Creative Decorating Ideas Painting Birdhouses

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Invite feathered friends to your yard by decorating their homes in bright, eye-catching designs. There are endless easy and creative ways you can decorate a birdhouse: you can paint it, create a mosaic house, or use recycled or natural materials to create a house that's sure to attract many birds to your home.

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Start with a wooden birdhouse and bright colors of paint. It's easiest to start with a plain birdhouse that hasn't been decorated yet, but if you're refurbishing an old birdhouse, you can either strip the paint that's there first or cover it with a few layers of primer before you start.^[1]
- Choose watercolors or acrylic paints based on what type of look you want on your birdhouse. Watercolors will have a lighter, more muted effect, while acrylics will look bolder and more saturated in color.
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Go for a sunny theme by painting a sunflower around the hole. Paint the entire birdhouse with sky blue paint with a 1 in (2.5 cm) paint brush. Allow that to dry for 24 hours. Then draw an outline for sunflower petals around the hole, using the hole as the sunflower's center, with black permanent marker. Fill in the petals with golden yellow paint and allow that to dry.^[2]
- Add more sunflowers around the sides of the house and on the roof according to your preference. Use the same golden yellow color for your petals, and black paint for your centers.
- Add stems and leaves to your sunflowers with green paint if you wish.
- Write a cute phrase on the front of the house below the sunflower, such as "Welcome" or "Home Tweet Home" in white paint marker, if you like.
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Try attracting real birds by painting birds and insects on your house. Paint your entire birdhouse a base color of your preference, such as white, black, or blue, with a 1 in (2.5 cm) paint brush. Allow the base to dry for 24 hours, then begin painting your birds on your house. Add some beetles, ladybugs, spiders, or any other insects that you like.^[3]
- Be sure to use bright, vibrant colors like red, blue, and green, especially if you used a dark background.
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Make a barn theme with dark red and a white picket fence. Paint all 4 sides of your wooden birdhouse a dark brick red with a 1 in (2.5 cm) paint brush. Paint the roof black and cut 20-30 craft sticks so that 10 are flat on both ends and the rest are pointed on one end. Paint the craft sticks white and allow all the paint to dry for 24 hours.
- Glue the flat-ended craft sticks on the front and sides of the birdhouse to make a door and a large "X" shape on the front. Use the pointed-end sticks to glue a picket fence to the sides and front edges of the house.
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Keep it simple with some bright or pastel solids. This option looks especially good if you plan to hang several birdhouses in the same area, but it works well for stand-alone birdhouses as well. Choose one solid color for the sides of your birdhouse, and a different color for the roof. Paint the birdhouse with a 1 in (2.5 cm) paint brush and allow it to dry for 24 hours.^[4]
- If you like, add some various-sized polka dots of the opposite color onto your birdhouse after it's dried. For instance, use the roof color for your dots on the sides of the house, and the color you used for the sides on the roof dots.
- Some good color combinations to use are yellow and pink, yellow and orange, orange and green, blue and green, or blue and purple. Be sure to choose bright or pastel shades of these colors as opposed to dark shades.
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Name your birdhouse by giving it a cute label. Paint your bird house in any style you like, then make a little label for it above the door such as "Bird Café" or "Bed and Breakfast." You can use a separate piece of wood for the label, or paint the label directly onto the house using a small paintbrush.^[5]
- Other ideas for naming your birdhouse include "Market," "Library," or "Bird School."
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Allow your design to dry and add a clear top coat. When your birdhouse design is finished, let it dry for 24 hours before coating it with clear protective sealant. The sealant will protect your design from fading from the sun and rain. Keep the birdhouse in a dry location before the top coat is finished drying.^[6]
- Hang your birdhouse from a tree, along a fence, or free-standing on a post in your yard.
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Obtain some mosaic tiles or marbles and grout from a craft store. For this project you will need a wooden birdhouse, mosaic tiles or marbles, and grout. You'll also need mortar or strong glue to adhere the tiles to the wood.
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Sketch lines for your design on your birdhouse using pencil. Your design can be simple, such as using all the same color tiles in one row or circle, then a different color for the next row, etc. Try making circular rows, or wavy vertical rows, as your design. Or, make a large star out of 1 color tile on each side of the birdhouse, and fill in the rest of the wall with different colors.
- Your tiles can be clipped to fit your design if necessary, but marbles will need to be kept as is.
- Another idea is to use circular rows with the birdhouse door as a starting point. Draw one circle around the door for the first row, another circle for the next row out, etc. Keep the space between each circle wide enough for the size tiles or marbles you'll be using.
