Can birdhouses be painted
Painting a bird house can be a project for the whole family, but you will want to paint it in a shade that compliments not only the bird house, but the backyard decor.
You can paint a bird house providing you intend to use a non toxic, water based paint to protect wild birds from themselves as ingesting flex of paint is possible. Avoid painting the interior but do use exterior paint only - painting deep into the grain. Setup bird house only after paint fumes have vanished, but use preserve.
What reason you could have to paint a bird house could be from blending in bird house to the area its fixed to, or to match the bird house to the backyard decor.
Good job then because you can paint the wooden birdhouse if you wanted to.
Apply using a brush while pressing deep into the grain, finishing it off then by painting with the grain in a more natural up and down stroke.
Pick a paint brand that is going to offer up to 4 or 5 year protection, is hard wearing but for exterior use - but more importantly is a non-toxic paint.
I adore dark brown painted outdoor decor or furniture, so a paint brand that can offer these shades including their range could be a good option for you.
Likewise, if its something a little more bright but in a matt sheen, then that sure is a popular choice with backyard furniture across the US.
You only need the smallest can of paint, while a matt finish is better than a gloss if for use outdoors.
Quality paint like this is going to offer a protected coat from the elements, while acting as a repellent of moisture.
Water based paints only
It is safe to paint a bird house providing its with use of non toxic paints only, which may also be promoted as water based.
Why it must be non toxic is to mostly protect the hackling's as they peck at the wooden surface, that could be coated in paint.
But what's more, is common nesting birds such as Woodpeckers tend to edge out their entrance hole to resize or shape it to their own needs.
If doing this process as they chip away around the wooden hole rim, an otherwise toxic paint could be ingested.
Result of that would probably be fatal, so only use non toxic, water based paints.
Non toxic doesn't mean an inferior paint quality, in this day and age people prefer to use non-toxic options than the more dangerous toxic formulas.
No painting bird house interior
It is safe to paint or stain a birdhouse, but in doing so it probably would be best not to finish the interior of the house.
As I've previously mentioned, chicks can edge at the interior walls which would result in them ingesting the paint attached to the wood.
Non toxic it may be but for such a delicate part of the house intended to hold the young, it can still cause health issues.
However, you still may want to paint the interior of the bird house but in doing so, use a light coat while brushing it hard into the grain.
What else its not recommend to be painted is the actual entrance hole of the bird house.
Again that is so flex of paint is not ingested when the bird chips away at it. But to deal with that issue you can simply use a bird house entrance plate - and as its made in steel, there will be no chipping away at it.
Long lasting exterior paint only
I say long lasting exterior paints only because outdoors paints do tend to fade very quickly if poor quality.
And while it may be a good thing to get an idea of this way in advance on a spare piece of wood - time is short as you wish to put up a bird house before its too late in the year.
Instead, be sure to paint the bird house in a way that gets the paint deep into the grain, so any fading would only lift up more color in the grain.
But you can still expect to see hints of fading paint as the bird house is hit hard with harsh weather over the coming months.
Over this period you would want to make sure the paint is good enough, as you will only be given a short window to pull the bird house down; coat it with more preserve, then repaint it before fixing it back up on the wall or tree again.
That way once the nesting season is over, you can get ready for roosting birds in your bird house over the cold winter months.
No lasting smells
Not so much an issue this day and age but I do ask you to read the paint label carefully, by looking out for information on lasting odour.
Good news is once the bird house has been painted, simply leaving it out in the backyard to air dry should see strong paint smells go away.
If they haven't then its important to leave the bird house up to a week in the yard to be sure its clear of lasting smells.
Put up the bird house too early and the occupants would suffer with strong, toxic like fumes.
So remove or open the access points on the bird house to allow it to air dry properly. But give it as long as its needed to be clear of paint odour - even if it means you miss out on a bit of the nesting season.
Preserve untreated bird house
Birdhouses can be painted for sure, but one vital thing you may not of realized before doing so, is of course coating the bird house in preserve.
It could be a preserve recommended by the manufacturer of the paint, or it could be another brand - it really doesn't matter.
Point is to preserve the wood to prevent rot or erosion, which preserve slows down.
Often a paint can be all these things, including a protected layer, much like a sealer. But I would use a specialty preserve that's made only for this purpose.
With the intent of painting the bird house in the color of your choice, its vital you only use a clear preserve - as a color or tainted preserve will effect the overall paint finish.
Brush on the preserve in and out of the bird house while focusing on open grain areas such as the edging - plus the inside of the entrance hole.
Conclusion
Don't miss the opportunity to paint a bird house that would be more in keeping with the theme of your backyard decor.
Be it in bright colors to match the shed or a dark oak to blend in with the fence, you can paint birdhouses in a shade of your choosing.
Only use a water based paint which uses a non-toxic formula, so it is safe for wild birds.
Why that is because birds who nest in bird houses can chip away at the entrance to make it their own - likewise their young would chip inside the bird house walls.
Do strongly consider avoid painting the interior of the bird house if you can.
Use long lasting, quality exterior paint only but do apply it as you brush deep into the grain, then with any fading it would be harder to notice.
Setup the bird house only after the smell from the paint fumes have gone, as it can be unpleasant to delicate birds.
Before painting a bird house you must be sure to give it a generous coating of preserve.
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