Oversized carrot porch sign (DIY finish)

So you’ve braved making the oversized carrot porch sign and now it’s time to finish it! You are on your way to finishing your life like huge carrot to welcome your guests to your home. Read along to see how I finished mine.

First you will need to gather your supplies:

Supplies:

Step 1: Prep your oversized carrot porch sign for painting

First, you will want to wipe your carrot off and make sure there is no saw dust left on it. If you don’t have your carrot yet, you can find a tutorial on how to make an oversized carrot here. A damp paper towel or even a corner of your old towel would work great. Make sure it’s dry before moving on to step 2.

Step 2: Paint your carrot sign

Using a sponge brush and the green paint, begin painting the top(leaves) of the carrot. Apply a little bit of paint at a time.

Paint 2-3 thin coats of paint. Always paint thin coats. Here is the technique I use when painting all my projects. Painting thin coats will help your project dry faster, which will save you time in the end.

While your 1st coat of green paint is drying, move to the main part of the carrot and paint it orange, using the same technique as above.

Now go back and paint a 2nd coat of green, then orange, and repeat until you have the coverage you like. Let the paint dry completely before moving on to step 3.

Step 3: Antiquing your carrot sign

When the paint is completely dry on your carrot, you are going to use your palm sander to sand everywhere. This will remove the paint in different spots giving it an antique look. The more you sand, the more paint that is removed. You may need to spend a little more time and attention to certain spots to get the look you want. Don’t forget to get the sides and edges.

Step 4: Staining your carrot sign

When you reach the desired look, brush the carrot off so it’s free of saw dust. Now you are going to stain the entire carrot. This is a technique I use when staining all of my projects. How to stain using an old towel.

I know, it’s a little scary how dark the stain looks but don’t worry, we will fix that. Also, don’t forget to stain the back. Staining not only enhances the antiqued look, it also seals and protects the wood longer.

Once you have your entire carrot stained, you are going to wipe off the excess stain. This process helps the carrot dry faster and not look as dark.

After you have wiped off all the excess stain, if your carrot is still too dark for your liking, you can let it dry for at least 24 hours and then use your palm sander on the surface again. This will remove more of the stain and give it a lighter look(optional).

Once your carrot is dry, you can display it on your porch. (I usually wait about 24 hours before displaying anywhere and if it’s sunny out, I let it dry and air out in the sunshine).

Hooray! You now have an oversized carrot to place on your porch to welcome your guests to your home.

Thanks how you Brand it!