DIY Network

Caulk Wall Lettering Say it with caulk! From "B. Original" episode DBOR-149

Use caulk to make a statement—even around corners.

Michele Beschen wants to teach you how to write on the walls in style. The B. Original host takes one of the home improvement industry's most easy-to-use tools—the caulking gun—and turns it loose on her walls.

If you can draw it on a wall, you can turn it into raised lettering for any wall surface—including corners. It's a powerful way to make a design statement, and a technique anyone can do.

Scroll down for Michele Beschen's easy how-to, and go for your (caulking) guns.

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Michele Beschen helps get your words on the wall.

Materials:

caulk
caulking gun (if needed)
pencil
graphite paper
tape
pencil

	Figure A
	Figure B

• Figure out your design. You can run letters vertically, horizontally or even on a tilt or a curve. Michele Beschen sometimes likes to run her lettering around corners.

• Outline your letters. You can draw letters freehand or use graphite paper to transfer them to the wall. To transfer using graphite paper, get a good copy of the lettering (from a printed source or computer program) and blow it up on a copier to the size you want. Lay out your lettering on the wall, then slide some graphite paper between your paper and the wall. Tape everything so it doesn’t slip, then trace out each letter; the graphite paper will transfer the marks to the wall (figure A).

• Fill in the letters with caulk. You can purchase caulk either in self-applying cans or in tubes that go into a caulk gun; it comes in a small variety of colors. Fill in all of the letters with caulk about 1/8" thick (figure B).

• Once the letters are filled in, let the caulk cure for several hours. Check the manufacturer's instructions for the caulk to get an exact time.

• You can paint your letters with acrylic paints. Metallic glazes such as silver leaf also look great applied to the raised letters; if you want to use these, apply them after the paint dries.

Now your walls really make a statement!