DIY Vintage Sign Inspired Trunk Makeover

Remember that trunk I found on the sidewalk a few weeks back? Tada! It got it's makeover.

Curbside Makeover Before and After |www.brooklynlimestone.com

My first thought was really going crazy with it by cutting it up and outfitting for a cooler etc. But as I took a closer look, I thought it would be functional just as it was - as a storage chest. The top was pretty badly damaged so it needed some repairing including glueing down the loose board and adding lots of wood putty where there were holes. I painted the whole thing with an exterior oil paint to give it the best protection from the elements as possible.

Curbside Makeover Before and After |www.brooklynlimestone.com

After painting, I was pretty happy with how it was looking but I wanted to add some personality. So I whipped up something reminiscent to a vintage sign, printed it out on letter paper and taped it all together. Then I used painters tape to adhere it to the top of the chest and traced the whole design by pressing as hard as I could onto the wood top. This tracing left a slight indentation on the top of the chest making it very easy to paint over. But since I didn't want to bother hand painting - I used a couple of permanent markers to first mark the outline and then fill in all of the lettering.  Notice - this technique requires no artistic talent whatsoever!  My favorite kind.

Transfer a Sign onto a Piece of Furniture | www.brooklynlimestone.com

A few mosquito bites and a sore hand later, the trunk was complete. This was such a fun piece to makeover - I'm so glad I made Mr. Limestone carry it home with me.

Brooklyn Outdoor Outfitters Trunk | www.brooklynlimestone.com

12 comments:

  1. I'm impressed! Like your technique for the lettered top ... I'd love to try it.

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    1. Thanks Patricia. It really takes no artistic ability at all to transfer.

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  2. Ooooh, I love it! Well done!!!

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  3. Does this happen to be a Lane chest?

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    1. I'm not sure - I didn't see any markings but I didn't look that hard. Why?

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    2. There is a problem with the hinges. A few kids have actually died from playing hide and seek and being locked inside. They did a recall on the locks but not nearly enough people know about it. If it is a lane chest and you contact Lane they will send you a new lock with a key for free and it will make it safe.

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    3. Thanks for the heads up. It was mentioned in earlier post about the trunk. Not really relevant for us since we don't let my daughter play unsupervised for any length of time that this would be an issue but good to know.

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  4. love this! it looks amazing!

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  5. I love it! What fonts do you use?

    Sarah

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    1. Thanks Sarah. I used Memoriam Pro and Langdon

      Memoriam Pro: https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/canadatype/memoriam/pro/
      Langdon: http://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/langdon

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  6. Ooh I like it a lot! Bold to draw your own letters, I wouldn't dare and use a print. Which would in no way become so pretty and authentic as yours.

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  7. This looks awesome - love the artwork on the top.

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