Hey guys!
This post may contain affiliate links and I may earn a small commission when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for more info. Thanks!
I love decorating my home with pieces that have meaning to our family! And that’s exactly what today’s post is all about- our new DIY Family Monogram Sign!
It all started with me staring at our shiplap staircase wall and not being happy with the frames I had there. We put them up after doing our main floor reno and I’ve literally stared at them for 2 years before deciding FOR GOOD that they just were not right in this space!
I think I always knew it though because I never even updated the photos… and in fact, some of the pictures were even sideways. I was trying so hard to like the gallery wall. We had so many frames already just sitting in Rubbermaid totes in our basement, that I really really wanted them to work. Plus my hubby gave me the “are you sure?” line before putting them up, as it created so many holes in our fresh shiplap walls.
Check it out for yourself–>
But– eventually, I knew I had to confess my displeasure with this area and come clean…just not until I knew what I wanted instead.
So- I turned to Pinterest, as I always do to get some inspiration! I kept looking at gallery walls and different decor for staircase walls. And–voila– the light-bulb went off- a Family Monogram Sign! It would be perfect!
Want to see more about our main floor renovation? Check out these posts below!
DIY Family Monogram Sign- The Inspiration
There are so many great options when it comes to creating a Family Monogram Sign- but I have to find the one that gels with my design style- Coastal Modern Farmhouse and color scheme of whites, grays, and teals (and black accents).
There are:
- stenciled
- hand painted
- stained
- decals
- wood cutouts
- shiplap
- metal
- and many more styles…
In the end, I decided that either a black or stained wood sign with a white decal on top of it would look best in our home!
DIY Family Monogram Sign- The Plan
Now that I knew what I wanted the sign to look like, it was time to sell the idea to my hubby! First, I showed him some examples of family monogram signs (ONLY in the styles that I wanted). He really liked them and said that it would be nice to have one ourselves!
Perfect 🙂
We talked about how we could make one for our home and where it could possibly be- we wanted it to stand out and be large. However, there are only so many walls that this sign could fit on.
In the end, he agreed that putting this sign in our staircase would be the best location- which now opened the door to a new gallery wall and changing of the frames 🙂 (keep your eyes out for this future post!)
We have been using barn board for a few other projects around the house and happened to have some leftovers lying around in the garage…in the perfect size too!
Great news! That made our decision easy- the sign would be stained barn wood and provide some consistency in wood around our home.
All we needed were:
- 3 pieces of barn board
- clear coat Varnish
- palm sander
- foam brush
- wood filler
- wood filler stain
- clamps
- custom family monogram decal- found on Etsy by Sugar Creek Vinyl Decor
Alright- all set to start this fun project 🙂
DIY Family Monogram Sign- The Build
OK- I’m going to take you through how simple the steps were to create our new DIY Family Monogram Sign.
Before making the sign- it is important to double-check your sizing by putting up your decal in the desired location for a few days to make sure you are happy with the concept.
Ready?
1. Cut barn boards to size- We were lucky enough to have 3 pieces of barn board leftover from previous projects and just needed to cut them down exactly to 3 ft each.
2. Sand boards down- Once the boards were cut, the next step was to use the palm sander and sand down all sides of the barn board including edges.
3. Attach Barn Boards- Next up we needed to glue the 3 barn boards together and clamp them until dry to create your 3 ft x 3 ft sign (we waited approximately 24 hours).
4. Wood Filler- Once the sign was dry, it was necessary to fill in any holes in the wood with wood filler and wait until dry.
5. Clearcoat the sign on all sides- We did 3 coats of varnish and made sure to leave lots of time in between each coat to completely dry.
6. Stain- The wood filler dries a natural color and looks a bit fake, so, we darkened the wood filler by staining it to look more like part of the barn board.
7. Sticker Decal- Measure and place the decal centered vertically and horizontally on your board (or in your desired location)
8. Sticker Decal- Add the decal monogram sticker in the correct location- carefully place and peel back. Use a credit card to help stick the decal to the barn board as you are pulling back the transfer paper and remove any bubbles.
The Final Steps:
9. Add Hanging Hardware- The final step is to add a wire to the back of your sign that will help when hanging your sign.
10. Hang up and admire the beautiful work you just completed 🙂 When hanging, we advise putting in two screws at the same height, about 6 inches apart to support the weight of the sign on the wire.
And that’s it- see how simple it is!
The Finished Look
Well, I’m super happy with the finished look of our DIY Family Monogram Sign–>
In the end, it cost approximately $40 for the decal and everything else was stuff we had lying around our home. Time-wise, I’d say a whole 3 hours of our life was dedicated to this sign- a little bit here and there due to drying times.
So…inspired to create your own DIY Family Monogram Sign? Leave your comments below and share your own masterpiece too!
We had so many frames already just sitting in Rubbermaid totes in our basement, that I really really wanted them to work.