Temperatures rising and flowers blooming can mean only one thing: Spring is almost here! With gorgeous sunny days ahead serving as a prelude to summer, now’s the perfect time to get inspired and try some new spring wood projects you’ve been thinking about all winter.
So why start wood projects in the spring? Well-ventilated craft spaces keep you safer when working with paint and other finishes for materials like reclaimed wood. Spring temperatures and weather typically let you open windows or work outdoors to maximize airflow.
With that in mind, we’ve put together a list to aid in your search for DIY spring wood projects that utilize products by the Real Milk Paint Co. Complete these wood projects with your own fun ideas to enhance the look of your home, patio or outbuildings in every season.
1. Upcycle and Decorate Wood Planter Boxes
With spring right around the corner, it’s time to start planning out your summer garden. As you begin planting flowers, herbs or vegetables, consider adding planter boxes throughout your backyard or on your porch, deck or patio. Whether you upcycle some old ones you find at garage sales or buy new flower pots, you can easily personalize and decorate the plant boxes to suit your style with a coat of Real Milk Paint.
First, choose a paint color to complement your outdoor palette, then select fresh accent shades that enhance your design theme. For an eye-catching touch, stencil on artwork or a flower or two, then fill in your design with vibrant Real Milk Paint hues. After the container dries, apply a protective layer of Outdoor Defense Oil to preserve your hard work. All our products are nontoxic, making them safe to use for organic gardens.
2. Add Some Color With DIY Spring Frames
Adding new home decor can transform almost any room of your house by adding a pop of color. One simple DIY wood project for spring is making a custom pastel photo frame to house treasured memories of family, friends or places. Start by collecting old photo frames from your home, garage sale or thrift store, but remove the backs so you’re just working on the frame.
Next, tape off any place you don’t want to get paint on, then add bright or pastel spring colors of Real Milk Paint using a foam brush. For a rustic look, consider using a distressing technique or building your frame from reclaimed wood. Once the paint dries, remove the tape, add your favorite photo, replace the back of the frame and display your artwork.
3. Restore Existing Wood Furnishings
Now that the weather has warmed up a bit, it’s time to paint any pieces of furniture you’ve been wanting to update. From restoring an old china cabinet as we did as our project of the month to staining a newly built dining room table to bring out the natural color and grain, DIY projects you can complete around the house in a weekend abound.
Once you know which wood project you want to return to its former glory, decide whether you want to paint the surface or restore the natural color of the piece. If you want to paint wood projects, select Real Milk Paint shades that suit your personal taste, and consider adding a distressed look that complements wood projects destined for farmhouse, country-style and shabby-chic spaces.
4. Give Your Kitchen Cabinets a Spring Update
The kitchen is the center of your home, where friends and family gather most, so it follows that refreshing the look and feel of the space makes it more comfortable and homey for spring activities. One way to update your cabinets is by painting them with Real Milk Paint, then distressing the wood for a rustic farmhouse feel. Our Natural Crackle Paint Finish simplifies the antiquing process while adding depth and character in a subtle yet fun way.
Another way to update wood projects like cabinets for spring is to enhance their natural color with products like Pure Tung Oil or Wood Wax. With a single-ingredient formulation designed to protect the wood from everyday wear and tear, these DIY wood finishes work equally well over kitchen cabinets treated with it in the past and surfaces you’ve painted with Real Milk Paint. While you’re updating your kitchen cabinets with either finish, give your cutting boards and butcher blocks a quick coat or two to protect and preserve these vital food prep tools.
5. Fashion DIY Painted Canning Jars
Add a fun pop of color to any room in your house with DIY painted canning jars. Start by washing out old mason jars and removing any labels. Once you have a clean, dry jar, tape off any shapes or designs you’d like to use, because anything under the tape remains clear with this technique.
Next, prepare your Real Milk Paint, mixing in Ultra-Bond Adhesion Promoter. as you add the proper amount of water. This milk paint additive makes the paint stick better to the glass jars. Once the foam subsides, paint a layer of your Real Milk Paint mixture on with a foam brush and let it dry.
Once the DIY canning jar dries and you assess the opacity, add two to four more coats, depending on the look and color you’re trying to achieve. When your project dries completely, you can also decorate it with stickers or other cutouts to create custom shapes, like flower bouquets, animal faces or personal lettering.
