From scrap wood to laundry room sign

After all the garage organization that’s been going on around here, I have been long overdue to take a break and get my craft on. The driftwood candle holder I built last week didn’t quite cure the itch, so I tackled another quick project I wanted to share with you today.

About two years ago (probably more), I bought an adhesive vinyl sign for our laundry room. It was just a few bucks on eBay. I never put it up because I didn’t like the idea of just slapping it on the wall. I wanted it framed by or mounted on something. But what?

Well last week, while puttering around the garage, I stumbled upon the perfect solution.

Reclaimed-wood

This board used to serve as a shelf on one side of the garage. But I have other plans for that wall (coming soon), so it was fair game for this project.

I feel about raw boards the same way a painter must feel about a blank canvas … so many amazing possibilities. 😉

Adhesive-vinyl-on-wood

I started by positioning the vinyl sign on the wood to see where I would need to trim it. Luckily, the width was perfect. I only needed to cut a bit off of one end of the board, which I did using my miter saw.

Cutting-board-on-miter-saw

Next I went to town on the board with my orbital sander. I rounded the edges, too.

Orbital-sander

I applied my driftwood recipe to the piece to bring out the grain and give it an aged look.

Driftwood-technique

To complete the driftwood finish, I added a coat of liming wax, buffing it to a soft sheen.

Finished-driftwood-sign

After that dried, I basically just lined up the vinyl on the wood and carefully peeled off the backing.

Laying-out-vinyl-adhesive

It turned out nearly perfect, which is extremely rare with any project I am involved in. 😉

I added two small screws and some wire to make it hang-able. Of course, you could go all fancy and use saw-tooth hangers or Command™ strips. I didn’t have either of those handy so …

Hanging-hardware

Here’s the final result:

Laundry-room-sign-3

Laundry-Room-sign

Laundry-room-sign-2

Laundry-Room-loads-of-fun

What do you think of my on-the-fly, DIY laundry room sign?

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22 Responses

  1. Kelly says:

    Wow! Wow! Wow! I love how you weathered the wood. Your sign looks SO great.

  2. Jill T says:

    I like this. I can see many possibilities/versions of this in my future!
    Good job!

  3. Betsy says:

    I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT !!!!
    You have truly inspired me to get busy around here with some projects that I’ve been pondering on.

    I love your blog and read it all the time.

    Blessings to you and your family !!!

  4. Linda says:

    Hey love the post. Just wanted to know what lime wax you used? thanks so much

  5. Lisa D says:

    Love it! Looks great! It’s so awesome when a project comes together so easily 😉 ….. Rare I know ….but we’ll take it! Great job!

  6. Gayle says:

    did you buy the vinyl phrase or make it?

  7. Donna Gibson says:

    It looks great Susan. I think the wall is a little bare though. Maybe add a scenic framed photo above it or 3 home interior butterflies or birds or something with greenery or colors. I’m sure you can come up with something. Even a shelf above the photo with some small knicknacks would look cool and inviting! So many possibilities! One cool idea would be to hand an old fashioned washboard! Aw! Now I got you thinking, right?

  8. Noemia says:

    I love it. I was just thinking of how you did this project for your mirror frame and was going to look it up today. Reason for thought? I wanted to create shelving over the toilet. I have been remodeling the guest bathroom and many (well actually, almost all every project from you with a little twirk here and there) of your postings, I am using….THANK YOU
    I also purchased a vinyl ‘sticker’ for the bathroom to go over the bathroom door and I Will use the same process that you have shown. Thank you for sharing your ideas, projects, family, and you.

  9. Noemia says:

    {Blush}. Not ‘twirking’…it should read “a little tweaking”. No, I do not twirk, but I do tweak. 😉

    • Susan says:

      Ha ha, Noemia. Yes, a very big difference in definition noted. 😉 I’m so glad you like the projects. Best of luck with yours. One thing I did do differently that I want to mention. In addition to using my driftwood concoction of steel wool and vinegar (stewing for at least 24 hours or more), I added a smidge of dark brown stain to the concoction to “brown” the wood up a bit more. This is not necessary, but it’s what I did to achieve my specific look. This was done prior to the liming wax. Hope this helps and thanks so much for stopping by.

  10. Peggy says:

    It is adorable! I really like the gray weathered look you got with the liming wax. Where would I get such a thing? I have never heard of it and I have now seen two projects using it this week. I am looking at a revamping of my laundry porch ( yes, porch. Old farmhouses can be a real challenge

    • Susan says:

      Yea, I guess liming wax and I are having a real moment right now, lol. 😉 I order mine online through eBay, I think. It was awhile back. The brand is Flag. I’m not sure if you can get it in stores. I didn’t find it in any where I live. I would just google liming wax and then click the shopping icon to find sources.

  11. Very cute, Susan! Love it! and that you repurposed something and did a past due project all in one 🙂

    hope you are doing well!

  12. Cindy says:

    I love it. I recently put vinyl lettering on my great-grandmother’s old cutting board (it’s large), and hung it on the wall behind our dining table. It says, “The fondest memories are made when gathered around the table.”

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