Cornhole Paint Ideas

Press for three cornhole board designs, each with its colors and where it sits on the board.

Show all 50
  1. Score strip of numerals down one long edgeBlack, white. Small numerals from 0 at the front edge up to 21 near the hole, for a clip marker. Number stencil.
  2. Chevrons pointing at the holeTwo colors, white. Taped V shapes a hand wide, every point aimed up the board at the hole. Tape.
  3. Guitar body around the hole, six strings to the front edgeTan, brown, black, white. The hole is the sound hole; string lines run from it over a darker neck. Tape, liner brush.

All 50 designs

The hole is part of the picture 14

  • Bathtub seen from above, the hole as its drain White, pale blue, yellow. A rounded tub outline fills the board; water swirls toward the hole; a yellow duck. Stencil.
  • Eclipse with the hole as the dark moon Black, white, pale yellow. A soft white corona sponged around the hole on black; a few pale stars lower down. Sponge.
  • Frozen lake, a fishing line running up into the hole White, pale blue, gray. The line runs from the front edge to the hole; a gray fish shadow under the ice. Liner brush.
  • Golf green with the hole as the cup Two greens, white, red. Mown stripes down the board in two greens; a flagstick and red flag above the hole. Tape.
  • Guitar body around the hole, six strings to the front edge Tan, brown, black, white. The hole is the sound hole; string lines run from it over a darker neck. Tape, liner brush.
  • Hoop seen from above, the hole inside the rim Orange, white, black. An orange ring around the hole, a backboard line behind it, a court key toward the front. Tape.
  • Knothole in a painted tree trunk, a squirrel beside it Browns, gray, cream. Bark lines run the length of the board and bend around the hole; a squirrel below it. Liner brush.
  • Pond ripples spreading out from the hole Blues, white, green. White rings around the hole, wider apart toward the front edge; lily pads low down. String compass.
  • Rail tunnel with tracks running to the front edge Gray, brown, green, black. A stone arch painted around the hole; two rails widen toward the front edge. Tape.
  • Rays taped from the hole's rim out to all four edges Yellow, orange, white. Straight rays widen from the hole's rim to the edges of the board, two colors in turn. Tape.
  • Sewing needle, the hole as its eye, thread to the front edge Silver, gray, red. The needle runs up the middle, point at the front edge; a red thread loops out of the hole. Tape.
  • Star swirl spiraling into the hole, a black hole in space Navy, purple, white. A sponged purple spiral tightens toward the hole; white stars flicked over it. Sponge.
  • Stone well seen from above, a bucket rope to the rim Grays, blue, brown. A ring of stone blocks around the hole; a rope and a bucket painted to one side. Sponge, liner.
  • Whale with the hole as its blowhole Blue, pale blue, white. The whale's back fills the board; white spray lines fan from the hole to the back edge. Stencil.

Stripes and geometry 12

  • Center stripe that splits and passes around the hole One base color, two stripe colors. A wide stripe up the middle parts into two thin ones at the hole. Tape.
  • Checkerboard fading out toward the back edge Black, white. Full squares at the front edge; skip more squares in each row until none are left by the hole. Tape.
  • Chevrons pointing at the hole Two colors, white. Taped V shapes a hand wide, every point aimed up the board at the hole. Tape.
  • Corner-to-corner split with a pinstripe on the line Two colors, white. One diagonal from a front corner to the opposite back corner; a white line along it. Tape.
  • Diagonal bands mirrored left and right across the pair Three colors. Bands at one slant on the first board and the opposite slant on the second. Tape.
  • Five bands from light at the front to dark at the hole One color mixed in five tints. Even bands across the board, the darkest behind the hole. Tape.
  • Frame border with a pinstripe inside it One base color, one trim color. A border three fingers wide all around; one thin line inside it. Tape.
  • Herringbone planks in two wood tones Two brown stains or paints, black. Short slanted planks in zigzag columns, a thin dark line between. Tape.
  • Honeycomb cells thinning toward the hole Yellow, gold, white. A full sheet of hexagons at the front edge, single cells drifting off by the hole. Stencil.
  • Long triangles pointing up the board from the front edge Two colors. Five narrow triangles stand on the front edge; their tips stop level with the hole. Tape.
  • Nested rectangles shrinking toward the hole Four colors. Each rectangle sits inside the last and is pulled toward the back edge; the hole is in the smallest. Tape.
  • Two widths of plaid bands crossing the whole board Red, black, white. Wide bands both ways first; thin white lines on top when dry. Tape.

