What is an Etched Blank?

Over on my website www.shopdoorhangers.com I have a variety of wooden blanks that come etched and ready to paint. These are such a fun option for painters because it keeps painting simple. It reminds me of the paint by number projects you’d do as a kid since all your lines are laid out and you’re ready to paint!

While this etching is a great perk, occasionally there might be a wood blank that you’d like to change or cover up etched lettering on. It’s not hard to do at all and today I’m going to show you exactly how to with just three easy steps!

Step One – Use Wood Filler to Cover Up Etched Lettering

If you watch me paint live on my Facebook page every Tuesday, you might have seen me paint the Rudolph – Rather Be Hunting door hanger. I took a hunting door hanger that said “Rather Be Hunting” and turned it into a door hanger with Rudolph that said “Merry Christmas!” I like to call this a “remix”, taking a template or door hanger design and turning it into something else. In order to change the wording that was already etched into the door hanger, I had to cover up the etched lettering with this wood filler. 

Step Two – Grab a Sanding Block

I then used a small squeegee to be sure that all of the wood filler got down inside the cracks. Once the wood filler has been used to fill the cracks, I used a sanding block to smooth it down and dust off the excess. It’s important to get the area as smooth as possible so that when you paint over it the paint goes on smoothly.

Step Three – Apply Paint

After you have added wood filler and sanded it down with the sanding block, you can paint the area with whatever paint you decide to use. While a darker paint color may hide the imperfections, it’s important to note that if you are changing the wording then, more than likely, those imperfections won’t be visible when your project is complete. You may want to add a few coats of paint just for added coverage.

Ready to Hand Letter?

Finally, your paint is dry and it’s time to add hand lettering once you have covered up the etched lettering, after all what your door hanger says can really make your door hanger! You can use chalk or paint to hand letter or if you’re not comfortable doing it by hand, you may opt to use a program like Canva to create a template that you can trace with graphite paper. I have a blog post you might like that will show you how to add lettering to a door hanger using Canva. It’s very helpful when doing it all by hand seems intimidating.

Looking for More Helpful Tips?

I posted a brief video of how to cover etched lettering on a door hanger on my Facebook page and you can watch it here. If you’d like more helpful tips on painting and fixing mistakes, then I’d love for you to join my Painter’s Clubhouse Membership! The Painter’s Clubhouse provides you with easy to follow step-by-step tutorials, printable templates to trace, original designs, and the best part – an amazing community to cheer you on along the way! I’d love to have you join me and my PC Sisters soon! Enrollment is only open a couple times a year so be sure to hop on the waitlist on my website.