I visited a friend’s house a few weeks ago and have been inspired by the DIY welcome sign she had on her front porch that I want something similar back home. She was kind enough to teach me how she made it.

DIY Welcome Signs for your Front Porch

Let your guests feel more welcome when they go to your house. Here’s how you can make one, let’s get started!

Vertical Welcome Sign

Materials needed:

1. A piece of wood
2. Coarse grit sandpaper
3. Pair of scissors
4. Ruler
5. Wax paper
6. Short bond paper
7. Tape
8. Inkjet printer
9. Clear coat
10. Spoon
11. Credit card, or any identification card

The process (Vertical Welcome Sign):

1. Prepare your wood. Smooth its surface using a 60 grit sandpaper
2. Measure and mark at least 1 inch of space in between each letter. Measure and mark as well the spaces on the right and left sides of the letter
3. Cut wax papers to a size similar to the size of a short bond paper (8.5″ x 11″). Prepare the number of sheets you need for the letters. For this project, we can simply use the word welcome
4. Using an inkjet printer, print the letters using your desired font on wax paper, one letter per sheet. Note: reverse the image before printing it. Print it black if you have light-colored wood, and use a lighter color if your wood is dark. Insert the paper wax-side-up if you have a top-loading printer. Wax-side-down if you will be using a bottom-loading printer
5. During printing, make sure that the wax paper will not roll so as not to cause the ink to smear. You can also tape it to a bond paper for easier printing
6. Handle the wax paper by the edges and ensure you do not touch the printed text, or it will smear
7. Transfer the letter onto the wood immediately after printing it. Thus, print it only when you are completely done transferring the previous letter
8. To letter transfer, place your printed letter, wet side down, on the exact position where you want it placed, and secure the wax paper with scotch tape or masking tape. Using the handle of a spoon or the edge of an ID card, press down the ink from the wax paper by swiping the spoon or the card across the letter. Be careful not to rip the wax paper. To check if it is transferring well, gently lift the paper making sure you’re not moving it away from its original position
9. Once all the letters are dry, apply a clear acrylic sealer. You can choose from matte, glossy, or satin acrylic finish

Horizontal Welcome Sign

My friend mentioned that she is planning to make another welcome sign with a different design, using different materials.

Materials:

1. Wood Plank
2. Spray paint – primer
3. Spray paint – your choice of color
4. Clear spray
5. Sandpaper
6. Printer
7. Printing paper
8. Cardboard
9. Tape
10. Cutter
11. Masking tape

The process (Horizontal Welcome Sign):

1. Sand down the wood plank
2. Make your own stencil by printing the letters or the word you need and the font that you like
3. Place the paper with your printed letters or words on cardboard. Using a cutter or utility knife, safely cut out the areas you need to use
4. Mark where you want to position your stencil and place it over the wood plank. Hold its position using masking tape. Additionally, cover the remaining spaces of the wood with masking tape or another paper to ensure that it wouldn’t get sprayed
5. Keep the wood plank flat on the table or floor when spraying your stencil to avoid the spray paint getting underneath
6. Make sure you do not focus the nozzle on a single point for too long. Spray back and forth
7. Wait for the primer to dry completely before spraying the color paint of your choice. You can do a second coat if you want a darker color and even results but make sure to let the first coat dry completely
8. You can layer it with a spray paint topcoat after the second coat has dried completely

You can place your horizontal welcome sign on top of a table on your porch. Both signs can be complemented with a beautifully arranged set of flowers.