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How to Paint Pine Cones

crafts, DIY, fall decorating September 16, 2014

Pine cones are a great decorating resource because you can find them for free on the ground!

The only problem is, they’re always brown. So I thought, why not paint them?

You can easily customize pine cones with the paint color of your choice.

This post shows you how to paint pine cones … it’s so very easy!

Fall Arrangement of Baby Boos and Painted Pine Cones - all in a wooden dough bowlOnce your pine cones are painted and dried, pair them with other objects in a wooden bowl.

In no time you’ll have a pretty centerpiece or the makings of a simple vignette.

How to paint pine conesI used two different colors – turquoise and white. You can use acrylic or even interior house paint.

I twisted the pointed end of a bamboo skewer into the bottom of the pine cone.

Dipping Pine Cones in Paint for a Custom LookThe paint mixture is 3 parts paint and 2 parts water. Simply dunk the pine cone into the paint.

Remove it and shake off as much excess paint off the pine cone as you can.

Pine Cones Painted White and Set Out to DrySet the pine cones out on waxed paper to dry overnight.  The pine cones will probably close up.

Whenever they get wet they tend to close, but don’t fear! You can force them back open.

Set your oven to its lowest temperature and place pine cones on a baking sheet on the center shelf.

Check the pine cones about every 30 minutes and once they’ve opened, remove them from the oven.

Baby Boos with Pine Cones Painted WhiteI thought the white painted pine cones would look cute paired with Baby Boos.

Pine Cones Painted White - so easy to do and they look cute paired with Baby Boos.I piled them all into my wooden dough bowl for a Fall centerpiece.

Painted Pine Cones, Baby Boos, and Wine Corks displayed in a Wooden Dough BowlI threw in a few wine corks for good measure.

The Jenica Peak cork is from a bottle of Merlot, which is a very good red wine!

Baby Boos and Painted Pine Cones Create an Easy Fall CenterpieceI love the creamy color of the Baby Boos paired with the white of the pine cones.

And that’s how to paint pine cones … simply dunk and dry!

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DIY Fall WreathDIY Fall Wreath

Filed Under: crafts, DIY, fall decorating35 Comments

Comments

  1. Michelle from Weekend Craft says

    September 16, 2014 at 6:40 am

    Wow these are absolutely stunning! Great job I may need to try these in the winter. Time to go foraging for pine cones!

    Reply
  2. Heather @ new house new home says

    September 16, 2014 at 6:49 am

    Great tip on getting them to open again! I’ve painted pine cones before and didn’t realize I could get them to open up again. Thanks for the tip.

    Reply
  3. Darrielle Tennenbaum says

    September 16, 2014 at 8:24 am

    Great idea and I love the tip! I think I might be trying this!

    Reply
  4. Joanne Boulter says

    September 16, 2014 at 10:28 am

    I would never of thought of the skewer, clever! The pint cone garland is so darling. Thanx for the inspiration.
    XX Jo, from Anne’s Attic – design blog http://fulcolbaxia.wordpress.com

    Reply
  5. Jeanine Okio B Designs says

    September 16, 2014 at 11:02 am

    Such a smart idea! Would work for Xmas too. It’s raining here today but tomorrow I’m going to look for some of my neighbor’s pine cones (they fall into our yard). =)

    Jeanine

    Reply
  6. FABBY says

    September 16, 2014 at 12:06 pm

    I love your dough bowl with the pretty pinecones. Thanks for sharing the how to.
    Hugs,
    FABBY

    Reply
  7. martina says

    September 16, 2014 at 12:44 pm

    I love the way they look…love the way you filled your dough bowl too!

    Reply
  8. Sally says

    September 17, 2014 at 7:15 am

    Really pretty Jennifer! And I love the big wooden bowl you’ve arranged everything in!
    Sally

    Reply
  9. Emily says

    October 23, 2014 at 9:53 pm

    Great idea! What kind of paint did you use?

    Reply
    • Ruth Atkinson says

      July 20, 2020 at 9:53 pm

      I’d like to know the type of paint. Thanks, Ruth.

      Reply
    • Lollie says

      September 9, 2020 at 2:54 pm

      I have the same question, what kind of paint did you use? Thanks fr sharing.
      Lollie

      Reply
  10. Carolina says

    November 19, 2014 at 10:09 am

    Perfect and beautiful! What kind of paint did you use?.. And brand? Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Karen coleman says

      March 12, 2016 at 12:02 pm

      What kind of paint did you use. And wouldn’t that be kind of expensive with all the colors

      Reply
  11. Lynn says

    May 31, 2015 at 10:29 am

    Great idea! What kind of paint did you use? What brand? Thanks 🙂

    Reply
  12. Artfloozy says

    April 30, 2016 at 10:24 pm

    I painted mine with acrylic paint with a brush took me 45 minutes to do one large one. Course there was no brown on it when I was done. They stayed open and the paint I used was those $.59 cents to $.89 cents Folk Art Michael’s Smart Paints Walmart is the .59 cent one. I had to do 33 of them for floral arrangements, I used two med size pine cones and then added a Feathered bird from the Dollar Store some green grass a silky butterfly some baby’s breath and a 3-4 inch piece of Ivy and then placed them in a pretty glass bowl. You can also add a 3-4 inch piece of Faux Ivy. I arranged all in a pretty glass bowl presented them to friends that have done me favors .
    I made a card which said “Here’s a touch of Spring ” Just because I like you Used a Rubber stamp with one of Dina Wakelys
    funny birds on it..I sure could have saved some time I used turquoise, Yellow, pink and Lavender to paint the cones.

