DIY Rustic Lake Sign

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DIY Rustic Lake Sign

A couple of weeks ago we shared with you a tutorial on how to make a rustic American flag with grade stakes. You can see that post here. At that same time we were making other signs using the same grade stakes. This new sign uses less stakes and I made it for our vacation home at the lake. I’m so excited with how it turned out 🙂

Materials Needed:

  • Grade stakes
  • paint stirrers or shims
  • base paint color
  • black paint for lettering
  • white paint for outlining
  • Gorilla Glue
  • Dark wax
  • Sandpaper

Paint four pickets in the color of your choice…

DIY Rustic Vintage "Lake" Sign - so easy to make using grade stake pickets from the hardware store. Paint and wax for an antiqued finished look. DIY Rustic Vintage "Lake" Sign - so easy to make using grade stake pickets from the hardware store. Paint and wax for an antiqued finished look. DIY Rustic Vintage "Lake" Sign - so easy to make using grade stake pickets from the hardware store. Paint and wax for an antiqued finished look.At this point, I broke two paint stirrers in half. I used Gorilla Glue and placed them on a diagonal being sure not to use to much glue. When Gorilla Glue dries, it expands and takes on a life of its’ own – just trust me on this 🙂

DIY Rustic Vintage "Lake" Sign - so easy to make using grade stake pickets from the hardware store. Paint and wax for an antiqued finished look.I added some books to weight the stir sticks down for better adhesion…

DIY Rustic Vintage "Lake" Sign - so easy to make using grade stake pickets from the hardware store. Paint and wax for an antiqued finished look.After the base coat dried – I was ready to do my lettering. I was brave 🙂 and decided to hand-letter for an authentic, rustic look using the black acrylic paint.

DIY Rustic Vintage "Lake" Sign - so easy to make using grade stake pickets from the hardware store. Paint and wax for an antiqued finished look.

DIY Rustic Vintage "Lake" Sign - so easy to make using grade stake pickets from the hardware store. Paint and wax for an antiqued finished look.

When this paint dried, I then used white acrylic paint for outlining the letters…

DIY Rustic Vintage "Lake" Sign - so easy to make using grade stake pickets from the hardware store. Paint and wax for an antiqued finished look. DIY Rustic Vintage "Lake" Sign - so easy to make using grade stake pickets from the hardware store. Paint and wax for an antiqued finished look.

DIY Rustic Vintage "Lake" Sign - so easy to make using grade stake pickets from the hardware store. Paint and wax for an antiqued finished look.When all of the paint was completely dry, I lightly sanded the lettering…

DIY Rustic Vintage "Lake" Sign - so easy to make using grade stake pickets from the hardware store. Paint and wax for an antiqued finished look.I then added a light coat of dark wax. I rubbed and buffed the wax until I achieved the rustic look that I wanted.

DIY Rustic Vintage "Lake" Sign - so easy to make using grade stake pickets from the hardware store. Paint and wax for an antiqued finished look. DIY Rustic Vintage "Lake" Sign - so easy to make using grade stake pickets from the hardware store. Paint and wax for an antiqued finished look.I am thrilled with the rustic lake sign. It looks great on our vintage coffee table – which is really and handmade tool box. I was pleasantly surprised that the paint on the sign and the tool box matched – a total coincidence 🙂 Love when that happens.

DIY Rustic Vintage "Lake" Sign - so easy to make using grade stake pickets from the hardware store. Paint and wax for an antiqued finished look. DIY Rustic Vintage "Lake" Sign - so easy to make using grade stake pickets from the hardware store. Paint and wax for an antiqued finished look.We really hope that you give the sign projects a try. The pickets are very inexpensive and the signs can be personalized and varied. Let your creativity run wild!