Matched pairs 12

  • Acorn on one board, the grown oak on the other Browns, greens. One large acorn fills the first board; a full oak fills the second, its trunk in the same spot. Stencil.
  • Bee board and flower board Yellow, black, pink, green. A big bee on one board; a big bloom on the other, its stem to the front edge. Stencil.
  • Color swap, one board in each of your two colors Two colors. The same stripe or border on both, with the two colors trading places. Tape.
  • Fire board and ice board Reds, orange, pale blues, white. Flames rise from the front edge of one; frost crystals creep over the other. Sponge.
  • Mountain range that carries on from board to board Blues, white, gray. The ridge line leaves one board and enters the next at the same height. Tape for the ridges.
  • One long fish, head on one board and tail on the other Green, orange, white. The fish lines up when the boards are side by side; scales with a half-circle stencil.
  • Padlock board and key board, the hole as the keyhole Gold, gray. A padlock on one board, the hole as its keyhole; a long key on the other, the hole in its bow. Stencil.
  • Rainbow that leaves one board and lands on the other Six colors, sky blue. Half an arc on each board; the bands meet when the boards touch. String compass.
  • Rocket on one board, its planet on the other Navy, white, red, orange. The rocket points off its board toward a ringed planet painted around the other hole.
  • Shoreline across the pair: sand on one, surf on the other Tan, teal, white. The waterline wanders across both boards and joins when they stand side by side. Sponge.
  • Sun board and rain board with a cloud split between them Yellow, gray, blue, white. Half a cloud on each inner edge; sun rays on one board, rain dashes on the other.
  • Tortoise board and hare board Greens, brown, gray, white. The tortoise plods toward its hole, the hare sprints toward its own. Stencil.

Names and dates 12

  • A word of your own with the hole as its O Two colors. Pick a word with an O and letter it across the board so the hole is that letter. Letter stencil.
  • Birthday age in numerals, confetti trailing to the hole Bright colors, white. Two big block numerals in the middle of the board; dots of every color above. Stencil, swab.
  • Cabin or lake name down the center White on a dark stain. Words of your own in block capitals, read from the front edge toward the hole. Letter stencil.
  • Class year split across the pair Your two school colors. Two numerals on each board, read left to right when they stand together. Number stencil.
  • Each side's player names lettered down its own board Two colors. One side's names on each board, a thin line between them, clear of the hole. Paint pen.
  • Family name curving under the hole One dark color on a light board. The name follows an arc a hand below the hole. Letter stencil.
  • Pet's name with paw prints walking to the hole Two colors. Prints wander from the front edge up to the hole; the name sits beside the last one. Paw stencil.
  • Reunion year over a column of first names Three colors. The year across the top under the hole; the names below it, one to a line. Paint pen.
  • Score strip of numerals down one long edge Black, white. Small numerals from 0 at the front edge up to 21 near the hole, for a clip marker. Number stencil.
  • Signpost up the board, each arm naming a place of your own Brown, white, black. A brown post up the board; three white arrow boards with your own place names. Tape, paint pen.
  • Single initial below the hole inside a laurel ring Two colors. One large letter in the upper half of the board, ringed by a leaf wreath. Stencil, liner brush.
  • Year in tall numerals up the middle of the board Two colors. Four numerals stacked, read from the throwing end; the hole sits above the first. Number stencil.

How it works

A cornhole board is 24 inches wide and 48 long, with a 6-inch hole centered 9 inches from the back edge, and boards come in pairs. These 50 designs use the hole, the long shape or the pair.

Read the full guide

The hole is in the picture

Fourteen designs are built around the hole. Guitar body around the hole, six strings to the front edge turns the opening into a sound hole, and Eclipse with the hole as the dark moon uses the opening as it is. Twelve more are stripes and geometry, eleven of them tape only, such as Chevrons pointing at the hole.

Two boards, one design

Matched pairs treats the set as one picture or as two halves of an idea: One long fish, head on one board and tail on the other lines up when the boards stand side by side. Under Names and dates every word and numeral is your own.

Questions and answers

What kind of paint do you use on cornhole boards?

Acrylic paint is fast-drying, and most kinds are water-based and become water-resistant when dry. Which paint or clear coat stands up to sliding bags and weather is on its label: we do not test paints.

How big is a cornhole board?

It is 24 inches wide and 48 inches long, and the hole is 6 inches across, centered 9 inches from the back edge. That leaves a short strip behind the hole and a long run in front of it, where most of each design sits.

Can I paint a team logo on cornhole boards?

None of the 50 uses a team, league, school or brand mark: those belong to their owners. Color swap, one board in each of your two colors gives a pair in your colors with nothing but tape.

Do the two boards have to match?

No. The 12 designs under Matched pairs differ on purpose, a sun board and a rain board for one, and any other design can be painted twice or mirrored.