Make a Farmhouse Windmill Sign this afternoon

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Here’s a farmhouse windmill sign you can make in an afternoon. Perfect for an empty spot over the mantel or the bed. 

Swimming in cow saliva may sound extra gross, but as a kid, it was spectacular! My grandparents had a large holding tank for water pumped up from the windmill. Cows would stroll over for a drink, and grandkids strolled over for a cool swim.

I don’t admit to swimming in cow saliva to many people, just those on the internet. 😜

So, my obsession with windmills started at age four. Since then I’ve painted windmills

and made one using chopped up crayons!

Materials for the windmill sign

Three blades from an old ceiling fan (popular in Habitat for Humanity stores)

Gray & white chalk-based paint

Paintbrush

Letter stencils

Stencil brush

Paper towels

Painters tape

Ruler

Wood glue (this one is my favorite of all time)

Screwdriver

Piece of rope twine 18” (45.82) long

Nine screws 3/4” (1.9 cm) with bolts

Instructions

1 Take the hardware off each blade. 

2 Paint the blades using the gray chalk-based paint. Painting these blades is one time that I didn’t apply two coats. I liked the look of areas with a bit of dark from the faux wood on the blades. Let dry. 

3 Attach the blades to look more windmill than fan by using the screws in the holes along the sides of the blades. Before adding the bolt, fan out the blades. Apply a little wood glue between the blades where they touch. Then add the bolts in the back. For a finished look, add screws and bolts in the six other holes. Let the glue dry. 

4 Using the ruler, line up the stencils of your text. Then use painter’s tape to hold the letters together. Place the stencils on the blades. 

5 Next, use a stencil brush over the open areas of the stencil with white chalk-based paint. Remove the stencils. 

6 The twine rope represents the circle the blades of a windmill attach. On the back of the blades, glue one end of the twine rope. Continue gluing along the rope onto each blade. Cut any excess. 

Tip

You can add a sawtooth hanger on the back to hang your windmill sign. Or place the sign on a table or shelf and lean. 

If you’re crazy about windmills as I am, you’ll be crazy about these other windmill projects.

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