An Under-$20 DIY Project to Add Curb Appeal

Stephen and Amy bought their first home together in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood in 2013. Their home is adorable inside and out, with many of the elements crafted by the couple. There is one small element that I think has a big impact on their home’s curb appeal — and it’s an easy and affordable DIY!

“When we bought the house, there were ugly numbers nailed to the door. We knew those had to go and I had always wanted to buy adhesive gold numbers or paint numbers on the transom window above the door. I was a little nervous to paint them myself, but I figured the worst that could happen was that I’d be out $20 and at least I would know I’d tried,” wrote Amy.

“I printed numbers in a font that I liked and cut them out to make a stencil. Then, I used a fine paintbrush and this DecoArt black gloss enamel to trace inside the stencils to form the number outlines. From there, I applied metal leaf adhesive from this gold leaf kit using a foam brush. I let the adhesive sit for about 30 minutes (you’ll know when it’s ready when the adhesive changes from milky to clear) and then applied gold leaf sheets from the aforementioned kit to each number.

I then brushed off any of the gold leaf that fell outside of the numbers. Once only the gold leaf that I wanted inside the numbers remained — and after I filled in a few holes with extra gold leaf flakes — I backed each number with the metal leaf sealer (also from the kit). To finish, I touched up the black outline to make sure it was crisp and clear.

In total, painting/applying the gold leaf/touch ups took around 3-4 hours. I am a perfectionist, so I probably spent a little too much time on the details.

We’re so happy with how it turned out, and it cost less than $20. All supplies were purchased from AC Moore.”