- 1). Find a piece of wood to use for your sign. The older and more worn-looking the wood is, the more rustic it will appear. If you can find a good piece of tree wood with a wide enough surface for your message, it will be the perfect base for an aged, homemade sign. Cedar is an excellent wood choice. If you use newer wood, you'll need to stain it to give it an older, more worn appearance.
- 2). Use a wood-burning pen to inscribe your sign. Doing the lettering with a wood-burning pen adds a rustic touch to your sign. You can also use a wood-burning pen to add decorative engraved elements to your sign. Country motifs such as farm scenes or home-sweet-home elements are best for rustic sign-making. Remember, don't overdo it. Keep the designs simple. Rustic signs tend to be uncluttered.
- 3). Paint your sign using warm, natural colors. Avoid bright neon and hot colors. Dark brown, tan, green and other earth tones are ideal. Don't over-paint. Let the wood show through, which will help give a more rustic, aged look to your sign. You may even want to go with a simple stain rather than paint.
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