"LAUNDRY" Board = First Project Using Vinyl

After thinking about it for about a year, I've finally taken the plunge...my first time cutting and using vinyl on a project and it turned out GREAT! It is a new found favorite for sure. So, what did I make? A subway art LAUNDRY sign to hang above the laundry closet in my kitchen. Yeah, you read that part right too. Our laundry is located in our kitchen. Nice, huh? Full window in the master bathroom and a bi-fold door laundry closet in the kitchen. Great design Builder! I shouldn't complain. My house is quaint and I adore it even if it isn't always the best design layout or plan. Luckily, the bonus is that I can change things to my liking one step at a time.

For this project, I used the leftover piece of 1 X 8 pine board from the Mason Jar Bar and Towel Rack projects for the master bathroom. (No, I haven't posted the Towel Rack project yet...it's coming.) Here's the rundown of supplies:

• 32"L -- 1 X 8 pine board leftover from other projects
• Rustoleum Black spray paint 
• Black and Decker Mouse Sander
• Lint free cloth
• Rustoleum Heirloom White spray paint
• Sprayer handle for spray paint (optional)
• Black vinyl 
• Cricut and accessories for cuts
• Deep cut blade 
• Sure Cuts A Lot Software
• Computer
• Masking Tape
• Pencil
• Level/meter stick
• Sawtooth Hangers (2)

I started out by spray painting the board black and letting it dry. Once it was dry, I noticed it was a bit rougher than I wanted so I use my Black and Decker Mouse Sander to smooth the surface. Lil' Miss was fascinated with what I was doing and wanted to help out. She got to help wipe down the board after I gave it a light sanding.

Lil' Miss' feet!

One of the best purchases for a Crafter like me.

Wax on, wax off...no more like...dust off!

Crafty Neighbor (CN) was my saving grace for this one. I am in love with the font "Whackadoo" but do not have the capability to cut it. Well, CN has the amazing Sure Cuts A Lot software and was able to hook me up. So excited! I chose "Whackadoo" because it's playful but not too "cutesy." With my supplies in tow, I set off across the street to take on the daunting vinyl.

Test cut

CN set up the letters using the software, helped me cut the vinyl to fit on the cutting mat and off we went. We decided to make a test cut so we could check that we had the settings right on the Cricut before we tried cutting the entire word. Here are the settings we used: Speed-Medium (3), Pressure-Medium (3), Deep cut blade set to blade depth 3. I loaded the mat, pressed cut, watched and waited. Oh, before I forget, the letters are 4.3 inches tall.

Cutting, cutting, cutting.

Look at that! It's perfect! I peeled away the negative space vinyl leaving only the letters on the backing.

The next part was pretty fun. I used regular ole masking tape, which I bought for $4 vs. $10 for the ProvoCraft Transfer Tape. The masking tape worked great! To transfer each letter, I put a few strips of masking tape on top of the letter I wanted to move.

Then, I burnished the tape with a small, plastic scraper. The tape then "picked up" the letter when I pulled the tape off the backing at a 45 degree angle. Picking it up at an angle allows you to lay it back down and burnish again if part of the letter sticks to the vinyl backing paper. I decided to lift all the letters on the transfer tape then line them up on the painted board and apply them one at a time.

Burnishing the transfer tape.

Lifting the transfer tape at a 45 degree angle.

To help place each of the letters, I drew guidelines on the painted board. Pencil shows up great on black. The silver line is easy to see and I didn't need to worry about erasing it since I'd be applying another layer of paint.

Do you see the pencil line?

There is a line across the top and bottom.

I started with the "N". Why? It's the middle letter in the word LAUNDRY so it needed to be in the center of the board. Now, I had my handy-dandy meter stick with levels but honestly, I'm usually more successful "eyeballing it."

Eyeballed placement

 The "N" was placed at 16" with the center of the letter hovering around the 16" mark. I had laid all of the letters wrong side up as I adjusted spacing then turned each one over one at a time to apply it to the board. Once I had the spot just right, I turned the "N" over, laid it on the board, between the guidelines and burnished it again. Slowly, at a 45 degree angle, I pulled up the masking tape. Talk about an exhilarating feeling to remove sticky tape and have an amazing letter lay in it's place! That fact that I was going to do it 6 more times...icing on the cake! Uniformity + repetition = happy once again ;)

Burnishing the first letter on the board.

Removing the transfer tape...

Woowoo!! It's just want I pictured!

Placing the letters was a lot of fun. CN said I got faster with each one.

After all the letters were burnished to the painted board, it was time for the next coat of paint. What color other than Heirloom White. I made the trek back home for this part. Lil' Miss and friend were again intrigued about what I was doing. They laughed when I sang, "Shake, shake, shake. Shake, shake, shake. Shake your groove thing" as I shook up the spray paint. Lil' Miss is never lacking questions. She wanted to know why the letters were black on black. Why was I going to paint over them? Wouldn't the paint cover the letters? What color would the letters be after I painted and lifted the vinyl off? I love her inquisitive mind! Now that the board is painted in the top coat, it's time to let it dry.

Top coat of Heirloom White is applied and ready to...

DRY! ;)

We went to a fabulous BBQ while the paint dried. Ribs, corn on the cob, berry spinach salad, au gratin potatoes and poached pears with chocolate sauce for dessert. Yum! As soon as I got home and checked the board, it was time to peel off the vinyl letters. Oh man! This was going to be exciting! Would the letters come off well? Would the paint stick to them and pull up like it sometimes does on walls? ...now you know where Lil' Miss gets her questioning gene don't you?... Starting with the letter "L"... here goes....

Looking good!

I feel a song coming on..."La, la, la, la, la...."

Success! Love, love, love this!

The last few steps are in sight! Distressing, seal coat, attach sawtooth hangers and put it up!


To distress the board, I used my Mouse sander again. I like to sand outside so I'm not breathing in as much of the dust not to mention that the lighting is phenomenal!  When distressing, I do a little at a time keeping in mind, I can take more off but I can't put it back on very easily. I wanted the black undercoat to show so I gently sanded the edges, ends and a bit on the surface. Remember those rough places I didn't really like when the board was black? Well, they are the perfect spot for extra sanding and distressing on the final product. Take a look...

After distressing, I sprayed a coat of matte finish sealant to protect the finish. Once that was dry, I attached sawtooth hangers on the back in the upper corners, 1 inch in from the sides and about half an inch below the top of the board. Using a level, I put a few nails in the wall, hung up the sign and WOW! It's better than I imagined!

So, what do you think?! I can't wait to make more...who wants one? ;)