    Reply
  13. maryjo says

    May 28, 2016 at 6:07 pm

    What is the name brand of the paint?

    Reply
  14. Kathy says

    August 6, 2016 at 2:34 pm

    WHAT KIND OF PAINT DID YOU USE……PLEASE????

    Reply
    • Denise says

      November 28, 2016 at 1:23 pm

      she said acrylic, any brand, Michaels, Folk art, apple barrel, and acrylic comes in satin, matte, gloss, all colors. Easier to clean, because its water based

      Reply
  15. Sherry bosher says

    December 22, 2016 at 8:47 am

    Beautiful,

    Reply
  16. Andrea A. Adams says

    August 5, 2017 at 6:03 pm

    Hi what type of paint should I use as I’m new to using pine cones. Recently moved house out of the city & have a pine tree in my garden & 2 more right beside my house

    Reply
    • wendy says

      September 26, 2017 at 7:49 pm

      I would just use acrylic paints. Easiest to water down if you choose. Plus so many colors to choose from and mix if you want

      Reply
  17. pictaram says

    October 15, 2017 at 11:47 pm

    Thank you for sharing the tutorial! I saw friends in comment section recommended acrylic paint, gonna give it a try.

    Reply
  18. Deb says

    November 11, 2017 at 7:28 am

    U can also sprinkle a little glitter on them while the paint is wet an voila ……they sparkle!!!!. I loved the post about arranging them in glass bowls for a gift. Get them at estate sales for pennies add greenery that I get at Christmas tree lots free and a few red berries (pepper berry works great) beautiful arrangement for a hostess gift,

    Reply
  19. shirley glodjo says

    November 13, 2018 at 3:18 pm

    why can’t you just spray paint them?

    Reply
    • Sheila says

      September 17, 2020 at 11:00 am

      There’s too much waste when you use spray paint, because of the overspray . 👍

      Reply
    • MARY says

      December 5, 2020 at 11:51 am

      You can spray paint. We spray a base coat of white primer, then you can paint any color you want and they cover beautifully. If you add mini bottle lights to your arrangement you can make an attractive center piece.

      Reply
    • Curly Haired Cowgirl says

      December 17, 2020 at 8:14 am

      You can but it’s cheaper to use the acrylic paints. Plus you can mix colors.

      Reply
  20. Eileen Broeder says

    January 5, 2019 at 4:47 pm

    l like spray paint, it is a lot easier, but the acrylic paints come in so many pretty colors.

    Reply
  21. Debbie says

    July 30, 2019 at 6:10 pm

    Did you have to wash or brush clean first? Thanks, Debbie.

    Reply
  22. Mary says

    August 1, 2019 at 10:12 pm

    I used ModPodge Extreme glitter over painted colors and the glitter is beautiful and does not come off!

    Reply
    • Debbie says

      October 31, 2019 at 10:37 am

      You most definitely need to bake them in an oven on a low temp (200-300 degree), just until they all open nicely and to KILL THE LIL CRITTERS inside of them.

      Reply
  23. Dee Bell says

    September 8, 2019 at 9:15 pm

    Thank you so much! Ive been spraying my cones or painting with a brush by hand. I will now try this method. I appreciate the detailed tutorial.

    Reply
  24. Cheryl Allen says

    June 15, 2020 at 3:40 pm

    Hi , I am having great fun creating pinecone wreaths but have run into a problem. After I have painted and dried then sprayed with a satin polyurethane they will continue to open and have to be touched up 1-2 times. Do you have any tips ?
    Thanks
    Cheryl

    Reply
  25. Hardwrknlady says

    September 16, 2020 at 1:00 pm

    Great project and thx for the tip about reopening the cones! I may make a bunch for Christmas and thought how they would look if I dip the ends in some gold paint the ex gave me. I’m so excited to try and if I do I will post a pic! Happy crafting

    Reply
  26. Grandma Lisa says

    December 13, 2020 at 2:54 pm

    Hi, just want to make sure I understand one part. I can put the pinecones in the oven to reopen them AFTER I have used house paint and they have dried? The house paint isn’t full of fumes or flammable once dry right?

    Reply

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Hi! I'm Jennifer and I'm happy to have you here! I live where the suburbs meet the country, which affords me the best of both worlds. Come along on my journey where I share decorating, cooking, gardening and more as it relates to both city and rural life. Visit my new sister site, Pond and Garden, for outdoor ideas and inspiration.

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