Marquee Love Letters – PAINTING THE LETTERS:

So we’ve finished with the prep work of cutting out the letters and drilling the light holes for these awesome DIY Marquee Love Letters that we made for our wedding, and now it’s time to paint them.  Or in our case… we decided to stain them a dark dark brown.  I wasn’t sure which color I would paint them, and as I started searching, realized I was a pretty big fan of the dark wood background.

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Instructions:

So I’ve got less structured steps on how to stain the letters… and it’s pretty simple.

1. Just pick your finish (as mentioned in the supplies list here, we used Wood Stain Minwax Wood Finish Dark Walnut 8 0z – which cost about $5.83)
2. Sand your letters & wipe away the dust.
3. Gradually apply the first coat of stain with a small paintbrush (ok – I actually just used a rag to apply the stain… but it worked).
4. Wipe the stain off with a rag.
5. Apply a second coat of stain 4-6 hours later (The third coat of stain is optional).
6. Let dry for 8 hours.

In case you didn’t know… wood stain will eat through your latex gloves like a piece of lint on fire.  So make sure you have a ton of extras – especially if you’re doing more than one letter.

Here’s a look at the letters drying.  I definitely love taking advantage of the huge covered patio at our apartment while I dream of our future home!

Let me know if you’ve found any other great colors to paint or stain your own letters!

You can see the next steps on adding the border here. Good luck – you’re almost there!

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 DIY Marquee Love Letters ♦ How-To Instructions:

Part 1 of 5 (Supplies)

Part 2 of 5 (Cutting the Letters) 

Part 3 of 5 (Painting the Letters) 

Part 4 of 5 (Adding the Border) 

Part 5 of 5 (Stringing the Lights)