I picked up this bird house at the Cuprinol stand when I was at Bloom Garden Festival, in June, and I've only now had the chance to paint it! It came in quite a simple little flat pack and you assembled it like a 3D jigsaw. When you bought the set you got 3 sample size paints with it, I chose green, blue and orange. Then I had some Ronseal paint in yellow and purple which I also used. I went for a colour block theme, as it was simple and effective with little messing about.
What you will need:
- Birdhouse
- Masking tape
- Small paint brush
- Paint in a selection of colours - I used Cuprinol garden shades in Sunny Lime, Beach Blue and Terracotta and Ronseal garden paint in Purple Berry and Sundial!
Step 1 - Assemble
This took about 2 minutes and was just a matter of clicking the different sections into place.
Step 2 - Outline
I used masking tape to mark out the pattern I wanted to paint.
Step 3 - Get painting!
I painted each side a different colour, in line with the colour blocking effect. The paint is quite pigmented and the wood was light so it only took about one good coat to get a strong effect.
I started with the roof and then worked my way around the front, back and sides. When I was finished painting the last section, the sides, the roof was just about dry. I then removed the tape from the top section and retaped over the painted section so I could get a clean line to paint the edges. Follow this method all around, working in sections.
I used the purple paint all around the top half and then went for yellow to contrast against the blue on the front and back!
Step 4: Let it dry
The paint was touch dry in about 5 mins, although I would recommend leaving it to one side for about an hour to make sure it is completely dry!
The finished product!
Even though this does look great hanging amongst the roses, unfortunately, I don't plan on leaving it outdoors. This house is made from very light wood and would most likely not withstand the elements. I'll find a more suitable home for it indoors instead.
Since I don't plan on leaving mine outside I didn't need to use a sealer or varnish. Although if you do plan on hanging yours outside for the birds to enjoy, I would recommend finding a waterproof wood sealant to help protect. Try this one from Amazon.
There you have it, this took about 30 mins to paint and the most time-consuming part was cleaning the brushes!
Until next time,
Sarah
