How to make an easy & simple wooden growth chart ruler you will love to hang in your home.
Growth charts are quickly becoming staples in every family home. After making a wooden growth chart ruler for a friend I’m kicking myself for not making one for my own small tribe of girls. But, you bet I’ll be making one now that I know how easy they are to DIY.
Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.
WOODEN GROWTH CHART RULER, materials & supplies
WOODEN GROWTH CHART RULER
Equipment
- Paint brushes
Materials
- Oramask stencil film
- CLEAR TRANSFER TAPE
- acrylic paint
- 1"x8"x6.5' precut/sanded pine wood board
- growth chart SVG
Instructions
- PAINT YOUR WOODEN BOARD- Using a wide paintbrush paint your wooden board with your color of choice.
- CUT OUT THE STENCILS- Cut the growth chart stencil out using ORAMASK STENCIL FILM. If you want to save $ on stencil film be sure to read this post on how I cut my stencil costs in half.In Cricut Design Space I made a box around the original SVG to make painting the stencil easier. I also elongated the ruler markings so that they covered more area across the wooden board.
- APPLY THE STENCILS- Measure up 1″ from the bottom of the board then apply the first stencil (1st & 2nd feet). Do this for the next two stencils, measure up 1″ from the last marking then place your stencil down.Using clear transfer tape makes it super easy to transfer stencils over onto your wooden board. Be sure to use a vinyl squeegee to press out any air bubbles.Tape off any areas you don’t want to get paint on.
- SEAL THE STENCIL-Matte finish mod podge is great to use to seal the stencil prior to painting. CLICK HERE to learn more techniques on how to paint lettered signs without any paint bleed.
- PAINT THE STENCIL- Using acrylic paint and your color of choice paint the stencil. You want to keep your paint layers VERY THIN. Painting too thick for better coverage will likely cause a whole mess of problems for you when you go to peel up the stencil. Paint thin layers, allowing them to dry completely, until you are happy with the coverageI painted 3 layers of white acrylic paint on my wooden growth chart ruler.
- PEEL UP THE STENCIL- Once your happy with the coverage peel up the stencil. This is personal preference but I prefer to peel my stencils up while my paint is still wet. You do whatever you are most comfortable and gives your painted wood signs the best outcome.
- HANG- Hang your wooden growth chart 6" from the floor.
If you LOVE this sign painting tutorial be sure to check out these other DIY’s
- HOW TO MAKE A WOODEN FRAMED FAMILY LAST NAME + NUMBER SIGN
- Leaning rustic front porch ‘oh hello’ sign + FREE SVG
- How to make a Halloween porch sign
- Humorous wood sign for mom – mom’s shit list sign + FREE SVG
- DIY ROUND LAST NAME ESTABLISHED SIGN
Using stencils to make a growth chart
There are SO many AMAZING tutorials out there on how to make your own wooden ruler chart. Mine is going to show you how to use a Cricut cutting machine and stencils to paint a growth tracker.
When you’re done reading this tutorial check out these other ideas for a DIY wooden grown chart on Pinterest.
UPLOADING THE SVG
This is the exact file I purchased from a seller on Etsy. I do NOT earn a commission if you purchase this file. You can find the SVG here from reclaimmedesigns.
If you are having trouble uploading the SVG into Cricut Design Space watch this video. I walk you through how to easily extract zipped files then uploaded them into DS (Cricut slang for Design Space).
HOW TO MAKE A WOODEN GROWTH CHART RULER
I used a 1×8 pine board and I cut my board to 6.5′. I added an extra 6″ to my wooden ruler chart so that my friend (for who I made the sign) could add initials to the top of the sign once her new grandbaby arrives. If you don’t want/need the extra space at the top cut your wooden board to 6′.
1. PAINT YOUR WOODEN BOARD
Using a wide paintbrush paint your wooden board with your color of choice. I used a gray chalk paint I had on hand and just painted a single coat. You only need to paint the front and the sides of the board. Normally I finish all sides but this board is specially made to be hung on the wall so the back does not need to be finished.
Let your paint dry completely before applying the stencils.
2. CUT OUT THE STENCILS
In Cricut Design Space I made a box around the original SVG to make painting the stencil easier. I also elongated the ruler markings so that they covered more area across the wooden board.
*with Cricut’s latest update be sure when you upload the file Cricut did not change the format of the SVG. If this happens you can manually change the size or reach out to the SVG maker.
Cut the growth chart stencil out using ORAMASK STENCIL FILM. If you want to save $ on stencil film be sure to read this post on how I cut my stencil costs in half.
3. APPLY THE STENCILS
TIPS FOR APPLYING GROWTH CHART STENCILS TO WOOD:
- use clear transfer tape
- a vinyl squeegee to help remove any air bubbles
- measure up 1″ from the bottom of the board, then place your first stencil down
- measure 1″ between stencils for accurate measurements
- don’t press the stencils in place till you are happy with the placement
- apply stencils starting at the bottom then working your way up
- tape off areas you do not want to get stencil paint on
4. SEAL THE STENCIL
Matte finish mod podge is great to use to seal the stencil prior to painting. CLICK HERE to learn more techniques on how to paint lettered signs without any paint bleed.
5. PAINT THE STENCIL
How to paint a stenciled growth chart ruler:
- use a 1″ wide artist paint brush
- do not get it wet, a dry brush works best
- paint THIN layers, you want to see the wood grain/base color through the first layer
- allow paint to dry completely before painting another layer
- don’t paint more than 3 layers on your stencils
I painted 3 layers of white acrylic paint on my wooden growth chart ruler.
6. PEEL UP THE STENCIL
Once you’re happy with the coverage peel up the stencil. This is personal preference but I prefer to peel my stencils up while my paint is still wet. You do whatever you are most comfortable with and gives your painted wood signs the best outcome.
I did not hang my wood growth chart for this tutorial since I made it for a friend. I wasn’t sure what their preferred method of hardware would be so I left that up to them. See below how to properly hang a wood ruler.
HOW TO HANG A DIY GROWTH CHART
- add hanging hanging hardware to the back of the sign (see how to attach a sawtooth hanger)
- measure up from the floor 6″, make a mark
- align the bottom of your sign with that mark
- place a nail/screw in the wall where the hanging hardware hits
- hang in place
I hope this tutorial helps you to make the DIY wooden growth chart of your dreams. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below
Happy Crafting!
