What kind of paint/tools/products should I use to best restore an old weather-beaten painted wooden sign?

The sign has already been painted, and will be displayed outside. What kind of preparation steps should I take? What's the best kind of primer and paint to use?What kind of paint/tools/products should I use to best restore an old weather-beaten painted wooden sign?
What's best to do depends on some things about the sign. Is it a valuable or potentially valuable antique? In that case, less is more. Original condition is what makes it worth anything, and if you tinker with it the value will drop, often considerably.





If this is just an old sign that you want to be more readable or neater looking and you're not worried about its value, I would first sand it a little, gently, by hand not with a sander, with fine paper. This will take off dirt and loose paint, and give something for the new paint to stick to, and since you have sanded, you shouldn't need primer. Wear a mask and don't allow the dust to get everywhere. If it's old it could have lead paint. Wipe off with a damp rag. Then, if you want to preserve its 'old' look, take some paint the same colour as the colours on the sign, and a small stiff brush, and put a very small amount of the paint on lightly, even stippling it or using a sponge. You could use those acrylic craft paints for this since you don't need large quantities, and you might want to thin it a bit so it doesn't cover really well. For the lettering, same thing, you might even want to go to an artist's brush for that. The idea is to refresh the paint, not completely re-do it.What kind of paint/tools/products should I use to best restore an old weather-beaten painted wooden sign?
I don't think I'd try to ';restore'; the sign, per se. I'd try to preserve its current condition. Either via a varnish or shellac type of thing. Perhaps you could, in a sense, copy the sign for display outside, and keep the original, in its current condition, inside. Many things, when they are restored, lose value.
mmmmm,love this topic.





It may take hours of research to find a replica of what your trying to do.I am an avid supporter of Restoration projects,however my day off and already deep into my favorite (wine)





Good Luck