DIY Beach Sign

Get ready for some summer Inspiration with my DIY beach sign! Grab a paintbrush and get started on some summer decor of your own.

Table of Contents

How To Make DIY Beach Sign

You can’t celebrate summer and not have a beach sign!

Lately, I have been seeing rusty beach signs at home decor stores. These signs are gorgeous and give off the perfect beach vibe, but they are just way too expensive. Due to that, I thought it would be fun to create my own version of a rusty beach sign that is more budget-friendly.

Now, don’t be intimidated because I am going to show you some super simple methods for making a rusty beach sign that anyone can replicate! Plus, it’s made for 12% of the cost of some of the more expensive beach signs, which are upwards of $179!

So, grab some canvas, paint, and cinnamon (yes, I said cinnamon), and learn how to make a large rusty beach sign for only $21.48!

Supplies Needed To Make DIY Beach Sign

Cricut machine (click here to see which I like best)
18″ x 24″ Canvas
Printer paper
Graphite paper
Black Paint
Blue Paint
White Paint
Spray Sealer
Cinnamon

NOTE: You could also make this DIY beach sign using your Cricut machine. See instructions for how to make your own sign here. Now let’s dive right into our canvas and start painting!

Step 1: Paint Your Canvas

You can actually mix the blue with a little black to make the color darker. I made a custom blue by doing just that.

Start at the top of your canvas and begin painting a solid blue. Don’t forget the canvas edges as well.

While your paint is still wet, apply a little black paint with a very dry brush and spread it across the top. That will make a few dark areas. – It’s important to do this while the blue paint is wet.

Do the same thing with a dry brush and some white paint. Again, I picked a few areas and brushed on white paint while my blue was still wet.

Step 2: Print & Trace Your Letters

While you are waiting for your completed canvas to dry, pick a font on your computer that you like. Print your BEACH letters as large as you can while still fitting on the canvas. I used whole sheets of paper and taped them together to fit.

Once you are happy with your letters and their placement on your beach sign, put your graphite paper under your copy paper.

Trace around each letter, and the graphite will transfer your letters to the canvas.

Step 3: Paint In The Letters

Now you can color in the lines with white paint.

There are a few tips and tricks to remember here:

These letters do not have to be perfect. The look we are going for is rustic, so do not worry about getting your lines completely straight.
Use a dry brush with very little paint. Again, it is okay if a little of the blue is showing through your letters. We are making a rustic sign.

Step 4: Add Arrow

Now we need an arrow. I took some copy paper and made an arrow template that I felt was the right size for this canvas. Then, I used it as a guide and painted inside of it, following the same tips and tricks as given above for the letters.

Step 5: Paint Edges Of Sign & Bolt Holes

Next, I free-handed a line all the way around the outside edge of my canvas in white.

Then I painted freehand four of these rough circle shapes. I loved how, with some of these signs, they had rusty bolt holes that made it look like they had been hanging somewhere for years. So, since I had room, I put four of these rusty holes on mine.

Allow your entire canvas to dry before continuing to the next step.

Step 6: Make Your DIY Beach Sign Rustic

Now it is time to add our secret ingredient to our beach sign—cinnamon!

No, I am not crazy. Cinnamon makes a really lovely faux rust paint on any surface. Plus, it’s simple to use, so let’s give it a try.

Spray small areas of your sign with the sealer. While it’s wet, sprinkle with cinnamon. You can play with different techniques in different areas. For instance, on my “bolt holes,” I sprinkled the cinnamon on the wet sealer, then took my finger and traced the circle. By doing this, the “rust” comes out looking circular!

Try a light dusting of cinnamon in some areas of your beach sign. It gives the appearance that the “rust” is just starting to peek through the paint. Other areas of the sign I really dumped on the cinnamon to give large “rusty” areas.

You can also experiment with the spray, sprinkle, spray technique. Spray on your sealer, sprinkle on cinnamon, then immediately spray again. This gives a whole other look to your “rust” techniques.

using cinnamon to create a distressed sign

Keep layering on sealer and ”cinnamon rust” until you are happy with your finished sign. You can control just how rustic this sign gets. You can go over the same area multiple times if you are not happy with your results the first time.

Once finished, spray the sealer right on the top. Allow the entire thing to dry, and you are ready to display your rustic sign creation.

I would say this DIY beach sign looks pretty good! Order some canvases today and stock up on cinnamon. You will want to use this technique over and over again once you get the hang of it.

In the comments below, I would love to hear your thoughts on this beach sign, and if you knew cinnamon could be used to ”create a rust look”!

Tips and Tricks for DIY Beach Sign

Now that you’ve seen this fun DIY beach sign, are you ready to make your own? Here are a few tips and tricks to ensure your project goes as smoothly as possible!

Use Wood As The Base Of Your Sign – If you don’t want to use a canvas sign, you can use a solid wood sign or a wood canvas instead!
Have Fun With Colors – For my sign, I chose to use Country Blue and Black paint. However, you can use any color of paint that you like for this project. Some other colors that I think would be great options are aqua blue, blue-green, sand, yellow, and even orange.
Skip The Arrow – If you don’t want to include an arrow on your sign, you can skip it! Instead, you can just have the word ”beach” on your sign, or possibly add another design/more text.
Don’t Skip The Spray Sealer – Since we are using cinnamon in this project, don’t skip the final step of spraying the entire sign with sealer!

5 More Beach Crafts

If you loved learning how to make this DIY beach sign and are looking for more beach crafts, check out the projects below!