It’s that time again — Silhouette Challenge time! This month’s theme was home decor, which is perfect since I recently moved into a new house. I haven’t hung anything on my walls yet because I’m still deciding on a style. With two big events coming up — the Signature Finishes opening and Brimfield — I needed to make some pallet signs to sell. I thought I’d share how I make them.
I’ve been pretty obsessed with creating signs lately. I love choosing the sayings or images and then painting them. After a day working on the computer, it’s therapeutic to be hands-on with tools and paint.
I start by cutting down pallets. You can find a full explanation of that process on my site. Once the pallet is cut apart, I lay out boards that fit together and trim them to a manageable size.
Update: There are a couple of tools that make dismantling pallets easier without power tools: the Pallet Buster and the Deck Wrecker. They’re pricier than a crowbar and hammer but worth considering if you plan to take apart pallets frequently.
After cutting the pallet boards to size, I use scrap pieces as backing or support. Tip: When nailing the support pieces, don’t drive the nails straight in. Nail at an angle, and use alternating angles for adjacent nails. This helps keep the backing secure — when backs are nailed straight, they can loosen over time or if the sign is dropped.
For cutting vinyl, I’ve found the best results come from cutting on a mat. For pallet signs I use a 12×24 cutting mat; it’s become one of my most-used tools. Just be sure you have enough workspace so the mat can pass through your cutting machine — it needs clearance of roughly four feet in total.
There are two main approaches to making pallet signs: paint the wood first and then stencil, or apply the stencil and paint over it. I tend to do both. Often I hand-place the vinyl so I can reuse the negative space as a second stencil. For example, if I cut a deer silhouette, I’ll use both the deer and the leftover shape to get two designs from one cut — vinyl can get expensive, so I try to maximize each cut.
When I’m producing a batch of signs, I lay all the vinyl pieces on the boards first and paint them all at once. For painting I use a small 1-inch brush; a basic inexpensive brush works fine. Avoid over-saturating the brush — it’s easier to add a second coat than to fix excess paint. Let the paint dry for about 20–30 minutes, then peel the vinyl away. You may need a few touch-ups, but this method usually yields crisp lines.
Whether you’re making a single sign or a batch to sell, this process is straightforward and scalable. Cutting pallets, securing backing pieces properly, using a large cutting mat for vinyl, and taking advantage of both the positive and negative vinyl cuts will help you make attractive, durable pallet signs.
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Want to Check Out More Silhouette Projects?
My Silhouette Challenge friends and I are sharing projects on our blogs today. Below is a collection of inspirational projects for more Silhouette ideas.
1. The Moberg Family // 2. Sandpaper and Glue // 3. American Honey // 4. Weekend Craft // 5. Grey Luster Girl // 6. From Wine to Whine // 7. Cutesy Crafts // 8. Practically Functional // 9. Home At Eight // 10. McCall Manor // 11. Dragonfly & Lily Pads // 12. Adventures in All Things Food // 13. Create it. Go! // 14. Please Excuse My Craftermath… // 15. The Outlandish Momma // 16. The Sensory Emporium // 17. My Paper Craze // 18. unOriginal Mom // 19. My Favorite Finds // 20. Architecture of a Mom // 21. Black and White Obsession
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