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Test-fit your tiles to your birdhouse, leaving ¹⁄₈ – ³⁄₈ inch (0.32–0.95 cm) between each one. Begin assembling your tiles or marbles onto one side of your bird house by placing them where you'd like them in your design. Make sure they will fit how you'd like them on the entire side before starting to glue them down.
- If you need to, adjust your design to fit your tiles or your marbles before you start gluing.
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Clip your tiles to fit your design if necessary. If your tiles are larger than the spaces in your design, use tile clippers to shape the tiles how you'd like them. Wear safety goggles and gloves while clipping your tiles.
- If you'd rather have random-shaped tiles, put them in a plastic bag and break them with a hammer instead. Check them periodically after a few strikes with the hammer to make sure you're not breaking them too small.
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Adhere your tiles or marbles to the birdhouse using mortar or glue. Once you're satisfied with your design and are sure your tiles or marbles will fit how you like them, begin adhering the tiles using mortar or strong glue by placing the glue on the back of each tile. If you are using mortar, follow the package instructions for mixing it before you use it. One at a time, press the glued tiles or marbles firmly onto your birdhouse until they are set.
- Work one side of your birdhouse at a time until you have adhered tiles or marbles onto all 4 sides of your birdhouse, as well as the roof if you are using mosaics for that.
- Allow the glue or mortar to dry for the recommended time according to the product instructions.
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Mix grout and spread it evenly in the spaces between your tiles. Add water to your grout mix according to the package instructions. The consistency should be similar to thick oatmeal. Wear gloves and smear the grout over your tiles with your hands, a butter knife, or a wooden paint stick.
- Be sure to press the grout down firmly into the spaces between your tiles.
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Let the grout set for 15 minutes then wipe it with a damp sponge. Your grout will need 15 minutes to set in between your tile spaces. Use a damp sponge to wipe away the excess grout from the top of your tiles. After you've wiped all the sides with your sponge, allow the grout to dry completely for 24 hours before hanging your birdhouse.
- If you find grout remaining on tiles later, use a chemical grout release product according to its instructions to clean the tile.
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1
Glue junk scrap items on your birdhouse for an eccentric look. Use old keys, buttons, bottle caps, springs, bolts, or any other plastic or metal items to make an antique-looking birdhouse. Simply use strong multi-surface glue to adhere the items in any design you wish. You could make a flower design out of bottle caps or buttons, or use keys to make a picket "fence" along the sides.
- Try painting your birdhouse a bright solid color first before gluing your items down.
- For an extra unique look, bend an old license plate and use it as a roof cover or to replace the roof of your birdhouse entirely.
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Use bird seed and edible glue to make a house birds can munch on. Make an edible glue by combining 6 ounces (170 g) of flour, 4 fluid ounces (120 mL) of water, 3 tablespoons (44 mL) of corn syrup, and 1 package of unflavored gelatin. Spread the glue onto your birdhouse in a ¹⁄₄ in (0.64 cm) layer with a butter knife, and sprinkle handfuls of bird seed onto the glue. Press the bird seed down into the glue with your fingers so it stays.^[7]
- This is a pretty messy project, so you may want to work outside or spread newspaper out on the surface you're using.
- Add some color to the birdhouse by adding cranberries or blueberries as well.
- Set the birdhouse outside and watch the birds flock to enjoy the tasty treat you made for them. Redo the project as often as you like after the bird seed is gone.
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Make a stone cabin birdhouse by gluing small round stones to it. Collect small pebbles and glue them to the walls of your birdhouse using a strong multi-surface glue. Lay the birdhouse on its side with the side you're decorating on top. Place glue onto the backs of your stones, 1 at a time, and press them into the wall of your birdhouse until they are set.
- Work on 1 wall at a time and allow it to dry completely before starting the next wall.
- For the roof, leave it plain painted wood or add bark or moss to it with glue.
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Try a fairy tale theme by gluing moss and succulents to your house. Collect enough chunks of moss to cover the entire outside of your birdhouse. Glue the moss onto your house with strong multi-surface glue, and add some small succulents to the roof. If you like, add some dried or plastic flowers to complete the fairy theme.
- You can also add pebbles, gems, or pieces of bark to your house. Get as creative as you like. If your house has a flat yard space outside, consider adding dollhouse furniture like tables and chairs to add to the fairy theme.
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Things You'll Need

Plain wooden birdhouse
Bright colors of paint
1 in (2.5 cm) and small craft paint brushes
Clear paint sealant

Plain wooden birdhouse
Craft mosaic tiles or marbles
Strong adhesive
Grout
Sponge
Water
Chemical grout release product – if necessary

Plain wooden birdhouse
Strong adhesive
Junk keys, buttons, bottle caps, bolts, springs, or license plate
Bird seed
Flour, water, corn syrup, and gelatin to make edible glue
Round pebbles or stones
Moss, succulent plants, or tree bark

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