6. Craft a Custom Sign for Your Backyard or Deck
Showcase a motivational message or display your family surname proudly on the front of your home by creating a custom sign. Start with a piece of wood sized right for the space where you wish to hang it, then add color with several of our 50+ gorgeous shades of Real Milk Paint. Suitable for use outdoors when mixed with our Outdoor Additive, these paint hues range from basic and pastel to vibrant and rich to ensure gorgeous wood projects.
Accent stenciled lettering with hand-drawn flowers to lend natural beauty to your garden, or hang a sign adorned with advertising for your home business on your front stoop. When you want to create a rustic sign that coordinates with farmhouse or shabby-chic home decor, try our Chippy Paste that enables controlled distressing in a fuss-free fashion. With a personalized sign, you don’t have to search far to find ideas for spring shapes that complement both indoor and outdoor home decor.
7. Build and Beautify Birdhouses for Your Porch or Patio
Spring brings not only flowers but also fauna to your outdoor space, making the season a great time to build and beautify birdhouses for your porch, patio or deck. From simple bluebird houses with sloped roofs affixed to fences and box-shaped owl houses mounted on tree trunks to large, elaborate post-mounted birdhouses for purple martin colonies, weekend projects suitable for beginner and expert woodworkers alike abound.
Once you build your better birdhouse and it’s time to add fresh, fun color, Real Milk Paint mixed with Outdoor Additive has you covered with an all-natural formulation ideal for surfaces used by animals. No volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and food contact-safe ingredients keep wildlife safe so you can watch them enjoying the birdhouses you design and create for them with your own two hands.
8. Decorate Garden Benches, Fences and Trellises
While you probably notice right away when the finish on your deck or porch railings needs a touch-up, garden accessories often sit in spaces where it’s easy to forget them. Whether you want to add fresh new fencing, place cozy benches to relax after weeding or install trellises to give rare roses room to climb, the Real Milk Paint Co. can help with weather-resistant products that add enduring color that matches your style and suits your best decorative ideas.
For a rustic look in your garden, use our Outdoor Defense Oil to enhance and protect reclaimed wood trellises. This all-natural formulation provides resistance to moisture and UV rays to keep your garden decorations looking their best in spring, summer, fall and winter. Real Milk Paint makes a great choice for coating garden benches, protecting your outdoor work table and enhancing wood projects like white picket fencing around landscaping or your gardening area.
9. Paint and Seal Your Patio or Outbuilding
Your outbuildings protect everything from your garden tools and mowing equipment to personal belongings like winter clothes and items you’re storing for garage sales, so the last thing you want is to have to replace them. And while you may visit this space a lot during warmer seasons, chances are you don’t go into those areas much when inclement weather occurs. The forgettable nature of outbuildings makes them a prime candidate for spring wood projects when you wish to maintain reliable storage space.
First, look over your sheds and shelters to ensure they’re damage-free, repair any issues you find, then take steps to support and protect metal and wood elements with high-quality products from the Real Milk Paint Co. Real Milk Paint offers a simple way to bring lasting color to your outdoor space. Likewise, our Outdoor Defense Oil works well on raw wood and surfaces painted with Real Milk Paint alike when you want to protect outbuildings in your backyard from the elements.
10. Maintain Furnishings That Live Outdoors Year-Round
No matter if you used raw wood, painted wood or reclaimed wood in last year’s spring projects, they probably need some maintenance this spring, especially if they live outside year-round. A fresh, bright coat of Real Milk Paint on a faded container offers the ideal spot for a plant on your patio, while a few swipes of Outdoor Defense Oil can help prevent splintering when you grab weathered porch rails. Maintaining already-completed spring wood projects also helps you maintain a good mood around your home, keeps your outdoor space looking cute and pulled together and gives you something to do on the weekend when warmer weather arrives.
We hope you’re inspired and planning to create wood projects for spring that match your style and ideas — and that you use products from the Real Milk Paint Co.! For more wood project ideas, tutorials, tips and content, visit our blog. Find all the materials and supplies you need to complete spring projects by visiting our online store, then share your results with us on social media. Be sure to use the hashtag #realmilkpaintco to showcase your unique pieces or as advertising for your furniture restoration, artwork or home decor business.
