How To Paint An Ugly Metal birdhouse White And Shabby It Up

It’s easy to paint an ugly metal birdhouse white and give it a new life. That’s what I did and the quick paint project just goes to show you shouldn’t get rid of outdated home decor and you might not want to pass up what might be a good thing at the thrift store just because it looks yucky. 

Take this birdhouse for instance. Isn’t it fresh and clean looking and I bet it makes you smile….it sure makes me smile. But the birdhouse didn’t always look this way.

When I won this birdhouse at a local auction I knew I would paint it. The house is metal and a little industrial looking. The dark color was too depressing for me. 

The first thing I did was cover up the rustic wood perch with painters tape. The wood would look just right against a white background. 

The paint I used is FolkArt Coastal Texture, color Sea Salt. I think this paint has been discontinued but I still had some on my paint shelf. It’s always good to use what I have on hand. Budget thinking.

I brushed two coats of paint on the birdhouse and then dry-brushed the metal roof with the same paint. I first dry brushed the paint from side to side over the roof.

Next I dry brushed the paint up and down from the roof peak to the bottom edge of the roof. I try to make the dry brushed finish perfectly imperfect but sometimes I get a little crazy and go overboard. 

You might notice toward the center of the roof the paint is a little curvy toward the peak and a bit heavy between two of the ridges.

The paint didn’t look too bad but I noticed it and my eye kept going there. I immediately took a damp rag and wiped the paint off that area. Then I tried to dry brush it again…it took a few tries to get it to look just right.

Once the painting was all done I removed the painters tape from the wood perch.

Now you guys know the paint needed sanding. Can’t have a project like this and not distress the details. I first distressed the raised areas around the entrance holes.

Then I distressed the corners of the birdhouse and the iron band running around the middle of the birdhouse.

But…..it didn’t look right without a bit of sanding on the house siding. Then done. Don’t you think the perfectly imperfect paint finish looks natural?

I put a bit of straw from a real bird nest in each condo (there being 8 condos, hahaha). I don’t have to worry about the little bird flying away either.

The backdrop for the photo is our bridal wreath bush. The bush is full of pretty blooms. I hope the freezing weather we’re having this week doesn’t kill the blooms. 

Oh, I also distressed the little perch pins on the lower level of the bird condo. Maybe the birdhouse looks a little more like wood now. Not the roof of course but the frame.

I want the JTS and I to start making wood birdhouses. Adding some of my junk hardware to the houses would make them unique. I’m adding making birdhouses to our to-do list, lol.

I’m trying to find a place in the house for the birdhouse. I would like to keep it since the makeover was a success.

paint an ugly metal birdhouse

What do you think of the birdhouse? Do you like the new look better or do you prefer the more rustic darker look? Leave a note if you have time. As always, thanks for being here, Kathy