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Growth Chart Ruler | Step by Step Guide

So, you are invited to another 1 year old birthday party….

I know, I know; it’s great the kid made it to his or her first birthday. It’s a huge milestone!

But let me say what every single one of you are thinking, what in the heck do I get a one year old?!

Option 1: A toy that will sing, dance, and be annoying until the batteries die.
But, this will probably come back and bite ya..the parents can return the favor to you in the future. A lesson I personally don’t want to learn.

Option 2: An outfit.
Good idea, but, probably will be one of many he or she gets that day and the kid will grow out of before he or she gets to even wear it.

That leads us to..

Option 3: A great DIY project that will sure to impress the parents and the guests that the child will be able to use for the rest of his or her childhood…..

A Growth Chart Ruler!

These have been very popular but can be in the upwards of $40 to even $50 or more if you buy online. BUT, what if I said that you can do this great personalized gift for $25 or under?!

Funny back story to this post is that I originally typed this up in February! Yup. February Why so long between then and now? I have made several of these rulers between February and August and every single time I forgot to take the final styled photos of the growth chart ruler. Blogger life fail. Ya live and ya learn I suppose lol.

Materials Needed

1×8 6ft Radiata Pine board ($18) OR 1×8 8ft Common Board ($8)
Wood Stain- I used Classic Grey
Foam Brush
Rag
Sand Paper – Medium Grit
Rubber Gloves (optional)
Saw Horse/ Wood Blocks
Tape Measure
Ruler
Paint Marker
Stencils
Pencil

Gather Materials

My first tip for saving money is try and use what you already have around the house. Already have number stencils, stain and sand paper, etc? Great! The good thing about some of the materials used is that they can be used again and again!

For the board I usually do the Radiate Pine board because its already 6ft tall and no cutting needed. I also like that choice because it looks like a better wood to the eye. I got mine at Home Depot and I’m sure any large hardware store. Also, please ignore my awesome outfit throughout this step by step guide as these are my painting clothes haha.

Click on the hyperlinks above for the specific type of products and colors I used for this ruler.

Prep

Set up your work space. I live in the great state of Michigan and the weather is less than predictable. I set up my “work space” in the basement utility room. So very glamorous as you can imagine. But was most important is that it has a cement floor and its a consistent enough temperature for the stain to dry properly.

To protect my floors I used two blocks of spare wood from the garage to lift the wood off the floor so I can get the edges as well. I really need to invest in a couple of saw horses..lol. It was nothing fancy but it got the job done.

Make sure to have a piece of cardboard to set your foam brush, rag and stain can on so you don’t have to rest it on the floor as well.

Use your Medium Grit Sandpaper (or really any grit you have lying around) and sand all edges of the board. I focus on the corners to give a little but of a rounded edge. Nothing too drastic but to just give it of a little more worn look. You can make these as rounded as you like or not at all! I give all corners and edges a least a quick sanding to get any splinters of wood and smooth for your foam brush.

Be sure to wipe with a dry cloth to get the sawdust off of the board before staining.

Staining

For this board I used Classic Gray by Minwax for around $6. I really like this color because it is a nice true gray that give it a farmhouse look. Before using the stain make sure it is well mixed. Dip the foam brush into the stain and brush on evenly on about 1/4 of the board length.

Once you have 1/4 of the board painted wipe the stain off immediately using the rag. The board will soak it up quickly so no need to wait to wipe off. The rag will move the stain around so use it as a “second brush” to get an even stain. I usually like the stains to be fairly light so they can mark their heights easily on the board.

Continue steps above section by section, again breaking up the board in fourths. Its ok to overlap where to left off and starting a new section as this will help blend the two sections together. Just be sure to keep using the rag as a “second brush” and blend the sections together.

I usually stain both sides of the board to see which one turned out the best. After staining the side of the board shown above I ended up choosing the other side of the board to be the front. Also be sure to stain the edges of the board too!

Stenciling

Hatch Ruler Markings

Start with making the ruler measurement marks first so you know where to put the numbers. This next step is very important so you are able to hang this ruler on the wall. You need to start marking your ruler so when you hang it you hang the ruler six inches off the ground that way the ruler won’t run into the baseboard on the wall. It also turns a 6 foot board into a 6″5′ board- bonus!

Shown above is the bottom of the board. You want your tape measure to be pulled 6 additional inches off the bottom. I used a book and the block of wood make the tape measure stay in place. A little jank looking but it served its purpose. I would have used a 6in piece of wood but didn’t have one 🙁 . So, to recap, in TOTAL your tape measure should read 6″5′ at the top of your board.

I go through and make a small pencil mark every inch.

After everything is marked I then draw out the actual hatch marks with pencil (aka the lines on the ruler). I make the inch hatch marks 1 1/2 inches long and the foot marks 3 inches long

Numbers & Letters

After all of your hatch marks are drawn you now know where to put the numbers for your ruler. You don’t need to put the numbers exactly were I did but if you aren’t personalizing it with a name or a quote this is a great way to use the board and fill the space.

I purchased this letter, alpha and punctuation stencil pack at Joanne Fabrics shown here in the size 3in tall. Regularly this stencil pack runs for $4 but I have used these on multiple occasions for several projects. Worth buying and having your numbers and lettering turn out great! The typography of these are also classic and have a farmhouse style to them.

Simply trace out the number / letter and move onto the next one!

“Paint”

I used to paint these hatch marks and numbers by hand with a tray of paint and a small paint brush. Man oh man did I love trying out these paint markers for the first time on these. They save so much time, no mess and so much more accurate and clean. I use Painters Marker I found at Joanne Fabrics for $4.50.

Start by painting the hatch marks. Simply use the ruler you used before to keep your lines straight and paint over your penciled stencil mark you made before.

Once you have those completed let it dry and move to filling in your stenciled numbers.

First thing I do is outline the number and then fill it in with the marker. It may not fill in fully but be patient and don’t over paint it. You can always let it dry and then put another coat on later.

Once you are done with your numbers/lettters your hatch marks will be dry. I went through and put another coat on them.

As you can see the top two hatch marks I have two coats on and the rest just have one coat of paint. Be sure to touch up your letters/ numbers as well with a second coat! As you can see from my number 6 above it looked a little rough with only one coat of paint.

And there you have it, your final product!