Make a Decorative Rain Barrel

Garden Feature

• 1

  Sketch the design for the rain barrel on a piece of paper. If your garden is Zen-inspired, draw straight lines to imitate bamboo shoots in earth-tone colors such as chocolate brown, gray, cream or black. If you have an English garden with an array of vibrant flowers, stencil colorful roses and vines on your barrel.

• 2

  Paint the background of your design on the surface of the barrel in even strokes with a wide-tipped paintbrush. Let the first coat of paint dry before adding the next coat or color.

• 3

  Sketch an outline of the details on the surface of the barrel with a pencil or a felt-tipped pen. Outline your sketch with black paint paint. This will help the details stand out.

• 4

  Cover with sealant. Let the paint dry before spraying the entire rain barrel with sealing lacquer. Wait for the first coat of sealing lacquer to dry completely before spraying a second layer. It is recommended to allow 12 to 24 hours of drying per coat.

Disguised Barrels

• 5

  Use a sketch or photo of the area in your garden where you want to place your barrel.

• 6

  Paint the barrel to blend into the background of your garden. If you are painting it to look like a gray rock, cover the entire barrel with gray paint using a wide-tipped paintbrush.

• 7

  Dip the sponge into a lighter shade of gray paint and gently dab it onto the surface of the rain barrel. This will emulate the marbled, uneven appearance of a rock.

• 8

  Draw details with a felt-tipped pen, or a fine-tipped paint brush. Use black paint to create cracks and crevices on the rock.

• 9

  Seal the paint. Protect the rain barrel's décor from water and dust by spraying a layer of sealing lacquer all over the rain barrel. Let the first layer dry before you apply the second layer.