I LOVE This Easy DIY Star Wars Wood Sign Art (Subway Style)

Try this easy DIY for a cool, grown up version of Star Wars Fan Art. I love this easy DIY Star Wars Wood Sign Art. You can show your love for Star Wars without sacrificing style.

Easy DIY Star Wars Wood Sign Art

So, I confess. I’m a total fangirl. Have been since I was a kid that loved Sci-fi. Don’t make me decide between Star Wars and Star Trek, there’s room in my heart for both. 😉

But, since Star Wars Day (May the 4th) is a thing now, I decided to use this excuse to create some DIY Star Wars Fan Art that would actually fit in with my colorful, traditional style.

For this Easy DIY Star Wars Wood Sign Art, I grabbed inspiration from those classic Subway-style City or Street Name signs. This Star Wars Sign lists some of the most well-known Planets from the world of Star Wars.

Geeky, I know, but I love it! I hope you do too! You can get the free printable for this sign at the end of this post.

But first, let me show you how to make it and use that printable to trace and paint your own DIY Star Wars Fan Art.

Cost to Make this DIY Wood Sign

For a section of plywood this size and the 1″ x 2″ for framing, you’ll pay less than $15. Yea!

How I Made this Star Wars Printable

I used my Powerpoint Design Steps (detailed here) to design this sign for a 14 1/2″ x 30″ piece of wood.  A quick google search found a free Star Wars font. Make sure to only download files from trustworthy sites, though.

The key with the classic Subway-Style Signs is to change the font size based on the length of the word. I made the longer words a bit smaller, and the shorter words a bit larger.

So, I had 3 font sizes and centered everything on the slide (sized to my wood) so that it looked balanced. Then I saved that PowerPoint as a PDF. Then printed that PDF as a poster.

Building This Simple Plywood Sign

I cut a leftover piece of plywood to 14 1/2″ x 30″ with my Circular Saw. Then used my Sander to sand the front and sides with 120 grit for a nice smooth finish.

I used a clean cloth to remove any leftover dust and primed with Zinsser 123 Water Base Primer. After that dried, I put on a thick coat of Apple Barrel Acrylic Paint in Pewter Grey.

Let that dry and you’ll be ready for the next step to making this Easy Star Wars Fan Art.

I like to use craft acrylic’s or chalk paints when possible because they dry so quickly and the color choices are great. You can find my DIY Chalk Paint Recipe and tons of step by step Beginner Furniture Painting Tutorials on this site.

How to Trace this DIY Star Wars Sign

This is probably the longest part of this project. It took me about 2 hours to trace this text onto the plywood and paint the letters, twice. But, it’s very easy to do. Even older kids can do this part.

There are a few ways to transfer the printed text onto your painted sign.

1. Use Pencil – You can color the back of the print with pencil, then flip the sign over, line it up and trace over the letters to transfer the pencil onto your painted sign.
2. Use Chalk or Charcoal Pencil – Again, color the back of the print with the chalk or charcoal, then flip the sign over, line it up and trace over the letters with a sharp pencil to transfer the markings onto your painted sign.
3. Carbon Paper – Just slip a sheet behind the text to transfer the outline of the text onto the sign. I’d tape the top of the print out to the top of the sign to keep everything lined up perfectly while you move the carbon paper.

After tracing the letters onto the plywood, I copied over that with an Elmer’s White Paint Marker, filled the letters in, and then gave the letters a second coat with the marker. You could also use a small paint brush and White Acrylic Paint.

The Star Wars font is based on a lot of straight lines, which means you have to be a bit more precise than you would with a script or curvier font. So take your time painting the letters on this Easy DIY Star Wars Wood Art.

I really need to buy a Cricut. Having vinyl letters would make this whole process take about 30 minutes. Maybe for Mother’s Day. 😉

I finished this sign off with a light sanding over the letters with 220-grit sandpaper to give this DIY Star Wars Wood Sign a bit of an aged look. Then I topped that off with 2 coats of my favorite Matte Polyurethane.

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You can download the FREE Planets of Star Wars Printable to make this sign here. It is designed to work as described above, with a 14 1/2″ x 30″ piece of plywood. Be sure to follow the instructions to save the PDF, print it, then tape it together to make one long printable. Don’t worry, it’s easy!

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How I Framed this DIY Plywood Wall Art

I used 1×2 Select Pine for the frame. You could use other types of 1×2 lumber, just be sure to find very straight pieces. I made a rabbet cut into the back of the frame and used 45-degree miter corners for this piece. This required a table saw, miter saw, and wood glue.

For an easier frame, but still popular frame you can make straight cuts with your circular saw then glue and brad nail it together. Here’s an example of that frame on the menu board for my kids diner kitchen.

Or, you can flip those 1×2’s to make the frame stick further from the wall. It will look similar to my Simple DIY Wood Frame. In this case, I’d cut grooves on the inside of the frame to slide the plywood into the frame. That will hide the plywood edges and make the wall art look prettier

After the cuts were done, I lightly sanded the frame with 120-grit sandpaper. This cleans the wood and gets it ready to accept stain. Brush away the dust and apply wood conditioner, per container instructions. The wood conditioner helps the wood accept the stain evenly.

After the wood conditioner soaks in, about 10 minutes, you can apply your stain. I used 2 coats of Minwax’s Special Walnut. Be sure to follow the container directions and allow to dry properly before applying the second coat.

Once dry, I assembled the frame with wood glue and clamps. Once that set, I glued the sign into the rabbet cut. Be sure to wipe away all excess glue. Once that dried, I applied another coat of poly to the sign and the frame.

After it’s dry, attach hardware to hang the sign. I used a sawtooth hanger.

Time to hang that Easy DIY Star Wars Wood Sign Art and enjoy!

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Looking for more cool Star Wars gear? Check out this great list of the Star Wars Gift Ideas to Buy or Make!

I love this Wooden DIY Barn Star Art too!

You might also like this Easy DIY Acrylic Paint Pouring Wall Art.

Or, this Easy DIY Scrap Wood Wall Art tutorial.

And, everyone should know How to Get Rid of Cable and Still Watch TV.

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Feeling inspired? Want to make your own Easy DIY Star Wars Wood Sign? Follow the link above to get the free printable.

Have fun and let me know if you have questions. Or post pictures of your work and tag Abbotts At Home on FB, I’d love to see it!