How To Paint An American Flag (Garden Shed Update)

How To Paint an American Flag On Metal

When we purchased our forever ranch home in 2021, we inherited several old structures on the property. One was what I thought was a chicken coop. I later learned it was a home for the former owner’s peafowls, also known as peacocks. How cool is that?!

So, the question is, “Can you paint on metal?” The answer is, “Absolutely!” I used chalk mineral paint, and you’ll be shocked at how easy it was!

The recycled metal on this shed is very eye-catching, and the holes in the metal make a rustic statement. Plus, it’s on the backside that faces the street, which makes it the perfect place to showcase the American flag and honor this beautiful country of ours.

Since I am not a peacock farmer, I’ve decided to transform this space into a garden. Now, my peacock coop is my new garden shed that houses all my tools! It’s super cute, and I promise to share more details about it very soon. Stay tuned!

I’m sharing links below to more fun and creative outdoor ideas for you.

• Wooden American Flag Sign – 1 Board Project
• DIY Torn Wood American Flag (Wall Decor)
• DIY American Flag Pallet Sign – Front Porch Decor
• Simple DIY Wooden Sign Project (Scrap Wood)
• DIY Garden Easel (Elevate Your Backyard Decor)

Gather Your Supplies:

Here is what you’ll need to paint an American Flag on a metal wall successfully.

• Paint any surface, metal, plastic, glass, etc.
• 48-inch level
• tape measure
• pencil
• painters tape
• Rustolem clear matte enamel ( stops rust)
• Star Stencil
• Barn Red chalk mineral paint
• Bunker Hill Blue chalk mineral paint
• Cotton chalk mineral paint
• 2-inch mini angle synthetic paintbrush

Prepare The Rusty Metal Surface For Painting

STEP 1: Clean the metal surface as best you can. I used an old broom to remove dirt, cobwebs, and spiders. Yikes!

It’s an old, rusty, uneven surface, so I did my best. You could use a wire brush to remove any loose rust, but it wasn’t necessary for this project.

Also, you may consider neutralizing the rust before painting. The rust will continue to chip away over time, but it would take years for it to be noticeable, and I’m not so sure this wall would even still be standing at that point.

Instead, I used a product that stops the rust. I sprayed it over the surface as directed on the can.

Once completely dried, this product can be painted over in about 2 hours. The day I painted this American flag, it was 90+ degrees, and the humidity was low. It was the perfect Texas Spring day.

Creating The Outline Of The American Flag

STEP 2: Decide on the flag size you want to paint. You could paint the entire wall or do what I did and place it in the center. I like the rusty tin. It has a lot of country character, and I like the color of the border surrounding the American flag.

I chose a 3′ X 5′, which fit nicely in the center of the garden shed wall. Additional sizes can be 4×6, 5×8, 6×10, 8×12, etc. You can make them as large as you want.

I used a level and a pencil to ensure it was straight.

I also marked the lines for the thirteen bars (stripes). Marking these first will help you determine the exact placement of the background for the stars (upper left-hand corner).

I’m not going to sugarcoat it; the corrugated metal was a bit tricky to mark, and even trickier to tape off, but my persistence paid off huge in the end. Take your time. You won’t regret it.

Painting The Blue Background

STEP 3: The blue background of the American flag is approximately 40 percent of the flag’s width, and it spans seven stripes in height.

The blue paint I chose for the background is Bunker Hill blue chalk mineral paint by the Dixie Belle Paint Company.

I have used this paint on a few other outdoor projects, and it covers very well with one to two coats. For the garden shed, this was important because I was in a hurry to finish and paint it in one day.

I applied one coat of the Bunker Hill Blue with a 2-inch mini angle brush, which beautifully covered the rusty metal with only one coat.

Dixie Belle’s chalk mineral paint will adhere to most surfaces and is durable outdoors as long as the surface it is on is durable. I have painted many outdoor signs with this paint and even some terracotta pots for my porch that still look great after 5 years.

STEP 4: I found the perfect star stencil on Amazon. It was available as a set in multiple sizes, which I plan to use for other patriotic star projects.

Because the metal isn’t smooth, you must first secure the stencil over the blue area with painters’ tape.

Using a makeup (wedge) sponge, a paper plate, and Cotton (white) chalk mineral paint, carefully load the sponge with the paint and blot off any excess paint on another surface or paper towel. You want the least amount of paint on the sponge as possible. This will ensure a clean, stenciled star without the paint bleeding. Less is more when it comes to stencilling.

Carefully hold the stencil in place while quickly dabbing the sponge over it. You’ll have to hold the stencil down in the curved spaces of the corrugated metal.

It’s tricky, but remember, it’s just paint. If you mess up, you can paint over it and start again.

Painting The Stripes

STEP 5: Tape off the stripes; if you’re brave, you can always freehand them.

Start by painting every other stripe red, with the red stripe first, and ending with a red stripe, totalling seven red stripes.

Fill in the remaining six white stripes for a total of thirteen stripes altogether.

My Garden Shed Painted American Flag

Is it perfect? Not by a long shot! But am I happy with the results? I sure am! The back side of this rustic garden shed now looks almost as impressive as the front.

I started this garden project last Fall, 2024, and soon, I’ll share the front side and all the extras I have put into making this my favorite place to piddle on the ranch. I’m a vegetable-growing Grandma!

Now I don’t have to worry about when to put out the flag on holidays, because it’s already out. I’m thinking I need solar lights to keep it lit at night. Do you think that’s a good idea? Or, do you think solar isn’t enough, and I should just get regular lights?

This painted American Flag project took less than 16 ounces of paint and just one day to complete. I would say that’s pretty darn good considering it reached 95 degrees that day and I got a sunburn. It was worth it.

As always, I would love to hear from you in the comments section or just say hello so that I know you stopped by. If you’re one of my US friends, I hope this tutorial will help you paint an American flag. If you’re my friend abroad, I hope this inspires you with some ideas for your country’s flag.

Don’t forget to PIN this to your favorite Pinterest board for later. Have a fantastic week!

Until the next project… xo, Do