Q&A for How to Write on Wood

For outdoor use, I recommend using Douglas fir or vertical grain Douglas fir. These woods hold up very well in outdoor conditions over time. For indoor signs, good choices are birch, pine, poplar or maple. These lighter colored woods allow the wood grain to show through nicely after staining.

Laser cutters and CNC routers allow for extremely precise cuts and details that would be difficult to achieve by hand tools alone. I use these machines to cut out shapes as well as custom letters and designs for signs. They are very useful for getting clean edges and intricate shapes.

I recommend using a pencil on the wood first, then fill in the letters with either acrylic paint and a brush or an acrylic paint marker. If you use a fine liner or an alcohol-based ink, the color will bleed when you're writing. However, avoid using alcohol-based ink on your wood.

You don’t have write this phrase. It’s the example. You can write other phrases, such as “Welcome home!”

Yes. You’re creating the template, so feel free to write whatever you’d like.

Use acrylic. Walmart has good cheap acrylic paint called "Apple Barrel". It's perfect for what you are doing. It's water based and non-toxic. It's also quick drying and easy to clean up in case of accidents.