DIY Vintage Sign Inspired Trunk Makeover

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



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.



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.



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.