If your shed needs a fresh coat of paint, you can paint it yourself without having to go out and purchase a new one.

We know a shed’s paint color is a major factor is buying or building a storage shed. Whether you prefer your shed matches the color of your house, coordinates with other out buildings, or meet the requirements of your Home Owner’s Association, choosing shed colors can sometimes be a challenge. But for Silke Ernisse, she saw an opportunity.

Silke (pronounced “silka”) picked out a 10×14 Lincoln Lofted Shed from our inventory at our Buffalo Sales Center a few years ago, and it was nearly perfect. Quality of construction, perfect size, great style… everything was right except the color. She really wanted a red storage shed, and this beige one was alright, but not perfect. It just didn’t fit with her house and the surrounding. Instead of ordering a new shed to be built, Silke decided to buy it anyway, and planned from the beginning to simply repaint it once it was delivered. Problem solved!

Silke graciously shared her experience with painting her Woodtex shed, and we’d like to pass on her wisdom to our readers.

Silke painted her shed just a day or two after delivery, so the shed’s siding was clean and dry. If this is not the case with your shed, wash your siding thoroughly and let it dry completely before starting your shed paint project.

This particular shed did not need to be primed first, because of the light color. Since it was going to be painted a dark red, it just wasn’t necessary. On the flip side, if you would like to repaint a dark-colored shed in a lighter tone, it may be sensible to prime it first.

The white trim was not going to be painted, so Silke taped all of the trim on the shed. She used regular blue painters tape–the kind you can find in the paint department of your local hardware store. There may be tricky areas to tape over, like the X-pattern on the doors, but just do your best.

Silke’s advice with the painters tape is to make sure it is pressed down properly, and pull the tape off before the paint dries. If you wait too long, you may pull some dried paint off along with the tape. If this happens, just touch up as needed.

Silke’s new shed paint was Behr Premium Plus Ultra in a Semi-Gloss sheen. Although no primer was needed on this shed, this paint does have primer in it. The color Silke chose is a deep red called “Sly Fox”.

Having never painted a rough, grooved exterior like shed siding before, Silke tried a variety of brushes including high-density rollers, paint pads, bristled brushes, and foam brushes. The paint pads worked best on the siding, and the bristled brushes worked best in tight areas around trim (especially on the doors). The foam brushes were “pretty much useless” because the rough finish of the siding caused them to break apart. The roller worked alright, but was more cumbersome than the pads, and had a tendency to cause splatter. Trying various brushes in different places will give you an opportunity to see what works best for your siding.

For this 10×14 Lincoln Lofted Barn, Silke used two gallons of paint. A second coat was added to areas that needed it, due to the texture of the wood siding. Most of the areas needing touch ups were the grooves and some of the harder to reach areas.

Silke’s advice is to paint one good coat first, let it dry thoroughly (preferably overnight), then check to see if touch ups or a second coat is necessary. Look at the shed from all angles and at different times of the day so you see if in different lighting conditions.

In the end, Silke was very happy with her project! It looks great and wasn’t too difficult. Have you done a project like this with your Woodtex Shed? We want to hear about it!

10×14 Lincoln Lofted Barn

Barn Color: was Beige, now Sly Fox by Behr

Trim Color: White

Roof Color: Weathered Wood

Upgrade: 6’ Ramp

Paint (in this case: Behr Premium Plus Ultra, Semi-Gloss in Sly Fox)

Painter’s Tape

Variety of Brushes

Primer is optional

Click here for more details on our Lincoln style shed, or explore our full line of Storage Sheds for other designs.