Barnboard Signs

Paint a Primitive Garden Sign

In the old days, this was how you would learn about lambs for sale, which farm has fresh eggs, and the best place to pick sweet corn or tomatoes for canning.

A tractor for sale, a farm, or simply a room for rent would be advertised on a painted wooden sign. Barnboard signs tacked onto a tree or fencepost along the road were the advertising of the day.

Stores and shops had hand painted signs above their doors, sometimes without words, just a picture of their business for those clients whose reading skills were non-existent.

Some of the original old barnboard signs can still be found in junque stores and flea markets - for a rustic country decor, they're treasure. Shabby chic style decorators value these rustic accents as a reminder of days gone by.

I paint barnboard signs and other barnboard crafts with acrylic craft paint, distressing the boards before I paint, and again afterward.

Sometimes, if they’re really weathered and rough I’ll run them through the planer to take off the edges, but leaving enough of the weathered look to keep the rustic feel.

I like old nail holes, gouges, paint of many layers peeling off and crackling.

Using shabby chic painting methods is a fun way to make things look old and worn; the challenge is to replicate the look of years of use in the most mundane objects.

I like the wild edge, sometimes called the live edge, of old boards, sometimes over 30cm across - you don’t find them like that any more!

If they have knots, or knotholes, so much the better.

Being run over by a tractor or truck will only add to the weathering, and a few years of being nailed onto a barn in the sun and rain gives it authenticity and the patina of age.

Thyme is of the Essence barnboard sign

Your Barnboard Sign Project

I sand off any rough edges, and then apply a coat of wash, or thinned down paint using a rag or sponge. This will get into the grain so it really stands out. If there are nail holes, or gouges they will be accentuated.

Barn board address sign

Sometimes a second coat of a different colour is applied the same way. When I’m happy with the base, I get a clear picture in my mind of where the words and letters will be placed.

This is the most difficult; it’s easy to get carried away and end up having the final few letters squeezed up too close.

If you need to, pencil them in very lightly, or do them on a piece of paper the same size as your sign to get the right spacing. I use very countrified lettering to keep the look I want which is rustic and primitive.

Try and paint in firm sure strokes, keeping your hand steady. Don’t try and touch up until the first coat is completely dry.

This takes a lot of practice, so don’t worry if you have to make a few attempts – you can always sand off the mistakes, which only adds to the rustic weathered look.

After you’re happy with the way the lettering looks, take some coarse sandpaper and rough it up.

You can take off some areas down to wood, or down to your initial wash coat.

Happy with that? Then sand the whole thing with fine sandpaper, wipe off the dust with a clean cloth, and then apply several light coats of a spray urethane.

You can add trim around the edges of the board, or simply paint them in a contrasting colour.

I’ve used willow twigs to accent and outline address and name signs for a country look, or you can get really fancy and make mitered corners on purchased trim.

Welcome sign

You can nail in fencing staples to the top of the sign which can be wired to an rustic archway or arbor, or you can nail the sign directly onto a stake that can be driven into the ground.

In the old days, people weren't concerned with safety issues, but these days it's important to make sure your sign won't come loose in a windstorm.

For inspiration on what to paint on your barnboard sign, keep your eyes open when traveling down back roads and through country towns, and write the ideas down. See the page on Signs of the Thymes for more inspiration, and don't miss these garden sign sayings on Blue Fox Farm (opens in a new window).

I look in magazines about country life, gardens and farming to get ideas.

Look in the classified ads from antique newspapers and magazines to find inspiration, and make your own painted rustic barnboard signs.

go to Drought Smart Plants home page

Rustic Crafts