Modern House Numbers - Broyhill Brasilia Inspired DiY House Number Tutorial with Glow in the Dark Numbers

One of my all-time favorite vintage furniture line is Broyhill's 'Brasilia' -

Broyhill Brasilia furniture photo courtesy of Apartment Therapy Marketplace

I love the look of the curves, the knobs, the legs. SO cool. I keep hoping that I'll magically find one of these pieces in the wild - you know, that ultimate thrift store find, where you are driving away with your treasure, having only paid $30 for something that's worth at least $300, all the while evil-laughing to yourself, all the way home.

I decided to use this beautiful style as inspiration for a house number sign for our mid century home; in my case, this sign is double sided and hung on my vintage lamp post. I rehabbed this post a few years ago - it had an old, broken and disconnected gas light on it that I swapped out with an awesome solar option that works really well -

...if you want to see how I did this, check out {this tutorial here}! And for my curated list of top rated solar and electric post lights, click here.

The color paint I used was left over from painting my front door, a high gloss exterior paint in Sherwin Williams #6776, Blue Nile -


I thought it would be neat (and a good idea since the sign will be close to the road) to make the numbers glow-in-the-dark. The product I used comes in all sorts of glowing colors - they are really cool. You can color coordinate your glowing numbers with your paint color if you like!

If you'd like more mid century inspiration, I have curated a list of midmod style house numbers, mailboxes and more - click here to see it 💖

If you decide to make this sign, let me know! Send me a message with a picture. I love to see what you're making!

Make sure to this post for later, too!

This post contains affiliate links, at no additional charge to you, to Amazon for your reference and/or pajammy-shopping pleasure. Please see this page for more information!

This tutorial and anything made from it is for personal use only, not for resale. Images on this site are(c) Sew at Home Mummy and may not be used on sites not owned and operated by Sew at Home Mummy. Thanks!

Materials (affiliate links included below):

• Free Pattern Download! Click HERE to view the pattern and download
• 1/2" x 8" x 4' Board (Actual: 7/16" x 7-1/4" x 4' - I used Aspen - for painted board)
• 1/4" x 2' x 2' Plywood Handi/Project Board (I used a birch veneer)
• 4" House Numbers (I used these ones)
• Clear spray paint (I used this one; I had it from another project)
• Exterior High Gloss Paint (I used Sherwin Williams 6776, Blue Nile, to match my front door)
• DAP Silicone Clear, Window and Door
• Photoluminescent Powder (I used this one - comes in all sorts of colors!)
• Liquid Nails Heavy Duty Indoor/Outdoor
• Stain (I used this one in Dark Walnut)
• Brushes (check the Dollar Store for these!)
• Painter's Tape (I like this 3M blue tape)
• A clear polyurethane sealer, like Minwax Clear Semi-gloss Polyurethane Sealer
• Marker or Pen

Equipment (affiliate links included below):

• Circular saw or table saw (I have this Black and Decker Matrix with the 3-1/2" Circular Saw attachment and LOVE IT!)
• Jigsaw or bandsaw (I use this Jigsaw attachment for my Black and Decker Matrix)
• Jigsaw blade (I used this one from Bosch I picked up this multi-pack and it's come in handy!)
• Electric Staple/Brad Gun (I use this one with these 5/8" brad nails)
• Clamps (I use these spring clamps)
• Sandpaper (I picked up this multi pack)
• Fine wire mesh strainer (like this)

Optional Supplies (affiliate links included below):

For Pole/Post Mounting (based on 3" lamp post size):
• (2) Carriage Bolts and Nuts (2-1/2" x 5/16")
• Post Brackets (I bought 2 of these ones, 2-7/8" brace bands, and sprayed them to match my standard 3" lamp post)
For Wall Mounting:
• Keyhole Hanger (I use these ones on a previous project)

Directions:

1) Print and assemble the pattern; trim the page edges so that letters and lines line up when taped. Here's the link again to the pattern:

FREE BROYHILL BRASILIA INSPIRED HOUSE NUMBER PATTERN

Cut the pattern out.

Cut your lumber:

Painted board:
Cut the 7-1/4" x 4' board so you have a 14" long piece. I used my Matrix drill with the circular saw attachment (Amazon aff links) for this. Make sure to tape your board, front and back, and mark your line on the tape. This will help keep down any chipping that may occur.

Arc Board(s):
From your plywood veneered handi panel cut 2 pieces 14" x 7-1/4" for a double sided sign, 1 piece for a one-sided sign. Cut the plywood with the wrong-side up.

*TIP: mark cut lines on blue painters tape; make sure to apply painter's tape to both sides of the plywood to minimize chipping.

Make sure to cut the wood wrong-side up; clamp your wood to a table to make sure it doesn't shift -
3) Cut the arc(s).
Tape both sides of plywood pieces using painter's tape. Using the pattern supplied, trace the arc on the wrong side of the plywood.

