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I Need Ideas on How to Paint a Wagon

A wagon is a classic toy for kids. The most famous type of wagon for kids is probably the Radio Flyer brand, known for its fire engine red paint job, black handle and white "Radio Flyer" decal on the sides. But you don't have to be resigned to a standardized paint job on your or your child's own wagon -- there are plenty of ways to customize the look of your wagon.

Custom Wedding Paint Job
- Wagons are sometimes used in wedding ceremonies as a cute way to bring young ring-bearers into the ceremony. If the classic red color of the wagon will clash with your wedding colors consider painting over the red with a more neutral color, a white, black or beige background, for example, and detailing over that base layer with images of flowers that match or compliment your wedding colors. Adding a sweet "Just Married" on the back will make the wagon even cuter. Radio Flyer, the manufacturer of classic kids' wagons, recommends using a high-gloss outdoor enamel spray paint for wagons with steel bodies and semi-gloss outdoor enamel spray paints for wagons with wooden bodies.
Classic Wagon Paint Job
- If you don't want to decorate your wagon for a specific event like a wedding or party, but do want to customize the look and feel of the wagon, there's plenty of options available to you. A classic look might be to paint over the standard red paint job with a high-gloss black paint for a sleek and sexy feel. Leave it straight black or add a custom decal of your choosing, thin racing stripes or a colored line around the lip of the wagon to break up the black.
Hot Rod Paint Job
- For a real wild custom paint job for your wagon, take a page from the book of Arnie's Artwork in Nebraska which has designed a custom hot rod Radio Flyer wagon. The base paint is a rich maroon and over that orange and yellow hot rod flames lick at the sides of the wagon. Arnie's wagon is customized beyond the paint job with stylized exhaust manifolds, a racing-style steering wheel on the wagon handle and a high-backed seat added on, but you could stop at the paint job.
Fourth of July Sailor's Wagon
- For a quick and fun way to customize your wagon without having to wait for a custom paint job to dry, Disney FamilyFun recommends using cardboard and colored duct tape to make a celebratory Fourth of July wagon. Using three or four long pieces of cardboard taped together, wrap the cardboard around the wagon so that it encircles the wagon and sticks up a bit above the wagon's sides. Now, using a roll of red, a roll of white and a roll of blue duct tape, begin to wrap the cardboard using one color at a time. Start with white, then add blue then add red and soon you'll have a cute and patriotic customized wagon.

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