DIY Family Growth Chart

Two years ago I started making a growth chart, bought and stained a wood plank, put it in the garage, then forgot about it until June of this year. A family growth chart is a fun way to document your children's development without marking your walls. We have one marked wall that is quite sad looking and badly smudged. Very hard to tell who's marks are who's. 

For this project you'll need:

Wood plank 6 or 7 feet tall

Pencil and Eraser

Ruler and Tape measure

Stain and Sponge applicator

Permanent marker or Paint

Stencil or Number stickers

Hanging bracket for back

 First, stain board using a sponge brush to minimize streaking then wipe with a rag or paper towel to remove excess. I used a MinWax stain I believe in a mahogany shade. It was a couple years ago so I no longer have the stain or remember the exact color. Let dry for 2 days to ensure drying. Begin marking your lines with a ruler and pencil. I spaced every line 1 inch apart then made each foot mark 3 inches long and each inch mark 2 inches long. Measure 6 inches from the bottom of the board then make your first 1 foot line (3 inches long). This allows the board to be hung 6 inches off the floor. I found number stickers from the Dollar Tree which I stenciled, removed, then colored. Chose to either trace over the penciled lines and numbers with either marker or paint. Permanent marker which worked well. Chalk paint would look great too! Once the numbers are colored lightly rubbed them with sand paper to lighten them. Use a ruler with the marker to not make the lines wavy but keep them straight. Add a bracket to the back to hang and it is finished. Be sure to measure 6 inches from the floor to the start of the board so it is exactly 1 foot off the floor from where the 1 foot number is. When hung my board is 7 feet tall. No one in the family is taller than 6 feet, but you never know how tall kids, even possibly grand children will be.

This took me about 1 hour to finish! My numbers aren't perfectly straight, but I'm very pleased with how it turned out!  

For added personal touches you can add your last name to the front. I wrote the year and all of our names on the back in marker.

Have fun and enjoy!!