, platinum, bronze, copper or gold), apply using metallic paint or actual metal foil after waiting at least 12 hours for the other coats to dry.
- 8). Apply a spray sealant to your sign after it has dried at least 24 to 48 hours.