Rustic Letter Blocks for a Mantel

Homeroad
by Homeroad
5 Materials
$10
2 Hours
Easy

These blocks were inspired by a gift shop on my vacation!

I was in love with were these rustic wooden letter blocks. They were made from rough hewn wood and looked easy enough to make and very much my Farmhouse style. 

I began with a piece of rough hewn wood I had in my workshop. If you don't know what rough hewn is, it is wood that has been roughly cut with a finish that is not smooth like the regular wood you buy. 

I cut the 3" wide wood into lengths using my chop saw. I wasn't exact with my measurements so the blocks would be a little random in size, approximately 3". Honestly, after all this time I am still nervous to use this saw. I always ask myself "where are your hands" before I lower the blade. It's a good practice!

I painted just the tops of the wooden blocks with a small roller and Fusion Mineral Paint inCasement. 

Step 2 is to add a letter to each block. You can use any technique for transferring letters, I am choosing to trace around a set of letter stickers I bought on Amazon then fill in the letters using  a paint Sharpie. 

If you don't have stickers, you can print out the letters you need on the computer, use graphite paper to transfer the image to the block with a pencil, then paint in the lines with a brush or paint Sharpie. I'm using a simple font like arial to get the look of my inspiration blocks. 

You can paint and letter the other side of these blocks too to use for another season. In this case maybe WINTER or SPRING on the back of AUTUMN. (all 6 letters, that works out nicely 😄) 

When the stenciled letters dried I sanded all the edges of the blocks smooth with an electric sander. 

Another DIY idea inspired from my summer vacation was once again free and fun to make and when I'm ready to decorate my mantel for FALL this will be perfect! 

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8 of 10 comments
  • John Biermacher John Biermacher on Sep 10, 2019

    You sound apologetic about being afraid of the chop saw. Don’t be. It is called respect. I hope your safety awareness never waivers.


    I am a lifetime woodworker and hope I never get cavalier about power tools.


    This respect should extend to hand tools (chisels, knives, hatchets, etc.) which I have had a few injuries with. In all cases it was simple negligence that resulted in cuts and scrapes.


    would like to close by complimenting your project and posting. Letter blocks can be done on so many scales and lots of personal design choices.

    • See 5 previous
    • Sanfi Sanfi on Oct 09, 2019

      Thank you John! Well said....

  • Tina Larison Tina Larison on Sep 11, 2019

    Fall is the only season where you will need an extra L letter.

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