Rain barrels are a cost-effective and eco-friendly way to capture water for a variety of uses – whether watering vegetable gardens or washing cars. Barrels come in a wide range of forms, from the expensive aesthetically pleasing to cheaper bright blue food-grade. And if you happen to have an inexpensive rain barrel that, well, sticks out like a sore thumb], check out these 5 ways on how to hide a water barrel.
This post contains affiliate links, including but not limited to, Amazon Associates. As such, I earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure located here.
How to Hide a Water Barrel
Snatching up a cheap rain barrel to capture rain water for your home is a win, one of the main disadvantages of inexpensive rain barrels is their unsightly appearance. Usually these barrels are made of a dingy white or intensely bright blue plastic – i.e. ugly.
[Related Post: 8 Places to Find Rain Barrels for Cheap]
Your rain barrel catches water from your home’s gutters. And these gutter are likely located in a highly visible part of your yard. And that can instantly ruin the curb view of your home.
Instead of your rain barrel being an eyesore, you can transform it to be both functional AND attractive using one (or more) of these 5 methods to hide a water barrel:
- Paint
- Cover
- Plant
- Trellis
- Divert
1. Paint Rain Barrel
Let’s tackle the simplest and most obvious ways to hide a water barrel first. Painting a rain barrel takes just a few cans of paint and a few hours of dry time.
As shown below, rain barrels can be painted to seamlessly blend into your outdoor space using subtle colors. Or, you can kick it up a notch and turn it into an eye-catching focal point using some design skill and imagination.
Subtle Paint Choices
Perhaps you want your rain barrel to play a more minor role in landscaping. If so, you could paint it a more subtle color to let it cleverly camouflage it into its surroundings.
Here’s a few photos to show how to successfully hide a water barrel with paint that compliments the house color or matches the trim.
Paint to Make a Statement
As an alternative to disguising a rain barrel, embrace your inner Picasso and paint your rain barrel to enhance your current landscape. These rain barrels jump out and become a focal point in your garden. Sure it’s not “hiding a rain barrel”, but it solves the problem of it being an eyesore!
Here’s a few beauties for inspiration that would look phenomenal in any garden.
Painting Rain Barrel Ideas
Unsure where to start? Not sure what design to paint? Pick a theme that either matches your yard or your personality. Themes can run the gamut – here’s a few examples to get your imagination going.
- Wine – grapes and leaves
- Nature – mountain scene, birds, critters, etc..
- Gardens – ummm…why not paint the fruits and veggies that you’re watering?
- Beach – shorelines with shells, fish, pelicans, chairs and umbrellas
Or go completely outside the box, like this inspiration from your favorite movie. Check out this RD-D2 painted rain barrel!
Or this whimsical play on Mountain Dew soda and watering – aka a “Nature’s Dew” rain barrel. This rain barrel was painted through a program sponsored through the Delaware Watershed (partnership between University of Delaware and the state DNREC.)
To match her backyard tiki bar, Susan from Sunny Days created these 3 “Tiki Guys”. As a personalized touch, she based this fun trio of tiki rain barrels on the personalities of her children – a daughter and 2 sons.
For the engineers out there, here’s an amazing idea from Maxwell Perkins at Affordable Luxury that transformed a rain barrel into a steampunk conversation piece.
After painting with the barrel an antique brass color, he added PVC pipe and fitting, real brass spigots, bike gear and random decorations (even an outdoor thermometer and humidity gauge!).
Stencils and Decals
If the above free-style art is a bit too overwhelming for beginning or intrepid artists (i.e. this gal!), consider buying stencils or decals to help guide the process. Or perhaps you use a Cricut with inspiration from this tutorial (start around minute 5).
Stencils and decals can be the perfect way to engage and bring together the whole family, especially the ones who aren’t quite sure of their skill level. Empower your younger budding artists with a brush and a nudge. I bet it will result in smiles and laughs – and children who proudly show off their artwork to family and friends who visit.
Here’s a few projects using stencils and decal to hide a water barrel I found around the web.
