I love a good challenge almost as much as I love painting…so when I was asked to paint a more than 30-foot long Picket Fence Mural for an eatery called “Burrito Barn,” I jumped at the opportunity. Little did I know HOW challenging it would be! It wasn’t just the sheer size that proved difficult…it was painting on a coarse wood surface…trying to maintain a cohesive look when there were breaks in the fence every few inches…and, did I mention, the wind was blowing the fence the entire time!?! Now that it’s done, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief, take in the scenery, and enjoy a good burrito.
As you can probably tell from the “Before” photo, the Burrito Barn is a permanently parked food truck. The owner not only caters to all the farm workers in the area, but to hundreds of employees in neighboring industrial buildings. So, he wanted a cartoon-style picket fence mural to give them something fun to look at while they grab a bite to eat and take a break from work.
It was a brand new picket fence so I didn’t need to worry about power washing it first. Instead, I started with primer. I used a Killz latex primer and my new paint sprayer, being careful to protect the ground and, of course, the food truck from any over-spray.
Next, I started painting. With so much space to fill, I painted barn animals, hay bales, and sunflowers…anything that would add to the country scenery but still fit the scale. I used bright paint colors to tie in with the paint job on the food truck.
Once I was done, I finished it off with a protective, clear top coat by Minwax called “spar urethane.” It provides more protection from the sun, rain, and temperature changes than regular poly urethane, but it’s also a bit pricey.
This Picket Fence Mural wound up taking four days to complete. I was trying to be mindful of when customers would be there, and again, I was dealing with a considerable amount of wind. But overall, I was happy with the results because the owner loved it. He’s now bringing in live music on Friday nights to complete the “Burrito Barn” atmosphere. 
Wow Marcy, that turned out so nice. I especially love the scripture, if you committ your business to the Lord, he will bless it. I would like to know what town Burrito Barn is in.
Thanks, Sylvia. I loved the scripture, too. The Burrito Barn is in Buckeye, Arizona.
Wow! I love it all- especially the cute little pink pig. What an inviting atmosphere & the food looks good too!
I have a friend who wants me to paint her a mural on her fence. It’s 6 ft x8ft. It’s a giant sunflower. How do I go about pricing for this project?
Thanks for the inspiration. We have a fence that our airbnb guests see when they eat breakfast. Now you’ve motivated me to paint a beautiful mural on it to brighten it up. Love the scripture too.