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

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

    This post may contain affiliate links

    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 That's what I did and the quick paint project just goes to show you shouldn't get rid of outdated home decor and you might not want to pass up what might be a good thing at the thrift store just because it looks yucky. 

    how to paint a birdhouse white and distress the paint

    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.

    auction birdhouse in need of a makeover

    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. 

    how to use painters tape to protect areas from paint

    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. 

    painting a birdhouse with FolkArt Coastal Texture paint

    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.

    dry brush white paint on a birdhouse

    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.

    how to dry brush paint

    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.

    how to correct a paint mistake

    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.

    painters tape for paint projects

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

    how to distress white paint

    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.

    distress paint on the edges and details of home decor

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

    how to paint a metal birdhouse white

    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?

    how to paint an ugly metal birdhouse white and shabby it up

    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.

    rustic white birdhouse diy paint finish

    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. 

    multi hole condo birdhouse painted white with a tin roof

    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.

    white birdhouse condo

    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.

    Birdhouse Makeover with white paint

    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

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Cecilia from Georgia

      April 19, 2020 at 8:53 am

      I don't know if this is a new post or from the archives but I would love to have some tutorials on making bird houses from scraps. Love the transformation you made on this one!

      Reply
    2. Anita Kackle

      April 16, 2020 at 4:57 pm

      Love it! Thanks for the great tutorial with details and helpful hints.

      Reply
    3. Marie

      April 16, 2020 at 10:42 am

      Gosh, I love this birdhouse makeover, Kathy! I have a lot of birdhouses in my backyard and inside the house. What can I say, some collect shoes, I collect birdhouses. I would love one like this in our yard. Pinned

      Reply
    4. Lisa

      April 14, 2020 at 3:24 pm

      Love the birdhouse painted white and distressed. My fave color! Makes the birdhouse stand out?

      Reply
      • Kathy Owen

        April 14, 2020 at 4:38 pm

        Thanks Lisa

    5. ROSE LEFEBVRE

      April 14, 2020 at 2:03 pm

      Cute. Hope you get some visiting birds who will call it home for a while!

      Reply
      • Kathy Owen

        April 14, 2020 at 4:38 pm

        I think I'll take it to my Dad.

    6. [email protected]

      April 14, 2020 at 11:58 am

      I absolutely love this and thanks for showing me how! I want to do this to a chicken feeder/home. At least I think that's what's called? Hmmm. Anyway, super cute! Pinned.

      Reply
      • Kathy Owen

        April 14, 2020 at 1:53 pm

        Thanks Cindy!

    7. Rita

      April 14, 2020 at 11:34 am

      I think this is a Purple Martin birdhouse. Love what you did to it. Will be patiently waiting for your diy wood birdhouses

      Reply
      • Kathy Owen

        April 14, 2020 at 1:54 pm

        You may have to be very patient with the birdhouse venture, lol. I think it is a purple martin house

    8. Lori

      April 14, 2020 at 11:24 am

      Love these birdhouse and look forward to your next one.

      Reply
      • Kathy Owen

        April 14, 2020 at 1:54 pm

        Thanks Lori

    9. Colette Rodriguez

      April 14, 2020 at 11:10 am

      That beautiful birdhouse is big enough for a whole community! Nice job.

      Reply
      • Kathy Owen

        April 14, 2020 at 1:54 pm

        Yes it is!

    10. gwen

      April 14, 2020 at 10:55 am

      Hi Kathy! Truthfully, I liked the metal birdhouse before, but I must admit, I like it a lot more PAINTED, especially the roof! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Kathy Owen

        April 14, 2020 at 1:55 pm

        Thank you! I like the roof too.

    11. Stormee Heyd

      April 14, 2020 at 10:04 am

      This was a GREAT makeover!!!! Very well done. Can't wait to see what you and the JTS do with the birdhouses you make. I can imagine townhouses, victorian and plantation houses just to name a few styles. Keep up the good work.

      Reply
      • Kathy Owen

        April 14, 2020 at 1:55 pm

        Ha! I don't think we will get very fancy!

    12. JoAnn

      April 14, 2020 at 9:33 am

      Looks great - love the distressed look!

      Reply
      • Kathy Owen

        April 14, 2020 at 1:55 pm

        Thank you JoAnn

    13. Bev

      April 14, 2020 at 9:28 am

      It is perfect! My mother in law has a similar one laying way under her front porch. I will show her this and see if she'll let me redo it now that she has a visual. Thanks!!

      Reply
      • Kathy Owen

        April 14, 2020 at 1:56 pm

        Yay! Hope you get to redo it.

    14. Cheryl Atkinson

      April 14, 2020 at 5:47 am

      Hi Kathy! That is the nearest birdhouse I have ever seen and you brought it back to life. The birds will love it. Lol

      Reply
      • Kathy Owen

        April 14, 2020 at 1:56 pm

        Thank you Cheryl

    15. Deborah

      April 14, 2020 at 4:48 am

      I love how you did it, it perfect!

      Reply
      • Kathy Owen

        April 14, 2020 at 1:56 pm

        Thanks Deborah

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