DIY Wood + Acrylic Table Numbers

So, I’m a pretty big fan of table numbers!

Not only are they purposeful in helping guests figure out where they need to sit, but they are also another really great way to add to the overall aesthetic of your wedding or event. Plus, if you’re having a seating plan — and putting the effort in to make your seating plan look pretty — then what you’re directing your guests to look for to should also look pretty!

Given my thoughts about table numbers, and my love for DIY, I knew going into wedding planning, that table numbers would definitely be something we would make ourselves. The problem was though, that there were SO MANY options out there. My wedding pinterest board filled up FAST with such a diverse array of  potential table number ideas, to the point where we needed to narrow down the options and also consider our budget. So, even though doing something with copper piping seemed really intriguing, we decided to go with an acrylic + wood combo (which has also been super popular this year), and I couldn’t be happier with the result!

Sarah Antaya Photography

Sarah Antaya Photography

SUPPLIES: 

• These Ikea picture frames (We bought 10, and each one comes with two acrylic pieces)
• 1 2x2x8ft pine board
• Table saw
• 3” Miter box
• Hand saw
• Palm sander or sand paper
• Stain (we used Minwax Early American) and varnished with Linseed oil
• Foam paint brush
• Goo Gone adhesive remover
• White adhesive vinyl roll (if you have a cricut or silhouette cameo)
• Transfer paper or Glad press ‘n seal
• This SVG File from Cricut Design Space
• White paint pen + printed design (if you aren’t using vinyl)

STEP 1: DISASSEMBLE THE FRAMES

The Ikea frames were pretty easy to take a part. The only tricky part was peeling off the clear adhesive sheets. Sometimes they left a bit of residue, but the Goo Gone was really helpful for that.

STEP 2: CREATE THE WOODEN STANDS

Decide how wide you would like the stand of your table numbers to be, and make your cuts with your table saw. We went with 3” so that they were the same size of the acrylic sheets and the miter box.

Once you have all of your stands cut, you can make the slot for your acrylic sheet to sit in. Start by drilling or clamping your Miter box onto your workspace, so that it’s stable when you’re making your cuts.

Place the stand into the Miter Box, and begin sawing. Brian did this part (he loved these kinds of wedding crafts) and he counted the number of times he sawed back and forth so that all of the cuts were the same depth. Keep one of the acrylic sheets nearby so that you can decide how deep to make the cut, and to make sure your cuts are level.

STEP 3: SAND AND STAIN YOUR WOODEN STANDS

Using a palm sander, sand off the rough edges of each stand.

Using a foam brush, stain each stand to your desired colour and let them dry.

If you want a more detailed finish on your stands, add a coat of Linseed oil, or your preferred varnish.

STEP 4: ADD YOUR NUMBERS TO THE ACRYLIC (VINYL METHOD)

Using this SVG file, cut out your numbers. You could also design your own and use a script font + write out the numbers instead.

Peel the negative space of your cut vinyl sheets, and then cut out the diamond shapes, leaving a bit of space on the edges.

Apply the transfer paper on to the designs. We like to use Press N Seal as transfer paper, as it’s much cheaper than transfer paper, and works very similarly.

Peel off the transfer paper and carefully place the number design onto your acrylic sheet. Using the geometric design made it really easy to line up the top to the middle of the acrylic.

PAINT PEN METHOD TO ADD NUMBERS TO ACRYLIC

If you feel confident in your calligraphy skills, use the paint pen to write on each acrylic sheet

You can also print your design first, and trace through the acrylic.

Given that we had a lot of the supplies already, we probably only spent around $30 for these, and they really only took around 4 hours + stain/varnish drying time. Big win. Plus, they were super easy to transport, because you can disassemble them and store the wood and acrylic separately.

We even decided to make a sign for our guest book with the extra supplies we had left over.

Comment + share your creations if you end up making these!