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    Home » DIY » Drawer Front Sign | Welcome

    Drawer Front Sign | Welcome

    Published by Gail | Published October 27, 2020 | Updated October 27, 2020
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    This tutorial will show you how to dismantle a vintage drawer in order to make a drawer front sign. Tips on painting, and making a wire hanger. Easy project to do in an afternoon. #MyRepurposedLife #repurposed #drawer #diy #sign via @repurposedlife

    Have you ever made a drawer front sign? I’ve used them for lots of things, including shelves and coat racks. I was wanting some thin stock for another project—drawers are a perfect way to get free wood! While I was working on the other project, I decided to make this drawer front sign.

    Part Out Vintage Drawer

    vintage drawer

    This is the drawer I need to dismantle for the cabinet grade plywood that makes up most of the drawer.

    *this post contains affiliate links, read more here*

    Disassemble Drawer

    dismantle vintage drawer to harvest wood

    All drawers are different. It’s best to examine how your drawer is constructed before you just start banging on it. I chose to use a 6 in 1 painter’s tool  to sever the staples that attach the drawer front to the box of the drawer. Then, I noticed two tiny screws that were set at an angle inside the front of the drawer. Lastly, I used a hammer to separated the back and sides where they were attached.

    Remove all Staples & Screws

    removing staples from drawer pieces

    When you dismantle a drawer, you need to inspect it for staples, etc. Look how long those are on the left! Can you believe it? The staples on the right were shorter and more difficult to grab with the vice grips. I used a screw driver to pry them out enough to grab them.

    Patch Holes on Drawer Front

    patch holes on drawer front

    I used spackling or drywall mud to fill the holes where the drawer knobs had been. Do you see the nice framing around the drawer front? I knew this would be perfect for a sign.

     

    sanding cleaning drawer front

    A sanding sponge was used to smooth everything out, and a dust brush came in handy to remove all the sanding debris. Do you use one of these? As you can see, mine has been around a long time!

    Ready to Paint

    paint the back firstDo you paint the back of your projects? I do 99% of the time. However, I don’t usually do all the coats I do on the front. I used the paint pyramids to hold the drawer front off the table, so I could paint the front.

     

    painting drawer front sign projectThe first coat was quickly applied with a chip brush and a chalk type paint. This brush is actually my glazing brush, and wasn’t the best choice for me to grab.

     

    painting and stainingHow about a sneak peek of the project that netted me this drawer front? In the background you can see the pieces of the drawer sides that I’ve cut, sanded and stained. Check back soon for that project.

     

    foam brush for painting So, I ended up switching to a foam brush for a smoother finish. I ended up doing 3 coats of black paint.

    Make Twisted Wire Hanger

    making a wire hanger for drawer front sign

    While the paint was drying, I got busy on making the wire hanger for this project. You can see a tutorial on how to make a twisted wire hanger by visiting that link. For this hanger, I used 4 strands of wire.

    Wax Drawer Front Welcome Sign

    waxing chalk paint

    I’m not thrilled with how the patching worked on the holes for the drawer knobs. But, they aren’t as noticeable in real life as they are in the photos. I applied some Miss Mustard Seed Furniture Wax.

    Attach Wire Hanger

    staple wire hanger on drawer front sign

    Using my Ryobi Staple Gun, I fastened the wire, then folded the wire back over the staple for good measure.

    Stencil Drawer Front Sign

    stencil your drawer front sign

    I added the word welcome to the drawer front sign. Chalking is so easy!

    DIY Drawer Front Sign

    welcome sign repurposed drawer front MyRepurposedLife

    Save & Share on Pinterest

    Why didn’t I see that speck of dirt under the W when I was taking my pictures? What word/s would you put on a sign like this?

    gail

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    1. Colette

      November 17, 2020 at 11:12 am

      Love your sign! I always look forward to your new posts.
      I bought a PALLET of solid wood cabinet drawer and door fronts in an auction. They are fabulous!
      I thought there would be a moderate amount of them. Nope! I have a plethora of cabinet drawer and door fronts! I paid under $20 for all of them.
      The wood is beautiful.
      I have enough now to last me a lifetime!
      My husband just shook his head and asked
      What are you going to do with ALL of THESE!
      LoL. Good thing I have my own RR Car
      Storage Container!
      Happy Thanksgiving 🦃

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        November 17, 2020 at 6:21 pm

        Wow! Colette!
        I'm so jealous!!! 🙂

        Have you seen my Easy Cabinet Door Projects? https://www.myrepurposedlife.com/easy-cabinet-door-projects/

        They are sooooo awesome for so many projects!

        gail

    2. Cheri

      October 29, 2020 at 9:01 pm

      Another wonderful project! I saw a Welcome sign somewhere recently and it wasn't nearly this cute...and much more expensive than I would care to pay! Do your ideas every stop???? Evidently not:)

      Reply
    3. Jennie

      October 27, 2020 at 9:20 am

      I’ve made a welcome sign, Pirates Patio (family joke), and quiet! the drummers beating on the drums. I love signs, they can make your home more personal. Family jokes can last and be fun regularly, I’ve made a sign for Autumn, that says So Blessed By God, I’ve made a few for Christmas, Joy to the world, and I’ve painted a crèche scene at the top. It stands on the ground. I made one years ago when my daughter was little and there weren’t stencils, that say North Pole South. I saw one this year that was a shape of a Christmas tree that was lines of holiday words in different fonts that I thought looked fun to do. But with a 4 year old and 1 year old grandsons 5 days a week, 10 hours a day it might have to wait.

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        October 28, 2020 at 11:12 am

        Jennie,

        I LOVE family joke signs. I have a Family rules type sign with all the things that are special to my kitchen, including "pickle jar". 🙂 Funny story!

        The Tree sign sounds fun to do. I'll have to google that one. Maybe I could even chalk it. (so easy)

        Hope your week is going well, I'm camping in N'ville -- so good to see the family!

        gail

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    Hi, there! I’m Gail Wilson, the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. I’m obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believe that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again—myself included! I hope you’ll enjoy the journey and pick up a few tools along the way… literally!

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