Etsy has some beautiful stencils for inspiration, including large sunflowers, beach scenes, nature, or even “I ❤️ Rain” stencils to encourage Mother Nature.
Just be sure to double check stencil size to ensure it’s the right fit!
For decals, check out Colorado Rain Catcher created specifically for rain barrels. Their decals are durable vinyl and weather resistant. They are 15” long. They come in a choice of 4 colors (white, black, red and green) and have a variety of floral styles, dandelions, lotus flower, and daisies.
Lastly in the paint strategy to hide a water barrel, Larissa at Prodigal Pieces has an amazing tutorial on how she achieved a gorgeous faux wood grain look on her repurposed apple juice plastic barrel. Beautiful, right?
Need More Inspiration?
Check out my Pinterest board with painted rain barrels that span from beginner to advanced levels, and whimisical to advanced and sophisticated. Also, unsure the best way to paint your rain barrel? Be sure to scroll to the end of this post to learn the 5 Steps to Painting a Rain Barrel.
Not Feeling Artistic?
Still struggling channeling your inner Picasso? Help may be available right in your neighborhood. Here’s a few ideas for help with hiding a rain barrel with paint.
- Reach out to your local watershed conservation commission or district. Several of these organizations hold “Rain Barrel Painting Parties” or workshops to help you transform your rain barrels into a masterpiece.
- Some high schools sponsor rain barrel painting contests, where students will design and paint rain barrels for a competition.
- Live near Indianapolis? You can customize your own rain barrel AND help your community. Merely uploading one of your favorite photos and buy your rain barrel through Express Yourself Rain Barrels, a social enterprise that focuses on developing youth and community into critical thinkers and doers.
2. Cover Rain Barrel
Another option to hide a water barrel is to cover with weather-resistant materials. The most popular material to cover is wood, converting it to look like a classy whiskey or wine barrel.
Online, I found the 5 tutorials mentioned below. These tutorials have different levels of DIY expertise and time needed to create a cover for a rain barrel.
First up, in just a few hours, this homeowner used cedar fence boards, rope and deck screws to hide a water barrel, and topped it with flowers for a nice touch.
It’s very similar to this other tutorial by HGTV that uses a rope similar in color to the wood.
Another third option for concealing a rain barrel with wood is this YouTube tutorial by Central Texas Gardener (start around minute 2). It’s extremely simple (which I liked). After cutting cedar fence pickets to size, he positioned the pickets with a bungee cord, then secured with strong adhesive and metal hanger straps. This tutorial was my favorite.
For a very simple, budget-friendly DIY project to hide a water barrel, check out this one on Hometalk. this homeowner used up an excess extra bamboo blind hanging around his house. He simply wrapped it around his rain barrel, secured with cords and cut holes to access the facuet and spigot.
I wonder how the blind holds up in the elements. Perhaps this works best for a rain barrel is well under cover?
Lastly, for a slightly more advanced DIY tutorial with using pressure treated lumber, table saw and aluminum flashing, check out this thorough step-by-step YouTube video from Building with Blake.
3. Plant Around Rain Barrel
An unsightly rain barrel is easily hidden by camouflaging it with flowers in your garden. You can either plant on top of or starategically around (or both!) to disguise an unsightly rain barrel.
First, let’s tackle some ideas for planting on top of a rain barrel. The ideas below draw the eye up to the flowers versus the barrel.
Garden Watersaver (who sells rain barrel accessories here) used a combination of flowers, paint and garden decor to both enhance and camouflage this rain barrel.
Joyfrul Daisy kicked it up a notch with adding sparkle with colored wire and garden accessories. She added grapevines, hot pink curled wire, stone, and a crystal dragonfly clip really to take this rain barrel from average to awesome.
For a bit more greenery coverage, consider adding vines that will grow down and around your rain barrel, like these two options. The last one is the ulimate in camouflage! If your plants get too bushy, make sure you can still find the barrel’s spicket!
In addition to planting on TOP to hide a water barrel, considering plantings AROUND the rain barrel to camouflage like these examples.
4. Privacy Screens
A 4th option to hide a water barrel is a simple enclosure or screen. These enclosures are very similar to ones found to hide air conditioning units and trash bins.
