DIY Primitive Style Sign — Super Cheap and Easy!

As I was organizing E’s play area in our living room, I felt the space needed some additional definition. I had thought about purchasing one of those vinyl decals for the wall, but unfortunately because we have textured plaster walls vinyl decals won’t stick. Then I thought about purchasing one of those primitive style signs, but I wasn’t really in the mood to spend $20 or more on something just to define a space. So, I decided to make one myself.

Here’s what I used:

• piece of wood (I bought the one I used for $1 at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore)
• 1 yard of tulle ($1.99/yd at Joann Fabrics)
• 18″ blank stencil pattern
• Black chalkboard paint
• White chalkboard paint
• Stencil sponges
• Staple gun

Here’s what you do:

I began by painting the wooden board with the black chalkboard paint. I have seen chalkboard paint in other colors such as white and pink, so your base color doesn’t necessarily have to be black. It is just the color that I chose. I used spray paint for this project, but you can also get the paint in jars and you can brush paint it.

After I painted the entire board I needed to create a stencil for the letters. There are several ways that you can do this. You could buy a premade stencil from Joann Fabrics or you can make your own stencil like I did.

Using my Cricut I spelled out the word that I wanted to cut and in the size I wanted. I had the Cricut cut the stencil and I punched out the letters. I taped the stencil to the board so that it wouldn’t slip while I was painting it and also to keep any of the paint from going over the edges.

I then used white chalkboard paint to fill in the stencil. I used a stencil sponge to paint the letters. I wanted an uneven look to the paint, so that it would really look like it had been written in chalk. To accomplish this, I only sponged lightly over the letters.

After you have painted in all of the letters you will want to let the paint dry for at least an hour before you attempt to remove the stencil. If you remove the stencil too soon you run the risk of smearing the letters.

I apologize for not having pictures of these next few steps as I am usually pretty particular about showing pictures of every step. I had to complete the last steps at my parent’s house because they had the staple gun, but of course I forgot my camera.

After the sign has dried you will attach the tulle. You can attach the tulle in one of two ways. You can tie the tulle at the top (as I did) or you can use one continuous strip and skip the tie at the top.

If you choose the top tie, you will cut two strips of tulle the same length. Flip the sign over, and pinch all of the tulle together with your fingers. Now (and be careful!) you will use the staple gun to attach the tulle. You will want to attach four staples to each side, in a diamond shape, to make sure that the tulle is well attached. After you have attached each side, bring the two sides to the middle and tie at the top.

If you choose the continuous strip you will cut one large strip of tulle. Follow the same process as above to attach one side to the back of the sign. Then follow the same process to attach the other side.

When you are done you will have a great primitive style sign that you will have paid a fraction of the price that a store would charge you!

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