Are you ready to make your own farmhouse welcome sign?

I don’t know about you, but I don’t always feel like sawing my own wood, gluing together a frame, and basically starting my own wood factory.

So in this post, we are going to buy a pre-made, framed farmhouse chalkboard.

Then we’ll learn how to design a printable on our computer and transfer the design ourselves.

Sound good? Let’s get creative…

Before you get started, here’s a list of things you’ll need to make your own awesome farmhouse sign:

• A wood-framed chalkboard — get any size on Amazon or Hobby Lobby (in this guide, we use a 10 x 14 inch)
• A computer
• A printer (with letter-sized paper)
• A free Canva account
• Adobe Acrobat or free Adobe Reader
• Transfer paper
• Scotch or Washi tape
• Scissors
• A white pen or black pen
• Chalk markers — 1 chisel and 1 bullet tip (both white)
• Minwax Polycrylic Clear Spray — to seal your board.

Not too long of a list right?

Don’t forget:

You don’t need all the supplies to read and learn — just grab what you can and put your DIY hat on.

Now it’s time to do some farmhouse brainstorming.

Before we get started designing your chalkboard, we need to decide on 3 things:

1. Where to put your sign (i.e. the room)
2. The right size & style chalkboard to buy.
3. The perfect saying (i.e. the text you choose).

Let’s walk through each one.

Where to Put Your Sign

The room you want to hang your sign will ultimately determine the chalkboard size you’ll want to buy AND your saying.

For example:

If you want to put your sign in your kitchen, you’ll probably want a smaller sign because of your limited counter (or wall) space.

And your saying will much more likely revolve around a food topic or a kitchen verb like ‘gather’ or ‘share’.

Make sense?

So first and foremost, settle on your signs final destination — choose a room and reserve a lovely little nook inside it. 👍

Here are 20 popular room ideas:

• Foyer
• Guest room
• Jack and Jill bedroom
• Nursery
• Bathroom
• Kitchen
• Bar area
• Living room
• Back patio
• Front door porch

Now let’s talk about sign dimensions and style.

Chalkboard Size and Style

Choose a sign size that fits the space you have available in the room you chose.

How do you do that?

Use the simple ‘45% Width Rule’.

All you do is multiply the width of your available wall space by .45 (45%) to calculate your sign width.

So, if you have 60 inches in horizontal space, aim for a sign with a width of 27 inches.

Super simple.

This will give your sign just enough surrounding space on each side, to keep your sign the center of attention.

Farmhouse Styles

To make things simple, farmhouse sign styles generally fall into 3 groups:

Here’s an easy way to think about this:

All farmhouse signs are rustic.

Rustic is natural, aged, organic. It’s all about exposed wood and frames, giving you that ‘country feel’ in our modern age.

Farmhouse Chic, on the other hand, is just the extra step, introducing urban influences, like metals and solid colors.

No matter what term you hear — ‘rustic’, ‘vintage’, ‘chic’, whatever — the farmhouse style you use should include a wooden frame that matches your existing home decor.

So, pick a matching wood frame color and a sign background color (black, white, etc.) that fits your family’s personality.

It’s that easy.

The Perfect Saying (or Quote)

Are you ready for the fun part? Deciding on a saying is super cool.

Why? Because you get to show off your personality and just be YOU!

The first step is to choose the room you’re going to hang your sign (we did this earlier 😉).

Now depending on your answer, choose a relevant saying.

Here are some quick ideas by room:

• Front Porch, Foyer, Family Room — choose a family message with your last name, the year (or date) you were married or ‘established’, a blended family message or a family motto.
• Kitchen — ‘Gather’, ‘Share’, ‘Food is Love’, ‘Stay Awhile’, ‘Coffee is Life’, ‘Watch Me Whip’ (more).
• Laundry Room — ‘Wash, Dry, Fold’, list of laundry rules (more).
• Bathroom, Powder Room — ‘Good Morning Gorgeous’, ‘Wash Your Hands’, motivational messages (more).

Grab a sheet of paper and jot down your favorite sayings.

Set your list aside for the next step. Good work.

Now let’s put your ideas into action.

We’re going to use a free Canva account — a super easy-to-use graphics software.

(Also grab the chalkboard you bought and your list of sayings from earlier.)

How to Make a Chalkboard Printable on Your Computer

Here’s how you make a printable on your computer:

1. First, measure the width and height of your chalkboard (in inches). Jot them down.
2. Fire up your computer and log in to Canva.
3. Click the Create a design button > + Custom dimensions.
4. Select in from the drop-down > Enter your chalkboard dimensions (step 1) > Create new design button.

5. Click the T key on your keyboard to create a text box, or select Text on the left toolbar > Add a heading to add a text box to your canvas (drag the corners of your text box to enlarge it).

6. Click on your text box and type in your favorite saying or quote from your list.
7. Now search for a font family — click the font drop-down in the top toolbar, then type in the left search bar. For farmhouse signs, I recommend searching for ‘cursive’ and ‘contemporary’.