Depending on time and budget, you can DIY a simple trellis. Or buy direct from manufacturers who offer privacy screens to hide the mess associated with AC unit covers, trash can enclosures, and pool equipment enclosures.
In addition, planting creeping ivy or clematis that will grow up the privacy screen will give the area an even more natural look.
Unfortunately the photos of the DIY projects didn’t have step-by-step tutorials with them. But you can probably find something like this on YouTube.
This one utilizes both an enclosure and garden décor (i.e. potted plants and light fixture) to hide their rain barrel This is one of my personal favs.
This set-up uses both a privacy screen and evergreen plantings to hide trash cans that can easily also hide a water barrel.
These last two privacy screens were built by the same homeowner in different parts of his property. The first set of rain barrels (black rain barrels) are hidden on the street side by an off-white privacy screen (blends nicely with the garage door), and a more rustic wooden trellis on the side.
The second set (white rain barrels) has a trellis (and creeping vines) to hide its location. BUT the additional of the platform does double duty as a potting bench! while on the backside in front of the rain barrels is an impromptu nursery with a simple piece of PVC piping that acts a rack for hanging plants.
Pretty cool, eh?
5. Move/Divert Rain Barrel
The last method to hide a water barrel is moving it to a more discrete location. Rain barrels collect water from gutters, which are usually right up against the house and in clear view.
However, rain barrel diverters allows you to route rainwater runoff away from the gutter downspout to another destination. Think if it as how trains are diverted onto different tracks. One track is the main gutter downspout, while the diverter is an off-shoot track.
Installing a diverter allows you to sneak your rain barrel around a corner or to a more un-obvious location. Here’s a photo to give you an idea of how it works to hide a water barrel.
If a diverter is a convenient way for you to hide a rain barrel, check out Garden Watersaver or these options on Amazon.
Tips for Painting Rain Barrels
Painting your rain barrel? Be sure to follow these 5 steps to ensure a sturdy paint job that will hold for years to come. Otherwise, you run the risk of the paint fading or chipping sooner than you would like.
1. Clean Barrel
Start with a clean slate. Clean the exterior with either a 1:1 mixture of vinegar and water, or a cleaner such as Dawn PowerWash.
2. Sand
Using a fine grade sandpaper, roughen up surface of the barrel. This helps the paint better adhere to the plastic barrel.
Wipe off sanding dust by rinsing with clean water. Then either dry it with a lint free cloth or leave it in the sun until dry.
3. Prime
Protect the rain barrel parts you don’t intend to paint, such as the faucet and overflow, with painter’s tape.
No need to gather paint brushes to prime, since the best primer for rain barrels are spray paints, commonly offered by Rust-Oleum or Krylon Fusion.
Apply one coat of plastic primer and allow for a sufficient drying time as per manufacturer’s instructions. The best way to apply is with a slow, back-and-forth motion with the can, slightly overlapping each coat for even layers.
If a second coat is needed, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions (usually 30 minute dry time between coats.)
As with all DIY projects, be sure to use the proper protective equipment, including gloves, safety glasses, and masks.
4. Paint
Once the primer has dried, apply the base color. If you plan to stencil or paint a design, let the barrel dry for at least 1 hour.
Sketch and paint your design with exterior acrylic paints, such as household exterior latex paint. Once applied, allow the paint to dry completely (about 48 hours).
5. Seal
Apply 2-3 coats of polyurethane or polyacrylic latex sealant. Make sure coats dry thoroughly between applications. Online artists recommend Rust-Oleum clear crystal or Krylon Fusion UV protectant spray.
Paint Supplies
Related Posts
Want to be the first to know about new posts? Be sure to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter of even Etsy! Or better yet… Subscribe below!
My monthly (admittedly sometimes more, sometimes less….) emails are like receiving a unexpected letter from an old friend WITHOUT needing to put on your slippers and walk out to your mailbox…. See? I got ya, my friend!)
[Note: My posts are proudly connected to these amazing link parties full of DIY ideas and inspiration!]