DIY House Number Sign

So I've been wanting to slowly freshen up our front porch and give our house some curb appeal. I plan on landscaping the entire front this spring/summer. We had just basic house numbers on our house and I decided to freshen them up with this project. Full disclosure this project took me way longer than it should've mostly because it was a back burner project amongst all the other chaos. I think I started it in November and then ended up finishing it in March (oops). 

Our house numbers before the project 

Another thing I really liked about this project was that the majority of it I was able to do with scrap material that we had left over in our garage from other random projects. I personally hate having a bunch of random scraps and I am always happy to use stuff up and get it out of my garage. 

If you didn't have this random scrap material in your garage and you wanted to make this project here's a list of what you need. 

Purchase List:

- House Numbers- I purchased mine from Lowes. I liked how they stand out from the sign 

- 1X6 piece of  pine board. We actually cut ours down to 5.5 inches to fit on the pole that it goes on a little better.  The length will depend on how many numbers are in your house number. 

-1X2- for the frame around the sign or I used MDF from a different project that was cut into a 1X2. Again length will depend on your house numbers

- Chip board or plywood to mount the 1X6 on and provide support 

- Sawtooth holder to hang your house number sign 

Tools and Supplies needed to complete the project:

- Miter saw

-Wood Glue 

- Tung Oil & Rags

-Clamps 

-Spray paint in the color of your choice. 

-Nail gun/nails

Step 1: Measure the length of 1X6 you need with the house numbers spaced out how you want it. Treat the 1X6 boards with tung oil. 

                                                

I laid out the numbers how I wanted. I liked the look of having the sign be pieced together so I cut the 1X6 into equal pieces and then applied two coats of tung oil to each piece. I decided to go with Tung Oil because it leaves the natural color of the wood while still protecting it from the elements. While my house number is going to be hung under the lip of my roof I still feel it will be subjected to hot/cold/wind/rain and I wanted to protect it and increase its longevity. To apply the tung oil I just used a white rag to wipe it on- just like polyurethane. 

Step 2: Cut a piece of chipboard and glue each piece in the order of your choice. 

I used clamps and slowly glued each piece. Again this is a great passive project while you are doing 15 million other projects. I would glue a piece and walk away. You could also screw in the pieces to the backside but we didn't have any screws that were small enough at the time that wouldn't go through the front. 

Step 3: Cut and paint the pieces for the frame 

Using a 1X2 or MDF like I did we measured and cut the frame using a miter saw to miter the edges to "frame" the sign. I debated spray painting the frame white instead of black but ultimately decided against it. The house number sign is mounted on a white pole and I wanted it to stand out from the white pole and also compliment the black numbers. I had about 1/2 a can of black spray paint left over from another project so I put two coats of spray paint on all the sides. MDF absorbs so much paint so just be prepared. 

Step 4: Nail the frame to the sign 

We clamped the frame together and then nailed it. We found the MDF had bent over time and from the paint so we put a TON of nails in it to keep it in place but you wouldn't necessarily have to put as much as we did. 

Step 5: Apply sawtooth hanger and house numbers to the sign 

We actually used a hanger that we had left over from something else that allowed us to attach the sign to screws but a sawtooth hanger would work just as well. We also attached the house numbers to the sign. 

Step 6: Hang the sign in your desired location! 

Overall

Overall I thought this was a very easy project that gave a nice update to our front porch. This is a great beginner project and could easily be completed over a weekend or passively depending on your work style/ethic. I also loved that I use up a bunch of scrap in my garage- double win!