As promised, here’s a clear, step-by-step guide anyone can follow to make chic, inexpensive vintage-style wood signs at home. We first showed these in our big bathroom reveal, and now we’ll walk through the process so you can recreate them yourself. Full disclosure: we sang “I Saw the Sign” by Ace of Base while making ours, which made the project extra fun.
The idea came from wanting simple wall art that wouldn’t compete with the bathroom’s rounded mirror. John suggested flat, one-plane wood signs — no glass or raised frames — which turned out to be exactly what the space needed.
We didn’t know the exact size or number of pieces at first, so we cut white paper to various sizes and taped different layouts to the wall until we found a balanced arrangement. Two stacked rectangles echoed the shape of the nearby window and looked composed next to the mirror. Once we liked the layout, we measured the paper templates (each ended up 16″ x 13″) to use for the final signs.
We wanted a design that reflected our time in NYC, so we used vintage subway signs as inspiration. Those originals were our reference for typography, spacing, and little details like arrows and horizontal rules. We adapted the look to a horizontal format with lighter tones to complement our bathroom’s neutral palette. We also personalized the signs with subway stops meaningful to us. The graphics were created in Photoshop, but any program that allows basic type editing will work. (We used Abadi MT Condensed Light for the typeface.)
After printing the designs on regular printer paper, we went to Home Depot and bought a single 1″ thick plywood board for about $6. The board we chose was 16″ x 30″, so the store cut it into two 16″ x 13″ rectangles for us. That gave us two signs from a single low-cost plank.
At home we painted the planks with white craft paint. Craft paint tends to be thinner than latex wall paint, so some wood grain remained visible — a nice, subtle texture for the vintage look.
Next came aging the prints. We tested a few techniques on extra copies: tea staining made the paper too yellow for the clean, airy aesthetic we wanted, so we abandoned it. Instead we focused on physically distressing the printed sheets for a worn look without heavy discoloration.
To age the prints we placed one on a slightly textured cutting board, wet the surface with a sponge, and rubbed gently. The dampening and light abrasion softened the crisp printed finish and created subtle wear without smearing the ink. We then rubbed a paper towel across the damp paper to roughen the surface further while being careful not to tear it.
We dried the prints with a hairdryer so they were ready to attach to the wood. The slight wrinkles and texture from wetting and drying actually added to the vintage appeal.
The sponge and paper towel technique left small rubbed spots and subtle worn areas that made the prints look authentically aged rather than freshly printed.
To adhere the prints to the wood and seal them for bathroom humidity, we used Mod Podge. We applied a semi-thick coat to the back of each print, centered it on the painted plank, then brushed a thick layer on top. Mod Podge goes on white but dries clear and creates a protective, slightly glossy finish — ideal for a moisture-prone space.
Once dry, we flipped the signs over and nailed in inexpensive picture hangers. If you don’t already have white craft paint, Mod Podge, or hangers, they’re easy to find at craft stores for a small cost.
Here are the finished “vintage” wood signs installed in the bathroom. The small wrinkles and texture created during the distressing process became authentic-looking weathering when sealed with Mod Podge, and everything sits flush and secure on the wood.
This project cost about $6 for the wood (we used supplies we already owned for the rest), and it’s an easy way to make personalized, meaningful art from simple materials. You don’t have to stick with subway signs — try local landmarks, shop names, a welcoming message by the door, or a child’s name. The process is flexible and forgiving, so it’s great for experimentation.
What handmade art have you been creating lately? Whether it’s painted canvases, framed collections, or simple wood signs, we’d love to hear about your DIY pieces and what made them special.