DIY Address Sign
If you’ve ever struggled with people being able to read your house numbers, or maybe they just need some sprucing-up, this DIY is for you! When we moved into our new-to-us house, one of the first things I noticed is that the house numbers were really difficult to read. They’re built into the stone work on the front of the house—all fancy like—but almost impossible to read.
Whenever people are coming to the house, I give them the address and then the same spiel—“it’s a red house on the corner, with the driveway on the side.” Even though it’s not hard to say that, I’ve grown tired of it…and also of having to flag people down when it’s clear that they’re looking for the house, but keep driving by.
It’s been on my to-do list for the las year, give or take, to order an address sign for the front of the house. Something with a good size and that would be easily legible. Well, it’s also been on my list to get more adventurous with my DIY projects, so I decided to get creative and try to make my own.
I recently made a DIY Plant Hanger that was one of my steps toward creating more things for our house that require power tools!
I knew that I wanted the sign to be round and that I wanted it to have a little planter on it. The planter has nothing to do with house numbers being visible, but I just knew it would be cute!
When the threat of quarantine for COVID-19 became a reality, I made bee-line to the hardware store to stock up on project supplies. The address sign was at the top of my list, so I tried to gather as many things as I could to get it done. I was able to get everything I needed in one spot, except for one thing…not bad! Never fear, though, to make shopping for the project easy for you…I’ll include any links that I can for ordering online.
Supply List
-1 in. x 2 ft. x 2 ft. Pine Edge Glued Panel Round Board
-1 qt. Carbon Gray Premium Fast Dry Interior Wood Stain
-Paint – I used a sample pot of Behr white paint.
-1 qt. Satin Triple Thick Polyurethane
-2 in. Polyester/Bristle Blend Flat Stain and Polyurethane Brush
-Purdy 144152325 XL Series Glide Angular Trim Paint Brush, 2-1/2 inch
-ScotchBlue 1.88 in. x 60 yds. Original Multi-Surface Painter's Tape
-Stanley 24 in. Non-Magnetic High Impact ABS Level
-Anvil 16 oz. Black Head Rubber Mallet
-2-Hole D-Rings Value Box (10-Pack)
-30 lb. Steel Professional Picture Hangers (25-Pack)
-Y-Weave 1/2 Medium Rectangle Storage Bin - Room Essentials™
1. Using a level, draw a line across the wooden round that will divide the two colors you choose. Then run a piece of painter’s tape along the line and down both sides. You can wrap it onto the back if you have extra length.
2. Line up where you want your address numbers to go on the sign. The house numbers come with a template drawn on the back of the package. I taped those together and created one large template. The spacing of the packaging ended up being perfect for between each of the numbers, so I only had to figure out where I wanted the large template to be placed on the round. Once you know where you want the template to be, tape it onto the round.
3. Drill the holes for the house numbers. We drilled right onto the marked spots on the template. Remove template when you’re done drilling and brush the wooden round clean of any pieces of wood/debris.
4. Using your favorite paint brush (I like Purdy brand paint brushes), paint whichever half of the address sign you want to be white. I wanted this to really pop on the sign, so I ended up doing between 3 + 4 layers on it. It could have been less, if I’d primed, but I didn’t want to do that step. After the paint has set for a few minutes, remove the painter’s tape.
5. Apply stain to the other half of the address sign. I used a stain and polyurethane brush, but you can use a cloth to apply too. I applied 2 coats to get the color level that I wanted—I did have to touch up in a few places.
6. Attach d-rings to the back of the address sign. I wanted to do this before we put the numbers on, to lessen the chance of damage to them. I find that it’s best to add d-rings in the top 1/3 of the sign for stability. I attached them close to the edge and measured down from the top of the sign to get them even.
Remember that I put my numbers on before the polyurethane coat—so the picture shows them on. I would not to it again this way, but would do the polyurethane application before the numbers. | DIY Address Sign from hprallandco.com | H. Prall & Co. Virtual Interior Design | Des Moines, Iowa
7. Brush on polyurethane. This is a step that I did incorrectly and can’t stress enough to you to do here instead of last like I did. It was such a hassle trying to brush it on after the numbers were on and I’m afraid I didn’t get a good enough coat on like I’d wanted to—time will tell. I used a triple thick Varathane Polyurethane, so I only had to do one coat—it took 24 hours to fully dry.
8. Mount your address numbers. The numbers come with rubber anchors that you pound into the wood with a mallet. Then, following the directions that come with the address numbers, press them into anchors, using the rubber mallet for extra pressure. Two things here: 1. We found that the anchors pushed out the back of the sign when the numbers are pushed into them. We just cut off the extra bit of anchor—which was fine—it still holds. And 2. You’ll need to decide whether you want your house numbers to sit flush against the sign or be elevated. We chose for them to be elevated, so we added the spacers.
9. Add picture hangers for the basket using a hammer. Loop the hangers through the basket to make sure you get the spacing right for them. I just eye-balled where I wanted the basket to be on the sign itself, but did a final measure to make sure it was even at the bottom. You don’t have to have a basket on the address sign. It could easily be left off! I may end up removing it later, but I think my picture hangers may be stuck on because of the polyurethane. If they are, I think a hair dryer will help to loosen them.
10. Drill holes into the bottom of the basket for drainage. Then, cut basket liner to fit the basket. I was hoping to find sheets of cocnut basket liner, but could only find the round, so I cut it short to fit into the basket and then cut strips to fill the ends. The basket itself fits perfectly over the picture hangers and is easy to take on and off. The liner will help to keep moisture in the soil, so you won’t have to water as much. Since the sign hangs under an overhang on our house, though, it won’t get as much rain water, so I will make sure to check for dryness.
11. Hang. We used long nails with a large head on them to attach to our house. We have hardie plank siding, or I would have used the hangers designed for vinyl plank siding. — Also, I’m planning to use outdoor paint to paint over the numbers that are on our house. I don’t want to remove it, in case whoever lives here next wants to use them. The paint will help to make them just blend into the stone even more. Once the dwarf lilac bush fills out from its trimming last year, it will conceal the numbers as well.
12. Plant some flowers and enjoy!
I absolutely love the way this project turned out! When it was all said and done, it cost me less than $100 because I already had some of the supplies on-hand. I had to purchase the wooden round, house numbers, stain, poly, paint sample, d-rings, and brush for the stain. I will skip the brush next time, though, and just use a cloth to apply the stain.
I’m still working on my stash of supplies for DIY projects, so I know things I make in the future will cost me even less!
If you decide to make this project for your own home, I would love to see it—share to your stories on Instagram and tag me! You can find me on Instagram at @hilaryprall.
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