How to Make a DIY a Wooden Growth Chart Ruler (budget-friendly!)

In the market for a growth chart ruler? You’re in the right place!

This post has everything you need to know about how to DIY a wooden growth chart ruler – and it’s very budget-friendly!

how to make a growth chart ruler. image of girl's nursery with pink velvet curtains, lilac chair that says "Cora" with books in wicker basket next to it white dresser with plant and heart painting on top with fabric bunting hanging above and in front of flower print rug.

One childhood memory that has alway stuck with me was being at friend’s houses and they had each kids’ height etched on a door frame by their kitchen.

For whatever reason I was so drawn to it. I told myself that when I have kids of my own that I would track their height as they grew up too.

I now have a 2 year old daughter and a second daughter on the way.

Pretty soon after my daughter was born I began searching for a wooden growth chart ruler.

Since we don’t live in our forever home, I needed something I can take with me – or else, to be completely honest, I would definitely remove the door frame and take it with me.

diy growth chart ruler. Image of toddler girl reading books in front of wooden growth chart ruler and pink velvet curtains.

I knew I wanted to have a record of my daughters’ growing up over the years, but after a quick search, I was surprised to see how expensive they are.

Don’t get me wrong; they’re all gorgeous!

But I began to wonder how difficult/how much it would cost to just DIY my own wooden growth chart ruler.

Well, as it turns out, it’s not very expensive at all! And, I swear it’s one of the easier DIY projects I’ve done!

Image of diy growth chart ruler hanging on wall next to pink velvet curtains with white dresser that has plant and heart painting on canvas in front of lined changing pad.

Want to see a tour of my daughter’s nursery? Click here!

Supplies you need to DIY a wooden growth chart ruler

Wooden growth chart ruler – You have a couple of options here…
- The most budget-friendly growth chart ruler I’ve found is from Hobby Lobby – it’s only $13.99. Unfortunately, they don’t have a link to buy it online so you do have to go into the store.
- I have searched high and low for a budget-friendly wooden growth chart option, but haven’t had much luck. Here is another option.
- Foam paint brush
- Paint brush
- Acrylic paint in color of your choice
- When everything was said and done, I spent a whopping $25!

wooden growth chart ruler. Image of supplies to make: wooden growth chart ruler, can of wood stain, foam paint brush, paint brush, and black acrylic paint.

Steps to DIY a wooden growth chart ruler

Step 1: Stain the wood. This should definitely happen outside! And the more coats you do, the darker and richer the stain will look. When I made mine, I stained it throughout the day, and left it outside overnight to air out.

diy growth chart wood. Image of hand staining growth chart ruler on wooden table.

Step 2: Paint numbers and lines with acrylic paint (I like to do two coats with this step so it looks sharp!).

diy wooden growth chart ruler. Image of woman painting lines on a wooden growth chart ruler that's laying on a flower towel.

Step 3: Totally optional: You can get a decal or paint names, phrases, etc.

Step 4: Hang up and enjoy for years to come!

Let me know how this DIY project turned out for you in the comments!

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