How to Paint Decorative Birdhouses

Model your decorative birdhouse after a quaint country cottage.

Hand painting decorative birdhouses for use as home decorations is a fun way for you to show off your creative abilities. Decorative birdhouses also make great gifts, and your friends and family members will love the personal touch. As long as few technical issues are taken care of, the sky is the limit when it comes to creating a theme, using color and adding patterns, images and text.

Things You'll Need

• 220-grit sandpaper
• Paintbrushes
• Acrylic primer
• Acrylic paints
• Clear gloss spray finish

Instructions

1. Purchase an unfinished, wooden, decorative birdhouse from a craft supplier.

2. Sand the birdhouse lightly with 220-grit sandpaper to smooth any rough areas.

3. Paint the birdhouse with a coat of acrylic primer. Allow the primer to dry.

4. Determine a theme for your birdhouse. Examples of themes include: country cottage, church, the Old West, red barn, the desert, fairyland, Victorian England and Art Deco.

5. Choose a color scheme of at least two colors to match your theme. For example, if your theme is the Old West, you might choose dusty browns and tans. If your theme is a red barn, you would probably choose red for the walls and white for the trim. For country collate you might choose a simple white for the walls and brown, blue or yellow for the trim. Look through swatches of colors at the paint store to help you visualize combinations.

6. Paint the walls of the birdhouse with one color. Allow the paint to dry.

7. Paint the roof either the same color as the walls, or with another color from your color scheme. Allow the paint to dry.

8. Use masking tape to mask around the trim of the roof, and around the doors and windows. The trim should be a different color from the walls to set it apart, but can be the same color as the roof. Allow the paint to dry.

9. Paint imagery onto the house that works with your theme. For example, if your theme is the Old West, you might paint a cow skull or the silhouette of a horse. If your theme is the desert, you might paint a cactus and a sun. If your theme is fairyland, you would probably include fairies, rainbows and butterflies. If your theme is country cottage, be sure to include lots of greenery and bright flowers. If your theme is Art Deco, you might paint geometric, floral-inspired patterns along the edges.

10. Add any text that might illuminate your theme. Examples of text for an Old West theme include "Saloon" and "Dude Ranch." Examples of text for a fairyland themed birdhouse include "Pixie Hollow" or "Trolls Not Allowed." Examples of text for a church themed birdhouse include " Jesus Loves the Birds" or an excerpt from your favorite bible verse. Allow the paint to dry.

11. Spray the bird house with two to three coats of clear gloss varnish. This will protect the painting and create a consistent, lustrous finish.

Tips & Warnings

• Use two coats of paint whenever it seems necessary to enrich the color and create a consistent coverage.

• Work in a well-ventilated area when spraying gloss varnish in order to avoid inhalation of dangerous vapors.

References

• JoAnn Fabric and Craft Stores: Colorful Handpainted Birdhouse