When we shared the duplex backyard makeovers last month, I promised to explain how we made the decorative oars that hang on each shed. Today I’m walking through the full process — including the mistakes to avoid — and sharing a few small hacks you asked about.
The oars weren’t part of our original plan. After the sheds were built we decided not to run electricity to them (largely for cost reasons, and because they didn’t really need it). That left an empty spot above the door that begged for something decorative.
On a HomeGoods run we found a decorative surfboard and realized that oars would be more suitable for our little beach town, where kayaking and paddle boarding are common. I looked at Etsy and other shops for ready-made oars, but most options were pricier than we wanted — we couldn’t justify spending several hundred dollars for four decorative oars.
We almost abandoned the idea, then found two decorative oars at HomeGoods for $25 each. The colors and patterns weren’t what we wanted, but paint can fix that. Before altering them we held the oars up at the shed to confirm size and shape — a quick confirmation that saved us from an irreversible change we might have regretted.
We tracked down two more oars and ended up with four for just over $100. They looked terrible together at first, so I pulled out the sander and stripped them to raw wood. Sanding took effort but transformed their appearance and prepared them for staining and paint.
Here’s a side-by-side of one oar before sanding and the same oar after. Sanding revealed clean wood that would accept stain and paint consistently.
After sanding, I stained the oars to unify their tones. I used leftover stain cans and layered colors until the tones matched well. Before painting I took a photo of the grouped oars and experimented digitally with stripe and shape patterns — a quick mock-up helped refine the design before committing paint to wood.
We pulled colors from the duplex palette — mint shutters, white siding, and muted pink and green tones from interior doors. With the mock-up as a guide, I taped off each oar using painter’s tape. I intentionally left several wood stripes exposed because every time two colors meet you must allow the first to dry before painting the second; limiting these intersections speeds the process.
I primed the taped sections first, then painted each color in turn, referencing the digital rendering while painting. Most colors were exterior-grade paints — important for outdoor durability — and were slightly stronger than interior versions because exterior light tends to wash out color. The mint was matched closely, while white, pink, and navy were exterior-ready alternatives we had on hand.
Peeling off crisp painter’s tape lines is always satisfying, and the painted oars looked great — until the sealing step taught us a hard lesson.
We applied an exterior-grade polyurethane sealer to protect the wood. Because most durable exterior sealants are oil-based, they can yellow over time. I hadn’t tested the sealer on an inconspicuous spot and, in the rush to finish before a weekend trip, applied it directly. The oil-based sealer yellowed the painted colors and, because the oars are slightly rounded, the sealer pooled in places and dried with brownish-yellow streaks and dots.
From a distance the yellowing was subtle and likely wouldn’t have been noticeable to most people, but the streaks and dulled vibrancy bothered me. The corrective step was to sand off the streaks, tape everything again, and repaint all four oars. It was extra work, but it restored the crisp color we wanted.
A key takeaway: when working with exterior paint, you often don’t need an additional sealer on painted areas. It’s wiser to seal bare wood on both sides before painting the design. Sealing the wood first makes the piece weather-resistant while avoiding sealant interactions with painted surfaces.
In the end we finished the oars and mounted them without trouble. We simply predrilled a small hole through each oar, then drove a 3″ exterior screw through the oar and siding into a stud. I avoided screwing through painted sections when possible so the fasteners blend better with the wood tones.
This process works for many outdoor wood projects: sand, stain to match tones, seal the bare wood first, then paint your design with exterior-grade paints, and mount securely. The same approach is useful for surfboards, signs, or any decorative wood piece intended for outdoor display. Adding string lights around the area is an optional finishing touch that enhances the look.
We ended up loving the final result, and the oars add personality to the sheds while standing up to the elements. To see the full duplex backyard reveal with sources and more details about the sheds, patio, and furniture, check out the duplex backyard feature on our site. If you haven’t seen the pink house backyard makeover we completed afterward, that’s another transformation worth viewing.
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