DIY Large Fall Wooden Sign

5 Materials
$20
2 Hours
Easy

Last week I made some super cute dollar store pumpkin napkin rings & a small scrap wood “harvest” sign. This week I am working on a large DIY fall sign for above my mantel! I love fall artwork & wood signs but they can be expensive so I found a hack to create an expensive looking sign for cheap!

Supplies:
  • Poplar Plywood 5mm 4 X 8 
  • Paint
  • Stain
  • Cove Molding
  • Liquid Nails
  • Stencil or  Cricut
  • Miter Saw


First, I started with a thin piece of poplar plywood. I wanted it as thin as possible because this sign will be larger then my last  DIY fall sign.

Who else is a huge fan of these small  Valspar sample paint jars?! They are perfect for small projects like this. I went with this burnt orange looking sample paint called  Tropical Nut.

Usually I choose a solid black or white background for my signs but for this one I envisioned it looking more like an October sunset. To get the look I wanted I first dipped my brush in some left over white paint I had lying around, wiped the excess off on a paper towel, then dipped my brush into the Tropical nut. This helped me to create that sunset look by adding in white whenever I applied more pressure to the brush.

Once I had the sign background the color I wanted, It was time to move onto the cove molding. Set your saw at a 45 degree angle to make all your cuts. I definitely recommend buying extra wood so you can start with a practice piece to make sure your angles will work.

After the molding was cut I stained it with Minwax Hickory gel stain. This is my favorite stain right now & I can’t seem to part with it just yet. I applied two coats of stain with a dry rag.

Once everything was stained & painted I printed out my quote using my moms  cricut (I put a  cricut on my birthday wish list also hint hint husband). I like to lay everything out before I press it down just to make sure it all fits, Ill measure & make sure everything is straight when I do the final layout.

Now its time to attach my cove molding to the frame. I used liquid nails to attach them because the molding is so light & the board is so thin I think even a finishing nail would be too much. Make sure to apply enough for a strong bond without creating squeeze out. I used clamps to secure the molding till it drys.

Finally, I did the final layout for the quote & smoothed the vinyl on the sign. You could also use a stencil to create your quote if you don’t have a cricut!

Resources for this project:
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Lia with Southern Yankee DIY
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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