DIY Beware of Dog Sign

I was worried about people opening my gate and letting the dogs loose because they didn’t know they were there. However, I didn’t want to put up one of those neon colored plastic “Beware of Dogs” signs with the junkyard Doberman picture on them. My solution was a DIY “Beware of Dog” sign.

Photo: K Thomas

To make the sign, just primer a board, paint it with a coat of white outdoor paint and then sketch in your lettering after the paint dries. Mine says “Warning – Bad Dogs.” (If you are a genius at doing letter spacing and size, you can skip that part. I have to try a few times to get letters evenly spaced.) Then, paint the letters in using black craft paint. (You could also use a stencil, but I wanted a more ornate lettering style.)

Let the sign dry overnight and then spray it with a protective indoor/outdoor sealer. I used Krylon, but any will do. Just make sure you spray the sealer in a well ventilated area. I applied mine outside.

You should probably re-seal your sign each Spring, too. Mine is five years old and getting pretty weathered because I never bothered.