Below we’ll show you how you can stain and paint a personalized wood sign to show that special someone in your life how much you love them.

MATERIALS

• 1×12″ spruce cut to approximately 12×6″
• Water based stain tinted to your desired color – we used Minwax water based stain in Coffee (brown), Onyx (dark brown/black), and Slate (grey)
• White acrylic or latex paint – we used Benjamin Moore Color Samples in Oxford White, 2011-50 (pink), 2087-10 (red), and 2050-50 (turquoise)
• Sponge brush
• Cotton rags
• Sandpaper
• Disposable gloves (optional for staining and painting)

DIRECTIONS

1. Lightly sand the edges of your spruce board to smooth out any splinters from the cut.
2. Apply the water-based stain to your wood board with a foam brush. Make sure to brush in the direction of the grain to ensure a more even finish.
3. Wipe off the stain using a cotton rag in the direction of the grain. Don’t be scared to wipe off too much stain – you can always darken the color by adding more stain later, but it’s more difficult to lighten the color after it’s applied. In the instance that you do add too much stain and you want a lighter color, you can dilute some of the color by wiping warm water over the stain. Remember, you have to be quick; the water-based stain dries quickly (anywhere between 5-25 minutes depending on how much stain you’ve applied).
4. Make sure to stain ALL sides of your board. The stain will act as a “seal” and will prevent your board from warping.
5. Set your board aside to dry for 5-25 minutes.
6. Once the stain is dry, paint on the letters using a foam brush.
7. When the letters are dry, add a heart to the middle of the ‘O’ by pressing two thumbprints in a ‘V’ shape. Make sure to blot any excess paint before pressing your finger to the board to prevent smudging.
8. When you’re done, your sign should look something like this: