Easy Laser Engraving Project: Color-Filled Signs for Your Craft Room

Turn a single sheet of plywood into three funny laser engraved craft room signs, plus learn an easy paint-fill technique along the way.

In this beginner-friendly tutorial, I’ll share how you can make three mini fun craft room or workshop signs using your laser engraver. This is an easy beginner-friendly project that doesn’t require much more than your laser. If you’d like to step it up a notch and add a pop of color to your laser cut decor, I’ll also show you a simple color fill technique using acrylic paint and masking tape.

Materials Needed:

• A single 11 × 15 inch, ¼-in birch or plywood sheet
• Blue painter’s tape or laser-safe masking
• Acrylic craft paints + small brush or spray paints
• Isopropyl Alcohol
• Lint-free rag or shop towels
• Sandpaper (optional)

Tools Needed:

• CO2 or Diode Laser
• XCS or Other Laser Design Software
• Digital Calipers
• Weeding Tool or Pick
• Rubber Scraper or Hard Edge

Step-by-Step Instructions for Engraving Craft Room Signs

Step 1: Download and Import the Design File

I’ve taken the hardest part out of creating these fun signs by designing the signs for you. You can grab the XCS/SVG file here and open it using your preferred laser software. The file includes three craft room signs you can resize to your liking. You can also use the file as a starting point and edit the phrases to whatever you’d like.

Each of the signs are labeled by color and settings for each process are set based on using an xTool P2. You may need to adjust your power and speed if you’re following along with a different laser.

Blue Layers = Laser Engraves

Red Layers = Laser Cuts

Step 2: Process the Signs

Depending on how you’d like the finished sign to look, processing the file to laser cut and engrave may look differently for you here:

For Natural Wood Engraved Signs

You can process these signs as normal including both the laser cuts and laser engraves.

For Color-Filled Engraved Signs

If you want to try color-filling your engraved sign, you’ll need to select all engraved layers, or blue layers, and disable them.

For now, you’ll only process the laser cuts for this step.

Step 3: Clean Up Your Pieces

Important for Color-Filled Engraved Signs: Remove your signs carefully and leave the plywood sheet in place after cutting—this will serve as a perfect alignment jig for engraving later.

Now that you have your laser cut pieces, you’ll want to clean them or sand any edges, if needed.

For Natural Wood Engraved Signs

Use isopropyl alcohol and a lint-free cloth to remove any burns or charring that may have occurred to get a nice clean finish.

Step 4: Paint Your Background

For color-filled engraved signs, you’ll want to add a primer coat to your signs. This will help your color to pop instead of being absorbed by the wood. You can choose to use a spray paint primer or wood primer for this.

Once your primer is dry, you can add your base coat in any color you want. I went with marigold!

Acrylic paints typically dry faster, so I’d recommend at least 24 hours of drying time if you choose to spray paint.

Step 5: Mask & Realign

After your sign has had time to dry, you’ll need to cover the face of it with blue painter’s tape or laser-safe masking tape.

Use a rubber scraper or hard edge to make sure you get rid of any air underneath the tape.

Once masked, place the signs back into the original wood sheet you left in your laser. Make sure to align them precisely inn their original cutouts.

Step 6: Laser Engrave the Design

Now it’s time to head back into your design software and enable those engrave layers you disabled in step one.

Then, disable the cut layers, so you don’t accidentally recut them.

You may need to increase the engrave power slightly to account for cutting through the painter’s tape. You want to laser engrave the painter’s tape clean off and the engraving to sit deep enough below the top layer of masking tape.

Process your engraved layers.

Step 7: Paint Fill the Engrave Text and Images

Next, get a paint brush small enough to fill your text and images and use your choice of acrylic paint to start filling those engraved areas.

Don’t worry about perfection—the tape protects the surrounding surface.

Step 8: Remove Tape and Reveal

After painting your heart out, you can let your paint dry slightly.

You can then remove all of the masking tape. I like to use a weeding tool to get into small detailed areas.

You can choose to touch up or seal your engraved sign with clear coat if you’d like.

Lessons Learned (So You Don’t Have To)

• If the tape leaves sticky residue, your engrave power or speed needs tweaking—go deeper next pass.
• Cheaper plywood can have “hard spots”. Keep sandpaper handy!
• A plywood sheet jig is faster (and cheaper) than camera framing every time.

Final Thoughts

This laser engraving color fill tutorial is a great way to get comfortable with layered laser jobs while making something that’s both practical and fun. Whether you’re decorating your craft room, making gifts, or building up your Etsy inventory, adding color to your signs are eye-catching and easy to replicate.