How to Decorate Bird Baths

Concrete birdbaths' bland color makes them a good candidate for painting.

Decorate plain concrete bird baths with a fresh coat of color and whimsical designs to add an eye-catching element to your garden. You need not be an accomplished artist to produce a bird bath hand-painted with flowers, butterflies, hummingbirds and other garden-related images. Prepping and painting concrete bird baths requires a bit more labor than prepping and painting metal, ceramic or terra-cotta ones, but you can apply the same decorative techniques all types of bird baths.

Things You'll Need

• White vinegar, bleach and water or a pressure washer
• Scrub brush
• Concrete sealer
• Paintbrushes
• Exterior primer
• Exterior paint
• Rub-on transfers
• Stylus
• Exterior polyurethane sealer

Instructions

1. Clean the birdbath using a 50/50 blend of bleach and water, scrubbing it with white vinegar or spraying it with a power washer. Rinse any cleaning residue off the birdbath and allow it to dry completely.

2. Brush concrete sealer on the birdbath to coat it completely. Concrete sealers are available in the exterior-paint aisle of most home improvement stores. Make sure that the sealer is dry before priming the birdbath.

3. Prime the birdbath with exterior primer. Most paint retailers will tint the primer to match the paint color. Painting with tinted primers can mean fewer paint coats will be required for optimum coverage. Allow the primer to dry.

4. Cover the birdbath with a coat of exterior paint in a color that coordinates with the selected rub-on transfers; white, yellow and light green are a few good choices. Allow the paint to dry and apply a second and third coat as needed, making sure to allow the required drying times between coats.

5. Cut around the individual rub-on transfers to remove them from the sheet. Rub-on transfers are available in most craft stores. The vinyl stickers are brightly colored in a variety of designs.

6. Press a transfer on the desired area of the birdbath, sticky side down. Rub the transfer with a stylus. Most transfer packages include a wooden stick that you can use to press the image into place. Lift the backing from the transfer and the image should remain on the birdbath.

7. Cover the birdbath with a coat of exterior polyurethane to protect the paint and the images.

Tips & Warnings

• Apply sealer, primer, paint and polyurethane in a well-ventilated area.

References

• Home Improvement: How to Paint Concrete

Resources

• Crafts for Kids and Adults: How to Rub-On Transfers