Materials
- 1-1/4″ piece of plywood cut to the size you want (I cut mine to 24″ x 36″)
- 2-1×2 (x8’ long) to make the frame. You will need to miter cut each side – so 2 at 24” and 2 at 36”.
- Wood glue
- White acrylic paint (1 quart)
- Brown water-based wood stain (1 quart)
- Blue painter’s tape
- Pencil
- Tape measure
- Paint brush
- Rag
- Straight edge
- Strand of Christmas lights (I’m using white lights but you can use colored if you want to. The strand itself can be any color since it will be hidden.)
Directions
1. Cut your plywood and 1x2’s to size. My sizes are listed above.
2. Attach 1x2 frame to itself using wood glue at your mitered corners and securing with a nail gun.
3. Attach the top ¼” plywood piece to your frame using wood glue and nail gun. (NOTE: if you don’t have a nail gun, you can use a screw and screw gun. Just use a little wood putty to fill the hole after you are done.)
4. Using your blue painter’s tape and tape measure, lay out the shape of your tree as a triangle. The tape will be the outline of our tree.
5. Paint the outside of the frame white (or dilute to make a white wash).
6. Brush on the wood stain in the middle of the tree. Wipe away excess stain with a rag.
7. Set aside to dry.
8. Once completely dry, peel off the blue painter’s tape.
9. Mark with a pencil your holes that will be used for your lights. Space each hole 2” apart from one another.
10. Drill through each mark with a drill bit just slightly larger than your lights (an individual light on the strand).
11. Wipe all excess saw dust away.
12. Turn the entire structure over and start sticking in one light on the strand into one hole. Secure with painter’s tape.
13. Continue this process until all holes are filled with lights. If there are extra lights, that is fine. Roll them up and tape them inside.
14. Turn it around and enjoy your lighted marquee Christmas tree sign!
