DIY Ruler Growth Chart [Tutorial]

I LOVE getting to be crafty in the summer! And as my kids are growing like WEEDS, I decided I needed to make this project a priority: a ruler growth chart!

Here's what I used for my project:

• a 2" x 6" x 6' board
• a hand sander
• 50-, 100- and 150-grit sandpaper
• a light stain
• some clean cloths or a brush to apply the stain and finish
• a tape measure or a yardstick
• printouts of the numbers 1-6 in your font of choice (mine are HERE and they were 288 pt.)
• a Sharpie (you could paint the lines and numbers, but I'm not that steady!)
• a clear polyurethane finish

First, I sanded the board using a hand sander, starting with the 50 and working up to the 150. I didn't need it to be too smooth - just enough so that it didn't scratch. I wanted a little bit of a rough look. I also slightly rounded the corners with the sander.

Then, I applied two coats of stain using a cloth. I used Minwax Colonial maple. I would not suggest going too dark, because you want to be able to see your numbers easily and your marks for the kids' heights.

After the stain dried a full 24 hours, I went to work on the numbers and marks. I decided I wanted a mark every inch, and I made the 1/2 and 1/4 marks (at 3", 6", and 9") longer. I laid out a tape measure beside my board and marked at 6", because that is how high I was going to hang it off the ground. My family is fairly tall, and I wanted to make sure this baby could accommodate tall boys, so I started my numbering at 6" and it goes up to 6' 6"!

Using my tape measure, I marked off at 6", 1' 6", 2' 6", etc. all the way up to the top. I used a square tool (like the one pictured to the left) to mark lines in pencil that were 3" long for each foot. However, if you wanted your 1/2 marks to be longer than your 1/4 marks, you'll want to make these 4". Then, I marked every three inches with lines that were 2" long (make your lines at each foot 3" if you want your 1/2 lines longer), and finally I marked every inch 1" long. This part took a little bit of time, but it was super easy. After I did it all in pencil, I went over it in a new black Sharpie.

For the numbers, I put the paper on top of the board where I wanted them to go (I centered it off the foot marks) and traced over it, pressing down hard, with a mechanical pencil with the lead retracted. It left an impression in the wood, since I used a pretty soft wood, that I then simply traced with Sharpie and colored in! You can sort of see the impression here, and in this closeup pic, you can see the coloring lines a bit, so if that would bother you, I'd fill in the numbers with paint.

I gave the Sharpie a good 24 hours to set because I wasn't sure if it'd bleed or not, and then I put two coats of satin-finish clear polyurethane to seal it.

To hang my ruler growth chart, I scoured the Internet but didn't really find the suggestions I was looking for, so I went to the hardware store to browse and ended up coming home with these flush mount hangers. I screwed the hanger to the board and screwed the other one to the wall (making sure to use a level), but it still was a little wobbly hanging, so I added three Velcro 3M strips to stabilize it, and I feel much better about that. The best way I found to attach those was to put the strips on the board, then attach the other strips with the Velcro, then peel off the backing and hang it on the wall. Then I pressed really hard where the strips were, removed the board, and pressed them in some more. I don't want this baby going anywhere!


I'm so happy with how this turned out! Labor-wise, it probably took me only a few hours to sand, stain, draw the numbers and finish. There was some wait time in between, but it made a really good naptime project for me! To mark their heights, I used three different colors of Sharpie. And the kids LOVED getting measured, especially baby girl, who modeled for me without me even asking. :)