Learn how to create home decor with farmhouse charm using this Distressed Wood Sign DIY. Follow along with my step-by-step tutorial!

This distressed wood sign was a labor of love.  I had a hard time achieving the look I was going for and ended up adding a lot more layers than I had originally planned.  BUT – I stuck with it and was able to come up with a distressed wood sign DIY tutorial that I think you are going to enjoy.

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What you’ll need to have for this Distressed Wood Sign DIY:

• Wood Surface measuring 22.5 x 2.5
• Wood Frame measuring 29 x 29 made with a 1 x 4
• Wooden Scroll Accent
• Coffee Bean Dixie Belle Chalk Paint
• Chocolate Dixie Belle Chalk Paint
• Moonshine Metallics Gold Digger by Dixie Belle
• Moonshine Metallics Steel Magnolia by Dixie Belle
• Tobacco Road Gel Stain by Dixie Belle
• White Best Dang Wax by Dixie Belle
• Black Best Dang Wax by Dixie Belle
• Brown Best Dang Wax by Dixie Belle
• Warm Gold Gilding Wax by Dixie Belle
• Stencil – I used a retired Chalk Couture Transfer
• Shimmer Gold Chalkolgy Paste
• Shimmer Copper Chalkolgy Paste
• Squeegee
• Hand Sander

It’s important to note, that you can use this layering technique to create a look that best suits your style.  When creating this project, I went back and kept adding layers until I achieved the look I was going for.  Get creative and use the technique to make this project your own.

I started by painting the wooden surface and wood frame with the color Coffee Bean.  My best advice is to add a layer of the paint, let it sit and then wipe it back.  Continue to add layers until you get the desired result.

Next up was the scroll.  I started by painting the edges with the color Chocolate Brown.

Then, I created a wash with the color Coffee Bean by adding a bit of water to the paint.

This was added to the crevices of the scroll.

Then wiped back to create dimension.

As I was layering the paint finishes, I also added some of the Tobacco Road VooDoo Gel as I saw fit.  There’s no real right or wrong way to do this.  Just start painting and add or wipe back the layers untils you get the look you want.

Once all of the base layers are dry, it’s time to add a stencil.

For my sign, I used a retired transfer from Chalk Couture with a combination of the Shimmer Gold and Shimmer Copper Chalkology Paste.

I love using Chalk Couture because all you do is simply apply the paste with a squeegee, remove the excess and peel off the transfer.

You can use ANY stencil for this project.  If you want your lettering to match the color in my example, I’d suggest using a combo of the Gold Digger and Steel Magnolia Metallics from Dixie Belle.

How I distressed my sign:

Sand with a 320 grit palm sander all over leaving the center darker and sanding down the stencils to make it look unearthed or old.  Be sure to also sand the frame and scroll, as desired.

You can distress with whatever you can find, I used a chain, hammer claw and hammer to create the look I wanted.

Adding wax accents:

For this step I used a combination of Black, White, Brown and Warn Gold Gilding Wax.

The Black Wax and Gold Gilding Wax was added to the crevices as shown above.

Then I layered the brown wax, black wax and white wax along some gilding wax over the entire surface.

The final step was to piece the entire sign together!

Although this project didn’t initially go in the direction I had in mind, I was able to continue to work with it until I got something I really like the look of.  This goes to show, nobody is perfect at crafting.  In fact, sometimes the best outcomes are the ones you didn’t have planned in the first place.

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If you liked this project, you may also enjoy:

• DIY Hand Lettered Wood Sign
• DIY Wood Earrings Using Chalk Couture