Barn Mural Paint Project with ECOS Paints

ECOS Paints generously provided the paint as well as consult for the type of paint to use for this project. All opinions are our own.

Since we moved into our coastal bungalow, we’ve been making upgrades here and there, that make it more aesthetically pleasing…more of a coastal feel. Our outside space is no exception. We are excited to tell you about our recent partnership with ECOS Paints for our barn mural paint project.

In our backyard, we have a little barn- a shed of sorts. We keep our gardening tools in there, and our lawn mower. If you have read our recent blog on our cat colony project, you also know that we have little safe spaces in there, where the cats can get away from the cold as winter nears. Needless to say, it isn’t anything special, but we do love and appreciate it. 

We visited a local coffee shop recently, and they had a similar barn with seating outside of it. As we sat down, we noticed a very cool, retro beach vibe mural painted on the outside of it. We immediately had the discussion that something similar would make ours look just as chill. We were inspired, and went home to begin drawing out some ideas. 

Planning the Barn Mural Project

We knew we wanted a retro, beach wave feel. We wanted to keep the ocean vibe going since we live on the coast. We also wanted to stay within a certain color palette, much like the one in our inspiration photo. 

Once we nailed down a firm idea of what we wanted, we knew we needed to find the right product that aligned with our aesthetic ideals, and our eco-friendly values. One name came to mind: ECOS Paints. 

You may recall, back in March, we used ECOS Paints for our DIY Kitchen Cabinet Refresh. Well, we loved using the paints so much that we wanted to consult ECOS Paints to find out about their exterior paints, and to get a consultation on what was best to use with the structure we had for our project. 

Our barn is made of wood, and has been painted in the past couple of years with white paint. We were asked during our ECOS Paints consult if the existing paint is oil-based or water-based. If it’s oil-based, we may have had adhesion issues applying our water-based paint on top. Fortunately, we found out that it was water-based. 

If you are working on a similar project and you are not sure, ECOS Paints has a resource where you can check by using their Pro Tips.  Once we were advised that the best paint to use would be ECOS Paints semi-gloss paint, we chose our colors.

The colors used for this project are:

• 0970 ORANGE YOU HAPPY?
• 0850 CITRON
• 0680 ANDES SKY
• 0682 PLEASANT STREAM
• 0676 JOB’S TEARS

The Barn Mural Paint Project

Prep-Work

We started by cleaning the side wall of the barn. We hosed off the side with water, then used a long-armed brush with a gentle cleanser. The cleanser was made of borax and castile soap that we mixed into a bucket. We were fortunate that it wasn’t very dirty, but we wanted to make sure we started with a clean palette before painting. 

The next day, after the barn was completely dry, we took a cloth to wipe away any debris that may have landed back on the barn side, and prepped our paint and brushes. 

The Work Began

Supplies needed for the project:

• Pencil
• ECOS Paints (colors listed above)
• Brushes- 3″, 2″, 1″
• Painter’s tape
• Measuring tape

We used a pencil to draw the design we wanted, making corrections a few times to get the design just right. Once we had the look we desired, we started at the bottom, with the ocean and ocean waves due to the blues being the largest coverage area. 

We used brushes the whole time, never using a roller. It didn’t seem necessary. We used the 3” brush for most of the ocean and waves, switching to the 2” and 1” when the area became smaller. The 1” brush was used for the darker border line of the ocean wave. Two coats were used for the ocean and ocean waves. 

When it came to the sun and the sun rays, the 2” and 1” brushes were used. We were advised that for the brighter colors: the orange and yellow paints, we may find that these require additional coats to achieve optimal coverage. We painted them with a third coat and that seemed to be the perfect shade we were looking for. 

The painter’s tape was used to mark off the lines for the sun rays, as well as measuring off the distance to make them even and/or symmetrical. This was probably the most tedious part of the entire job, and took the longest. Perhaps it was why we saved it for last. Once it was taped off, we began painting. Once all coats were completed, we waited until the next day to remove the tape. We finished when we were losing sunlight, and we didn’t want to remove the tape and make any mistakes. 

The next day, when we removed the tape, we noticed where we needed to do some touch-ups here and there. We used the 1” brush to do that. It took maybe 30 minutes for touch-ups and then the job was completed. 

We were thrilled with the outcome. It really makes this area of the yard, near our barn, much more enjoyable. It is a place, off of our patio, in a nook in the corner, where we can have a glass of wine, or a cup of coffee, tucked away from anyone, and everything. It’s exactly what we were looking for, to give the barn some extra loving, and a pop of retro-beach-chic that it needed!

The Takeaways

We want to make sure we mention a few takeaways we had with using ECOS Paints for our exterior project, since the last time, we discussed it for interior.

• The feeling of ease using a product that is non-toxic and safe, even when we are outside, is one that presents so much comfort. While we were painting, Betty White and some local kitties were hanging around. We were thrilled to know that they could not be harmed by anything they were around.
• It never gets old, and is always a surprise that there isn’t an odor at all from the paint. THERE IS NO SMELL! We cannot believe, as consumers, how we just think that breathing in chemicals is just “the norm” when painting, cleaning, or doing anything else. It doesn’t have to be the norm, and we realize that with ECOS Paints.
• The paint came off of our hands/arms easily. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t make a mess when they paint. We’ve painted before, and with other paints where we’ve had paint on our hands/skin for days, almost a week, where soap, water, and scrubbing didn’t take it off. With ECOS Paints, it is no problem to remove. The brushes are simple to clean as well.

Wrap-Up

We talk about it a lot, but with all of the things in the environment and in life that are out of our control, it is so nice to know that we can control many things when it comes to what we allow into our bodies. When it comes to DIY projects for our home, even outside of our home, we need to put forth just as much effort making those decisions as we do for our skin and body. The products we bring into our lives to improve our sanctuary, stay within that space, so they should be safe. We are thankful to ECOS Paints to be a partner for not only making our barn mural project a success, but a safe one as well.