How to Paint a Barn Door on a Wall

There are many reasons why people would want to paint a barn door on a wall. If it's a homeowner, it could be part of a family project to paint a mural on the wall. Or it could be part of a rustic theme used throughout the home. A barn door could also be painted on a barn wall, providing a humorous point of contention for anyone trying to enter the barn. You can paint a barn door by following a few easy steps.

Things You'll Need

• Oil Paints
• Paint Brushes
• Palette
• Paint Thinner
• Pencil
• Paper

Instructions

1. Select the wall on which you want to paint the barn door. Include wood slats, a door frame and door hinges in your design. This will help you to sketch out ideas for your barn door.

2. Sketch out ideas for the shape of your barn door on paper. This will give you confidence when you begin the actual work on the wall. Show your designs to friends and family and choose a final design.

3. Draw the barn door with a pencil on the wall. This allows you to get the design on the wall and allow for you to erase mistakes. Once you've got the shape and outline in pencil on the wall, you're ready to begin painting.

4. Squeeze out your oil paints on your palette. You'll want black, white, red and brown. Make several places on your palette for brown blobs of paint and mix in white to lighten the tone and black to darken it.

5. Begin by painting the wood slats darker brown. Paint over these slats with red if you want your barn door to have a red-painted appearance. Add a light shade of brown in small streaks that go in the same direction of the wood grain of your door's slats. This will help to give it a look of realism.

6. Paint the door hinges a very light shade of brown. This will give them a rusty look. Paint the outline of the door and thin stretches between the slats black. This will help give the illusion of shadows on your barn door.

7. Add any final touches to cover up mistakes, and then sign your wall painting in the lower right corner.

Tips & Warnings

• Adding barn decor near your wall painting can enhance the effect of your painting.

Resources

• Art Supplies
• The Old Barn Museum