Hand Painted Laundry Room Definition Sign

Hand Painted Laundry Room Definition Sign DIY beautify

If you're like me (and the majority of America), you're addicted to Fixer Upper! Chip and Jo are not only cute and funny, with a marriage and family life (and farmhouse) to bring out the green monster of jealousy in the best of us...but the miracles those two can work with a dilapidated house! It's enough to make me want to pack up and move to Waco just so they can redo a home for us!

What does Fixer Upper have to do with today's project? Well, I am getting to that...truly!
If you've been following along with the adventures at DIY beautify, Mr DIY and I have been making over our builder-grade (read 'Ugly') laundry room ourselves. We've already painted and added a beautiful budget tile floor. We removed the inefficient wire shelving that is standard in most homes and added a Farmhouse cabinet and open shelving.

In other words, we're adding charm. And if you follow Chip and Joanna Gaines, their homes are always full of charm. I like to think we're emulating them a little bit.

Today's project, a Laundry Definition Sign, was inspired by signs I've seen on Fixer Upper. We seem to be in an age of signs with words. Definitions. Meanings.

I love it all, especially if I can customize it to meet my specific needs. Which is what I did with this sign. You might recall the dresser that I repainted and labeled with the intent of using it in my Farmhouse Modern Laundry Room. The wall above it was bare and I decided a Landry Definition Sign would be perfect there.

I found a piece of wood at Lowe's and had it cut to size. I painted it with a coat of General Finishes Dark Chocolate Milk Paint*, followed by a coat of black chalk paint. I then distressed it lightly.

I created a template with the laundry definition on my computer, using a basic dictionary definition, removing some words and sentences to make it more manageable. I printed it onto a transparency and set it up on an overhead projector (Mr DIY works at a church and they still have a couple of these dinosaurs hanging around).

It really was as old-school as this!

Hand Painted Laundry Room Definition Sign DIY beautify

Oh, I didn't mention it but Mr DIY was out of town for the day, and the kids were occupied. I got myself a little stool, my tiny-tipped paintbrushes and a medicine cup filled with white chalk paint*. Then I sat there for a couple hours and 'colored in the lines'! Literally.


 Yep, time consuming. But it went fairly quickly. I was really glad that my sign wasn't any larger! 24" x 20" was plenty big at this point!!

Hand Painted Laundry Room Definition Sign DIY beautify

Once I finished and all the paint dried, I gave it a coat of clear wax. The one I happen to have on hand right now is Americana Decor Creme wax*. I thought about using dark wax but didn't want to risk the white letters looking dingy.

I like my whites to be bright after all!

Hand Painted Laundry Room Definition Sign DIY beautify

It's far from perfect....my hand was starting to get sore and my letters are looking a little wobbly toward the end. However, I like the imperfections and the fact that time and effort went into it. It's not something that has been mass produced. That makes it personal, and gives it meaning.

Hand Painted Laundry Room Definition Sign DIY beautify

Maybe you'll consider making your own Fixer-Upper-inspired sign for your laundry room, or another room in your home.

I'm just finishing up a few last touches in my laundry room and I'll be ready to share the Final Room Reveal with you all soon! Stay tuned...


bringing beauty to the ordinary,


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Comments

  1. I love your sign, Cindy! That took a lot of patience. And I love Fixer Upper! Even if an episode I've already seen comes on, I watch it. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Christy, I had to take periodic breaks as my fingers started to cramp, lol. And I'm totally the same way about Fixer Upper....any episode...any time...love it!

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