I used black outdoor house paint from Home Depot, with a layer of white primer paint beneath. The orange paint was acrylic paint I had lying around the shop.
I wanted the orange spots to really pop, so I started by coating both side pieces with white primer paint. I didn't bother with the primer for the sections that were just black.
I used a projector with the svg file to trace the wing design onto the sides of the benches. This method worked well since I was able to lay out the design and scale and rotate it until it looked perfect before doing any painting.
Paint in the orange areas and carefully trace around with the black. I ended up doing two coats of orange and three of black, to cover up all the white primer. This was a bit time consuming but VERY satisfying.Â
For the back of the bench, I painted the inside of the holes in orange or white, then used a paint roller with black paint, and rolled gently over the top surface. I think this turned out great, and gives the monarch butterfly vibe during the daytime when the lights are off.
I painted the seat and supports black as well. This might become a problem in the California sun this summer -- I will likely need cushions so people don't burn themselves on the hot black bench!
I finished up with 3 coats of polyurethane (it took almost a quart) on all pieces to seal it up and make it shiny.Â
Page last edited May 14, 2025
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