Using a bandsaw or jigsaw (this is what I used - I swapped out the circular saw attachment on my Matrix for my jigsaw attachment with this blade) (Amazon aff links) cut the arc shape from the plywood. Take your time, especially on the top curve. Make sure to clamp your board close to the table edge to minimize bouncing/vibration. I cut one side to the curve, turned the board and cut the second side.

 Sand, paint and stain:

Sand:
Remove the tape and use sandpaper to smooth edges. I used a 150 grit to smooth all of the edges, and then a 1000 grit to smooth the veneer side. The 150 grit I used to smooth the edges of the painted background board, too.

Arcs:
Stain front side and edges, following the instructions on the can. I used Minwax Dark Walnut (Amazon aff link) and only applied 1 coat (I wanted the grains to show through).
Background Board:
Here I painted the board with a high gloss exterior in Sherwin Williams #6776, Blue Nile. I painted right to the short edges of both sides, careful not to bleed over the edge. On the long sides I left about a 1/4" space where the board was unpainted -

I painted both sides of the board like this since I was making a double sided sign - if you're making a single sided sign, there's no need to paint the backside, you can stain it later when you stain your edges after assembly.

While your boards are drying...

How to Make Glow in the Dark House Numbers:

This is super easy and can be done with any brand of metal house number you want to use.

I should note that in this technique, the product used to create the glow-in-the-dark effect is a powder and is visible after application, giving the number a hammered-style look. There are resins available which you can mix the powder with and then paint on to a surface, however, I was worried about bondage to the metal (most of the research I found on resins had them being used on wood).

1) Pick out your photoluminescent powder. Here's the one I used, in Neutral White. (aff link)

2) In a well ventilated area, apply a thin coat of clear spray paint (I used this one (aff link) which I had laying around from my sewing machine repaint project). Quickly apply a fine dusting of the powder through the metal strainer over top of the numbers and allow that coat to dry.

3) Apply 2 more thin layers of clear coat, waiting the directed time for drying in between coats.

Assemble Sign:

Glue:
Apply the Liquid Nails Heavy Duty (or equivalent, aff link) in thin beads to the backside of the arc board(s). Make sure not to add too much, especially close to the edges, to avoid seeping when the boards are clamped.


Lay the arc board on top of the painted board, matching edges (you may need to pull the open ends of the arc away from each other to match outside edge to backing board). Using an electric staple gun (like this, aff link) or brad nailer, insert 5/8" brad nails in 4 or 5 spots to hold the board in place. Gently tap nails in so they sit flush.


Repeat for backside if making a double sided sign. Clamp the boards together, clean excess glue with a cotton swab, and allow to dry.


Once dry, stain edges to match arcs - I used a cotton swab for this. Stain the backside of the board if you're making a single-sided sign.

Apply 3 coats of clear sealer (I used this one from Minwax and some dollar store sponge brushes) (Amazon aff link) to help protect from the elements) to all stained surfaces.

Attach the House Numbers:

Cut the marked number placement rectangles from the supplied pattern and place in arc, aligning outer edge, and tape in place, like so:

Note: your pattern piece will be slightly smaller than the actual arc because of the width of your blade during cutting. Don't worry about this! Just align all sides so they are evenly spaced from the inner arc edges

The 4" house numbers (aff link) I used are 'self-adhesive' in that they have sticky pads pre-attached to the backside of them. The main complaint about these numbers online is that the adhesive isn't the greatest when exposed to the elements - enter more Liquid Nails!

I used a little yogurt cup

and painted little dots on the adhesive pads and spots around the backside of the number, like so -


(it should be noted that if you wanted to make these numbers (aff link) floating, you can - under the pads are screw holes, and you could use stand-offs to do so).

Glue all numbers in place using the pattern as a guide -


and then set something flat and heavy on them to apply pressure during drying (I used a big heavy wooden cutting board).

Repeat for the backside of the board if making a double-sided sign.

Seal the numbers to the backing with a thin bead of this silicone sealant (or the like, affiliate link), and paint the edges of the veneer and where it meets the backboard with the same silicone caulk (aff link) to ensure the wood doesn't lift.

Mounting:

Post Mounting:
Using the pattern as a guide, tape the area with painter's tape one both sides of the sign and mark the carriage bolt hole placements on the tape.

This is a good time to double check your hole placements with respect to your brackets before you drill - 

Using a small pilot bit, drill a hole in the center of the marks. Using those smaller holes as pilot guides, drill the larger hole through the sign using a 5/16" sized bit to accommodate the carriage bolts.

Wall Mounting:
Using the pattern as a guide, mark the keyhole hanger placements on the backside of the sign.

TIP: Make sure to drill pilot holes before inserting screws to avoid splitting the wood.

And here's the finished product in place -



I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, and like I said above, I'd love to hear from you if you decide to make it, send me a message with some pictures!



And, make sure to check out my other mid century inspired house number sign tutorial {here}



*this post contains affiliate links to Amazon at no additional cost to you. For more information, please visit my Disclosure Statement and Advertising Policies page.

Other mid century inspired posts you make like: