All my thrifters out there raise your hands – I see you! So, I’ve been in to this whole farmhouse style makeover thing for a bit now, and I’m finding it pretty easy to find thrifted pieces to makeover.

I’ve passed up a lot of ugly birdhouses over the years, thinking they’re just not my style (and the ones at thrift stores usually, definitely, aren’t). Now that we’ve been working on updating the yard at the Tennessee farmhouse, I thought a few hanging birdhouses might actually be cute.

I figured for May’s Thrift Store Challenge, it would be a great time to share how I gave these two outdated birdhouses a pretty cool & simple makeover. This was a very easy, finished-it-in-a-day type of project that you can totally do yourself, no matter what your skill level. You could even let the kids paint them if you wanted to.

I give props to whoever took the time to hand paint them originally, they did a good job for what they were at the time, and I’m sure they worked in that person’s decor. Do you ever do that? Feel a little bit bad about changing something that was someone’s hard work? I really liked the shape and size of them both, and especially the price. They were $2.99 and $3.99 but they were both red tags so I got them each at half price.

FARMHOUSE STYLE BIRDHOUSE MAKEOVER

Here are all the supplies I used to give these little guys their makeover: (yes, these are also affiliate links)

General Finishes Lamp Black milk paint
General Finishes Snow White milk paint
Small 1″ Screw Eyes
Hanging chain for bird feeders
Power Drill (this Dewalt is my favorite that my husband got me for Christmas, but any will work)

First I painted the bodies black. One coat covered them entirely. Next, I painted the red roof white. This took two coats. I didn’t seal the paint with anything, I’m waiting to see how they fare outside. If I need to bring them back in to make some adjustments, I will.

If I do, I’ll seal them with a coat or two of Polycrylic, not wax since they’re outdoors. I drilled two small holes at the top of the front and back sides, and twisted in the screw eyes. These things are so great for hanging things, and the small size is just want you want on a birdhouse.

To hang the birdhouse, you just hook the chain to each of the screw hooks. The set from Amazon that I mentioned in the supply list comes with eight chains, in two different sizes. We hung our birdhouses from a double sided shepherds hook in a butterfly garden we’re trying to grow.

Sometimes it’s easy to over think projects, right? I know that can’t be just me. The lesson I was reminded of while working on this project is that thrift store makeovers don’t always have to be complicated. Because these were turning into chic farmhouse style birdhouses, I knew that simple would be best.

How to Paint a Birdhouse in a Simple Farmhouse Style

Yield: 1-2

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Active Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Estimated Cost: varies

These are the steps you can use to makeover and paint a thrift store or store bought birdhouse and give it a chic, black and white farmhouse style look.

Print

Materials

• black paint
• white paint
• screw eyes
• chain

Tools

• paintbrush
• screwdriver

Instructions

1. Paint the body of the birdhouse black
2. Paint the roof of the birdhouse white
3. Seal the outside with a Polycrylic sealer
4. Drill a hole for the screw eyes on the front and back side of the birdhouse, and screw them in
5. Hang chain from the screw eyes
6. Hang outside and enjoy!

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  General Finishes Milk Paint, 1 pint, Lamp Black
• 
  General Finishes Milk Paint, 1 Pint, Snow White
• 
  Small Screw Eye, Eye Shape Screw Hooks
• 
  Hanging Chain for Bird Feeders, Planters, Lanterns and Ornaments
• 
  DEWALT Compact Drill Driver

All About the Thrift Store Challenge

THE RULES:

• Upcycle an item(s) from a thrift store, resale store, or garage sale into a new piece of decor.
• There’s no monthly theme.
• There’s no budget to stick to.

MEET THE HOSTS

Angela | Simply Beautiful By Angela – Meredith | Southbound Blog – Angie | Grandma Creates – Denise| My Thrifty House – Carmen | Living Letter Home – Ann | Duct Tape and Denim – Jenny | Cookies Coffee and Crafts – Molly | Just a Little Creativity – Gail | Purple Hues and Me –  Michelle | Michelle James Designs

Make sure you follow our board on Pinterest for more upcycled decor inspiration. And now for more thrifty goodness! Click the Inlinkz button below to check out what my fellow upcyclers have also created-