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    Home » Wood

    DIY Stained Wooden Animals

    Jan 19, 2023 | Updated Dec 4, 2024 | By Laura | This post may contain affiliate links | Leave a Comment

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    How to Stain Wooden Animals

    Learn how to make DIY stained wooden animals in this tutorial, showing how to use diluted craft paint to stain wood animals from Dollar Tree.

    We found these raw wooden animals at the Dollar Tree and thought they were so cute but a little plain and boring.

    Today, we are going to make DIY stained wooden animals, using watered-down acrylic craft paint to stain the wood!

    How to Make DIY Stained Wooden Animals

    How to Make DIY Stained Wooden Animals

    Step 1: Gather Supplies

    Supplies Needed:

    • Wood Animals
    • Paint
    • Water
    • Container to hold paint
    • Foam Brush
    • Clean Rag or Paper Towel

    Step 2: Dilute the paint with water to thin it, and make it act more like wood stain.

    how to stain wooden animals

    To make the darker shade of brown, add black to the brown paint.

    how to stain wooden animals with craft paint

    Step 3: Brush diluted paint onto the wooden animals.

    how to stain wood with paint

    how to make DIY stained wooden animals

    how to make DIY stained wooden animals

    Wipe off any excess paint with a paper towel or clean rag.

    wipe off the extra paint from the wood animal

    how to make DIY wooden animals

    Repeat for the darker brown paint.

    how to stain wood with paint

    how to stain wood with paint

    The paint may lighten a bit while it dries, but the hue will remain the same and the wood grain will continue to show through.

    how to use paint to stain wood animals

    Aren't they cute?? Perfect for a nursery or kids room, or as a simple, classic kids toy.

    The same staining technique is what we used to make DIY chalkboard signs as well as stained wooden ornaments.

    How to Make DIY Stained Wooden Animals

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    About Laura

    Laura Radniecki is a crafter, writer, and photographer from small-town Minnesota. A lifelong maker, she shares easy step-by-step craft tutorials. She's a wife to her high school sweetheart, mama to their son and daughter, dog mama to their 2 brother + sister toy poodles, and a part-time RV snowbird in Florida.

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    Hi, I'm Laura Radniecki!

    I’m here to help you make easy crafts! Around here, you’ll find step-by-step craft tutorials that remove the guesswork, and are easy, fast, and fun. If you are a busy crafter, you are in the right place!

    (I also write when I'm inspired, and share my thoughts on my life + our world here too.)

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