Last week, I left you waiting for the final reveal of my Christmas Box. It’s coming, I promise, but first I wanted to share this little project with you:
Here’s a simple little Christmas sign I made last week using the Carbon Paper method, which I use a lot for my signs that mainly have text. You can see a video of this method here:
After making my signs, I always use a varnish or sealer to protect the image and finish of the sign. When using sharpie or paint pens, I find that waxing or using hemp oil isn’t the best finish, as I have occasionally had smudging of the writing using these finishes on signs. Maybe I have been a bit impatient, and the ink has not had enough time to dry – which is still an important factor when finishing your signs. For best results, if you have recently painted a surface, you should allow 12-24 hours for it to dry before finishing with any top coat.
But I’d like to introduce my new favourite finish to use on my signage: Miss Mustard Seed’s Tough Coat Sealer. (Available in Australia on my products section of this website)
When I saw the words NON-YELLOWING on the bottle – I was in!! So many varnishes, when painted over my nice white paint, can turn the white a horrible yellow after a while. Not a good look!
It is so easy to use and you only need the smallest amount, so the 500ml bottle is going to last a good while.
Dip your brush in and away you go – nice even strokes going in one direction with the grain, or length wise across your sign or board.
Left side with the sealer, Right side without.
Tough Coat Sealer dries really quickly, but for maximum durability, waiting 2-4 hours between coats is recommended. I use two coats for extra protection.
Clean up is so easy because the Tough Coat Sealer washes straight out in water. No sticky messy brushes.
Just wash out as soon as you are finished using it, and remember to wash it out in between coats. If you forget and the brush starts to dry, no problem, you may just need a little extra help with MMSMP Brush Soap.
Here’s the finished sign, all ready to display on a mantle or hang on a wall, and because it has been sealed with Tough Coat, you can even hang it outdoors!
More tips for using MMSMP Tough Coat Sealer:
– perfect for high traffic surfaces like table tops, seating, doors and floors.
– can be applied with a roller or brush.
– in humid areas, longer drying time may be required.
– in less humid areas, add water to increase the flow.
– 500ml covers approx 7 square metres.
– dries to a matte finish.
Stay tuned for the final reveal of my Christmas Box. Coming soon…
Happy Painting!