The first step in how to make wood look primitive and old is to pick out your piece of wood and stencils. The size really just depends on how big you want your sign. For this specific bakery sign that I created, I used a 1 x 12 x 6 board. You won't need the whole 6-foot piece but again the size you will need depends on what word you want to create. I laid all of my stencils out to spell bakery, measured an extra 5 inches on each side, and then made my final cut.
Once I got the piece measured and cut, I started in on staining it. See the post for the homemade stain option or choose your favorite weathered look stain.
Now that you have your piece stained and dried you are ready to move on to the next step. I laid out my letters to spell bakery and then taped them down so they wouldn't slide on me while stipple brushing on the paint.
Stipple on the letters using craft paint. I used black but you could use any paint color that matches your home decor. I definitely recommend stipple brushing when using stencils. I feel like you get crisper edges compared to brushing it on.
Allow your paint to dry and once it is fully dry you are ready to do the final step. Using a sander or sandpaper rough up the letters and edges until you have the perfect vintage look you are going for. If you want it to look really old then continue to sand until the letters are barely visible.