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How To Make An Address Sign

Would you like to make an house address sign?

Today I’m sharing how we made the address sign over our front doors with step by step instructions. This includes how to make the letters, how to attach the boards and how to achieve a reclaimed wood appearance for house address sign.

I get so many questions about that sign so I decided to share all the details with you.

We were fortunate to have some reclaimed shiplap boards to use for our sign, however I’m sharing how to achieve this look with new wood.

DIY - How to Make a House Address Sign for your front porch
You see the front porch rug and other Porch Decor at Shop My Front Porch.

How To Make An Address Sign

First, determine the length of your sign. We wanted our sign to cover the top of our french doors and therefore we cut our shiplap boards 73 inches long.

For this example, we purchased two 8″ by 8′ shiplap boards and cut to length using a miter saw. This sign needed to be 60″ long so therefore, we cut the excess wood into narrow strips using a table saw. These were the perfect size to attach the two boards together from the backside.


Attach boards

Next, turn the two boards with the backside upward and attach your wood strips with screws to hold the boards together. Be sure to use screws that are the proper length to avoid the screw coming through the front of the sign.

Place a minimum of 3 attachments to the back of your sign. If your original boards don’t have excess length, you can use any scrap wood your might have available. The wood attachments will not be visible once your sign is hung.

Add wooden strips to back of boards to attach together

Distress your Address sign

The first step to aging your new wood house address sign is to add some dings and dents to the wood. This can be achieved with various tools including hammers, screw drivers, chains, nails, screws, etc. Anything that you can beat the boards with.

Begin by placing your sign right side up on a solid surface and begin hammering away. This is also a great stress reliever. LOL.


Whitewash your new wood

After you finish with the distressing, you will want to whitewash your new wooden sign. In order to achieve an aged appearance, you will need to stain the wood before applying the whitewash. This will require a gray penetrating stain and your choice of white paint. See complete details on How to Whitewash Wood.

For the address sign, I used this Classic Gray Minwax Stain and White Chalk Paint.


Minwax Classic Gray StainWhite Chalk PaintRust-Oleum Mat Sealer


Add House numbers to your Wooden Sign

Once the paint is dry, you are ready to add your signage. For this step, I used letters that I created with my Silhouette Cameo. I used card stock to cut each individual letter and the taller letters are approx. 11 inches tall.

If you don’t have a Silhouette Cameo or Cricut Maker, you can purchase precut stencils to complete your project. You will probably want to purchase upper case stencils and lower case to achieve the look you desire.

Cut your own stencil or purchase a stencil for your diy project.

Silhouette CameoCricut MakerUpper Case StencilsLower Case Stencils


Trace

In order to assure that your letters will be arranged and fit properly on your sign, I recommend tracing the letters with a pencil before applying any paint.

You want to assure that the placement is appealing in design. It’s very difficult to correct after you begin to stencil with paint.

Trace Letters to assure proper placement on sign.
You don’t have to trace the entire letter, just enough to determine proper placement.

Stencil

Begin by aligning the first stencil and securing it in place with painters tape. Using a stencil brush, add a small amount of paint and blot any excess from the brush. In a downward motion, paint your stencil.

Note: Because the stencils may overlap to get the placement correct, you may need to allow drying time before moving to the next letter.

Stencil letters for house Address Sign.

Stencil Brush SetPainter’s TapeBlack Craft Paint

Yield: 1

How To Make An Address Sign

How To Make An Address Sign
Prep Time 20 minutes
Active Time 2 hours
Additional Time 2 hours
Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Difficulty Medium
Estimated Cost $

Instructions

  1. Cut boards to desired length
  2. Use leftover wood to attach boards together on the backside with wood screws
  3. Stain boards with grey stain for an aged appearance
  4. Use a whitewash technique with white paint
  5. Create stencil with home address or use purchased stencils
  6. Trace the letters on the board before painting with a pencil to assure even placement.
  7. Using black craft paint and stencil brush, stencil the letter.
  8. Allow to dry
  9. Spray with a clear sealer to prevent peeling and fading.

Notes

This sign is designed for a porch with cover. A wooden sign exposed to the elements may not hold up over time. Extra sealant is required and you may still expect some warping.

Did you make this project?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

Optional Step

In addition, you can add dimension to your signage by adding a shadow effect. This is an optional step that I like to add.

Once the original stenciled paint is dry, place your stencil back over the letter slightly to the left and upward of the original placement. Using a very dry brush of your original paint color, lightly stencil again. This creates a shadow behind the heavier paint.

Add shading to the stencil to add depth to address sign for house

Now the signage is complete. Allow to dry and then coat with a fine mist of Rust-Oleum Mat Sealer. If your sign will be exposed to rain or snow, you will want to seal the entire sign, front and back with at least two coats of protective sealer.

How to Stencil house address on sign for your home.

House Address Sign Options

First, I wanted to duplicate my original reclaimed wood sign as closely as possible so therefore, I add a couple swipes of blue paint onto the white paint. If you choose to do this, be sure to use a very dry brush technique.

Distressed house Address Sign custom made DIY

In addition, the signage can be made using vinyl letters or wooden letters to create a unique home address sign.

Because the sign is above our front doors, we screwed the sign to the wall at a couple different support studs. We didn’t want it to fall on someone accidentally.

How to Make a House Address Sign for your home.

In addition, you may prefer a coordinates address sign for your house like the one I made for our beach cottage.



Also, see How to Use Chalk Paint for more helpful painting tips. In addition, you can see the full Fall Porch Tour here.

I hope this answered any questions you have about making an house address sign.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I look forward to sharing my next adventure with you.

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How to make Address Sign
How to make an address sign for your house

Cyndi

Thursday 7th of April 2022

Do you recall the font you used for the lettering?

Rachel

Thursday 7th of April 2022

Cyndi, I don't, it was on my old computer and it died on mye.

J

Sunday 7th of November 2021

Beautiful work Rachel! I love your ideas. Your home is lovely ❤

Rachel

Monday 8th of November 2021

Hey J, Thanks so much for stopping by. I appreciate your comments.

Kim | Shiplap and Shells

Friday 23rd of July 2021

This is the best inspiration Rachel! I want to make one.

rahrags@gmail.com

Sunday 25th of July 2021

Kim, You should do that. Thanks.

Kippi Ohern

Friday 23rd of July 2021

Your address sign turned out perfect! Hugs, Kippi

rahrags@gmail.com

Friday 23rd of July 2021

I really appreciate this Kippi! thanks for stopping by.

Cindy@CountyRoad407

Thursday 22nd of July 2021

Can I just say, I totally want one of these signs! Adding another one of your many DIY's to my list of things to do! Love it. Pinned

rahrags@gmail.com

Friday 23rd of July 2021

Cindy, Thanks so much for your support.

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