How to Make a Fake Enamel Sign

Yes… you are going to learn how to fake something today! LOL! Let’s learn how to make a fake enamel sign using paint and wood!

HOW TO MAKE A FAKE ENAMEL SIGN

The Dilemma

Have y’all ever had the problem of having too many doors in one hallway, and no one can tell where the bathroom is???

You have? Well, I haven’t. Hah!

Y’all… I have a 400-square-foot home! I only have three doors in my whole apartment! And one is a pocket door!

BTW, I’m cracking myself up as I’m writing this… seriously.  I’m probably freakin’ out the neighbors.

Anyways, my sister DOES have this “door” problem.  Let me show you…

You see all those doors?  Can you guess which one is the bathroom?

Yeah, I know, most people can’t. 😉

The Solution

So, instead of a whiteboard hanging on the door with the words “bathroom” on it, we thought a sweet enamel sign would be, well, prettier.  Am I right?

But, I couldn’t find a sweet enamel sign (that I wanted to pay for anyway).

And when you can’t find the real thing, well, sometimes you gotta fake it!  And that’s just what I did!

First, we had to pick out the word(s) to use on the sign… ‘bathroom’ was definitely out!

Here are the choices:

• Washroom
• Powder Room
• Toilette (my personal fave)
• Water Closet
• Restroom
• (What other ones can you think of… leave them in the comments because I want to do a sign for MWA’s bathroom)

Guess which one my sister picked out?

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What You Will Need

Here are the supplies you will need:

• Unfinished Wood Innkeepers Sign (You can also pick this up at Hobby Lobby for a lot less, but I’m supplying a link for your convenience)
• 320 grit sandpaper
• White acrylic or chalk paint, make sure it’s bright white, like an enamel sign (you can always make your acrylic paint into chalk paint like I did HERE)
• Black acrylic paint or Fine Tip Sharpie
• Wax Sealer or Clear Gloss spray… your choice
• Fine Liner paint brush (nice for a beginner set)
• Printer
• Pencil

How to Make a Fake Enamel Sign

Paint the Board

Unfortunately, I did not get any photos of painting the actual board… Sorry about that! Sometimes I get carried away with a project and I forget to take pics.  However, it’s pretty simple.

1. Sand the board with some 320 sandpaper and wipe the board off with a cloth or towel.  This will give the sign a smooth finish that will make it appear more like an enamel sign.
2. Paint the board with the bright white paint.  This will bring up the grain of the wood, so after the first coat, sand the board again and wipe clean. Again, this will contribute to the look of a vintage enamel sign.
3. Now paint the board 1-2 more times, making sure to get solid coverage.

Letter Transfer and Painting

1. The first thing to do is to find a font that you like and print the size you would like for your sign.  We chose to have the words go almost completely across the sign, so “rest” was printed on one piece of paper and “room” on another.
2. Turn the paper over and, using a pencil, color-in the lettering from the opposite side.
3. Tape the paper together (if you need to), and then carefully tape the lettering to the board, making sure to not smudge the pencil on the white paint.
4. Now, trace the outline of the letters with a sharp pencil.  It will transfer the pencil onto the board.
5. Now you can either use the fine liner brush and paint in the lettering or you can use a fine tip Sharpie to write it in.  Just be aware, if you make a mistake, you cannot go back and fix the Sharpie with paint… it will bleed through.  You can fix mistakes if you paint the lettering.

For more techniques for letter transferring, hop on over to How to Paint a Cottage Farmhouse Window Sign. 

Painting the Trim and Finishing

1. When the lettering has dried, paint around the edge with the black paint to add to the enamel sign look.
2. When everything is dry, use either your liquid wax or clear gloss to seal the paint.  Since enamel signs have somewhat of a shine to them, the clear gloss sealer will definitely give the wooden sign more of a vintage enamel sign look.

Finished Product

And here it is… mounted and ready for people to find… the bathroom, that is!

I really like how it looks a bit like wall art, too!

BTW, taking pictures when it’s raining outside is a bit of a challenge, but sometimes you just gotta go with it… shadows and all!

My sister is quite happy with the sign… and so is my mom. My mom shares a home with my sister, and this is the bathroom she uses.

I’m hope this has inspired you, whether you need a sign for the ‘toilette’ or a sign for something else.  It’s been fun showing you how to make a fake enamel sign.  Where might YOU use this type of sign?

PIN IT FOR LATER!