Easy Painted Oars for Decoration

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These easy-to-make painted oars are perfect for a nautical look. Learn tips and tricks for painting your own oars.

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What kind of paint should I use for painted oars?

I used a variety of paint types for this project, but I prefer chalk paint for a project like this. The coverage is excellent, so you can get away with painting fewer coats of paint. 

Acrylic or latex paint can also be used.

Make Painted Oars for Decoration

Supplies for Painting Oars

• Wooden oars
• Paint
• Paintbrushes
• Painter’s tape
• Sandpaper
• Suede cord, twine, or ribbon

Scroll down for the oar coloring sheet.

Prep Work for Painted Oars

1. Figure out your oar design. This part was so much fun. I’ve made coloring sheets to download and print out for planning your oars. (It makes a fun coloring sheet!)

   

2. Tape out your designs. Once you have your designs figured out, start taping out your design. (You can see that I drew mine out before I made these.) I used frog tape and rubbed the edges well. 

   

3. Stripes are the easiest to tape off, but more complicated designs are also possible. An arrow is just a piece of tape and a triangle.

   

Painting the Wooden Oars

1. Paint the first color. For the first oar, I wanted light blue and white stripes, so I painted a base of white first. I used chalk paint because it adheres well, requiring fewer coats of paint. The sides of the oars are painted, but I didn’t bother with the backs since they’re decorative.

   

2. Let the paint dry and add another coat if necessary.
3. Stripes. Once the paint is dry, add tape for stripes or other designs. Paint the stripes your chosen color.

   

4. Add hand-painted details if desired. I painted the arrow white and added the quivers. 

   

5. Sand to age the oars a bit. When the oars were completely dry, I gently sanded them to give them a slightly worn appearance. This smooths out the edges where the tape was applied and helps to soften any mistakes. 

   

6. Add a loop for hanging. I added a loop of suede cord around the handle for hanging the oars. This was the easiest way to hang them.

   

I love how they look on my navy wall. My walls don’t look that crazy in person, but then again, it’s a basement, so we keep it pretty dark for watching movies.

Download the Oar Coloring Sheet

Oar Coloring Sheet

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