Painting Bird Houses

I often get the question, "Should I paint my bird houses?"

I have nothing against painted bird houses. If you use pine you almost have to paint if you want your masterpiece to last any length of time. I never paint mine. I always build with cedar. Cedar will gray up like a barn and last many years. Many bird houses I see on store shelves are decorative creations that may not ever see the back yard. Many will not attract a cavity nesting bird anyway.

In this age of planned unit developments most cavity nesting birds are not too picky. They are just happy to find a hole to live in. If you study bird house plans and then study birds you will discover that birds have never read the books and have no idea how to act. They will often not nest in the box that is custom designed just for them. On the other hand they may nest in the box that is not at all suited for them.
I find that several species of cavity nesters will move into my bluebird houses. It really depends more on where I place the box than cavity or hole size.
All paint contains chemicals. If you must paint, only paint the exterior. Never paint the interior. Do not use pressure treated wood to build nesting boxes.