8. Make your font as large as you want it by dragging the corners of the text box.
9. Move the text box to its final position and use the edit options in the top toolbar to edit any other text attributes — letter spacing, color, etc.
10. Add any artwork.
11. Now save your final version to your computer as a PDF (with a white background). Click Download in the top right corner > PDF Print > check the Crop marks and bleed checkbox > Download button.

12. Open your PDF > File > Print, to open up the print options box. Then change the following settings:
    1. Click on the Poster tile box.
    2. Set the Overlap to 0.5 inches.
    3. Check the Cut marks box.

13. Select the Print button to print your design.

How to Make Farmhouse Chalkboard Art

Art is a great way to add some color and personality to your signs.

Here’s how to add art to your Canva design:

1. In the left toolbar, click Elements > search by topic in the search bar. For example, I searched for ‘french bulldog’.
2. Click on an image you like that’s super simple and will be easy to trace/transfer your chalkboard.
3. Resize your image by dragging the corners of the image box (you can also try rotating it).
   Move your artwork to the right or below any messaging — your text should always be the focal point of your sign, first and foremost.

See? Becoming an artist isn’t that hard. 🤣

But guess what?

You’ve done it!

You just made your own printable, that you can now reuse as a template on all your chalkboard creations.

But we’re just getting started…

Now it’s time to learn how to transfer your design to the chalkboard.

In this step, we are going to transfer your printable design to the actual chalkboard, using the transfer paper method.

So grab supplies 6 thru 9 (from the supplies list).

Let’s do this:

1. Grab your printouts and cut each one along the cut marks around the perimeter of the sheet.
2. Lay out your cut pages (design-side up), piece together your design puzzle, and tape the pieces together. Flip your template over and set it aside.
3. Now for the secret weapon — Saral transfer paper. Tear off a sheet large enough to cover your chalkboard canvas.
4. Tape the sheet chalky-side down onto your board, to secure it into place.
5. Grab your printable sheets (aka ‘template’, that you’ve taped together) and place it design-side up over the transfer paper.
6. Line your template up over the board where you want it, press it as flat as you can, then tape it down along the edges to secure it too.
7. Using a pen (preferably a white gel pen), trace over your printed letters to create chalk outlines underneath on the board.
8. Peel back a corner of your template/transfer paper sandwich, and confirm your outlines are transferring to the board and you’re pressing hard enough.
9. Now trace over any artwork — trace as many lines as you can over images (that’s why it’s important to choose a simple image).
10. You’re done! Remove ALL the paper and inspect your transfer lines. You should have an awesome outline now to get started lettering.

Grab your chalk markers.

Our farmhouse sign is about to come alive…

So you’ve successfully transferred your printable outline to your chalkboard.

Now what?

Let’s make it pretty and learn how to letter our final design.

(You’re going to need your chalk markers for this one.)

1. Lay your chalkboard flat on the ground, preferably in a well-lit area.
2. For any headings (large text), use the chiseled tip chalk marker to trace over the transfer outlines, since you can alter the thickness of each stroke.
3. For any subheadings (smaller text), use the bullet tip marker to trace, since you have precise control of each stroke.
4. Finally, use your finger (or an eraser) to remove any leftover transfer dust.

Congratulations!

You made your first farmhouse sign.

There’s only one step left… let’s move your chalkboard into its new home.

It’s time to seal the deal.

In this final step, we are going to seal your chalkboard — with a polycrylic spray — to prepare it for the real world.

Then all we need to do is hang it, and our mission is accomplished. 🚀

How to Seal Your Chalkboard

Seal your sign by following these steps:

1. Let your sign dry completely.
2. Then put it outside.
3. Grab your sealer can and spray an even coat over the entire chalkboard area of your sign.
4. Use a cloth to dab any extra wet spots or drips.
5. Let your sign dry again, for at least an hour (before you attempt to move/edit it).

How to Hang Your Chalkboard

Now let’s attach it to the wall and put the finishing touches on our project.

Here are a few tips when working with picture-hanging hardware:

• For lightweight signs, use two Sawtooth Hangers on the top two corners of the back of the wood frame.
• For heavy farmhouse signs use 75 lb. D-ring Hangers.
• Always try and hang your signs from studs in your wall frame.
• If you can’t find a stud in your wall, you should always use Drywall Anchors for signs that are even slightly heavy.
• Always check the packing instructions for any picture-framing hardware you buy, and specifically look for any weight restrictions.
• Use the nails provided with any hanger kit — don’t just use any long screws lying around the house or you may penetrate the frame.

Want the quick version?

Watch the video to see how to make a farmhouse sign from start-to-finish:

Guess what?

You are now a certified farmhouse powerhouse.

Now go create something amazing and tell us all about it!

In the meantime, if you have any questions, check out the next FAQ section or ask in the comments below. 👇

Need help making your farmhouse sign? Check out these answers.