REFUGE stacked down the foot, AND STRENGTH on the barSlate, cream. Two words along the bar; six letters stacked below the crossing, one to a line. Flat brush. Psalm 46:1.
REJOICE AND BE GLAD lettered along a side edgeNavy front, white edges, navy pen. The front stays plain; the words run down one side edge of the upright. Psalm 118:24.
Swallow in flight filling the cross, wings along the barPale blue, navy, rust, white. Head on the top arm, a wing down each side arm, the forked tail at the foot.
AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE stacked down a door-side crossWhite, charcoal. The words stacked down the upright, AND MY on the bar where it is widest. Flat brush. Joshua 24:15.
FOLLOW ME reading up the foot toward the crossingTan, dark brown. Two words read upward from the base; the bar and the top arm stay plain. Flat brush. Luke 9:23.
HE CARES FOR YOU on the bar, a small heart at the footCream, red, gray. Four words in capitals along the bar; one red heart low on the upright. Paint pen. 1 Peter 5:7.
I AM WITH YOU on the bar, ALWAYS turned down the footSage, white. Four words along the bar; the fifth reads downward below the crossing. Paint pen. Matthew 28:20.
IT IS FINISHED across the bar in plain capitalsBare wood, black. One word on each side arm and one on the crossing; the upright stays bare. Paint pen. John 19:30.
LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD down, LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR acrossCream, brown. One line reads down the upright, the other along the bar. Liner brush. Matthew 22:37, Matthew 22:39.
MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT in script through the crossingDusty blue, white. One flowing line along the bar, a word resting on the crossing. Liner brush. 2 Corinthians 12:9.
PEACE in five capitals from the top arm to the footPale blue, white. One letter to a line down the upright; the side arms stay plain. "Peace I leave with you", John 14:27.
Reference alone on the crossing, in small figuresBare wood, white, black pen. A white square where the beams meet holds the book, chapter and verse, such as John 3:16.
REFUGE stacked down the foot, AND STRENGTH on the barSlate, cream. Two words along the bar; six letters stacked below the crossing, one to a line. Flat brush. Psalm 46:1.
REJOICE AND BE GLAD lettered along a side edgeNavy front, white edges, navy pen. The front stays plain; the words run down one side edge of the upright. Psalm 118:24.
WIDTH AND LENGTH AND HEIGHT AND DEPTH, a word on each armWhite, navy. HEIGHT on the top arm, DEPTH on the foot, WIDTH and LENGTH on the side arms. Paint pen. Ephesians 3:18.
Flowers, trees and birds 12
Cherry stems joined at the crossing, fruit low on the footCream, red, green, brown. Two stems start where the beams meet and part on the way down; one leaf lies along the bar.
Cross as a tree: roots at the foot, leafy boughs on the armsTan, brown, greens. Bark lines up the upright; roots fan out at the base; leaves fill the side arms and the top arm.
Dogwood bloom on the crossing, one white bract on each armSage, white, yellow-green. Four notched white bracts, one along each arm; a small green cluster in the center.
Flower garland swagged below the bar, tied at both arm endsWhite, pinks, green. A garland hangs in a curve from one arm end to the other, crossing the upright. Round brush.
Four lavender sprigs, one on each arm, stems to the centerWhite, purple, gray-green. Each flower tip points to an end; the four stems meet on the crossing. Cotton swab dots.
Long-stemmed tulip: bloom on top, a leaf on each side armCream, red, green. The stem runs down the upright; each side arm is one long leaf, its tip at the arm end.
Owl sitting on the bar under a crescent moon on the top armNavy, brown, cream, yellow. The owl sits on the crossing facing out, a thin moon above it; stars along both side arms.
Pair of wrens standing on the bar, beaks toward the uprightSky blue, brown, cream. One bird near each arm end on a twig line along the lower edge of the bar, tails cocked up.
Swallow in flight filling the cross, wings along the barPale blue, navy, rust, white. Head on the top arm, a wing down each side arm, the forked tail at the foot.
Three small flower pots standing in a row on the barCream, terracotta, green, pinks. Pots stand on a line along the lower edge of the bar; one stem trails down the upright.
Two olive branches, one down the upright and one on the barCream, olive, dark green. Paired leaves along each branch; the two stems cross where the beams cross. Liner brush.
Wildflower bunch tied at the crossing, ribbon along the armsCream, greens, pinks. Blooms up the top arm, stems down the foot; a bow on the crossing, a ribbon tail on each side arm.
Patterns and finishes 12
Chevrons pointing out from the crossing along every armCharcoal, mustard, white. V shapes march away from the center on all four arms, their points aimed at the ends.
Color deepening from the crossing out to all four endsOne color plus white. Palest where the beams meet, a step darker toward each end. Blend with a damp flat brush.
Dark-washed upright under a pale bar, grain showing throughBrown wash, honey wash. Thin each color so the grain shows; the bar is painted last, as if it lay on top.
Diamond rows down the upright and along the bar, sharing oneWhite, coral, gray. A row of diamonds as wide as the beam on each beam; the diamond on the crossing belongs to both.
Every arm halved lengthwise in two colors, a pinwheel centerTeal, cream. Each arm is half teal, half cream along its length, the teal half always on the clockwise side. Tape.
Fine rays fanning from the crossing to every endDeep blue, gold. Thin gold lines start at one point on the crossing and spread along all four arms. Liner brush.
Four arms in four colors, mitered where they meetFour colors that sit well together. Each arm one flat color; the joins run corner to corner over the crossing. Tape.
Four tips in one bright color, taped square to the beamsBare wood, one bright color. Tape across each arm the same distance from its end; paint the tips, leave the rest wood.
One thinned coat per beam, the crossing two coats deepOne color, thinned. A coat the length of the upright, left to dry, then one along the bar; the crossing turns darker.
Only the crossing square painted, the four arms left bareBare wood, one deep color. Tape off the square where the beams meet and fill it; nothing else. Flat brush.
Patchwork star where the beams meet, its tips on the armsCream, red, navy. An eight-point quilt star on the crossing; four of its points run out onto the arms. Tape.
Stripes on both beams, woven over and under at the crossingWhite, two blues. Lengthwise stripes on the upright and on the bar; where they meet, alternate which lies on top.
Keepsakes and seasons 12
Advent cross: a painted flame added to one end each SundayDeep blue, yellow, orange. All blue to start; a small candle flame goes on a new end on each of the four Sundays.
Baptism keepsake: the name down the upright, the date acrossWhite, pale blue, gray. Name in capitals down the upright, date on the bar, three wavy blue lines across the foot.
Christmas cross: evergreen bough on the bar, a red uprightDeep red, greens, white. Needle strokes both ways from a stem along the bar; three white berries on the crossing.
Class gift: every child's thumbprint down the uprightWhite, brights, black pen. One print per child from the top arm to the foot, initials beside each; a name on the bar.
First communion cross: a wheat ear and two grape bunchesCream, gold, purple, green. The wheat ear runs up the upright; a grape bunch hangs low on each side arm.
Mother's Day cross: one painted flower per child on the barWhite, greens, a flower color per child. A row of simple flowers along the bar, a first name lettered under each.
Nursery cross lettered I PRAYED FOR THIS CHILDWhite, one pastel, gray. The words down the upright, one to a line; the birth date small on the bar. 1 Samuel 1:27.
Palm Sunday cross: a palm frond fanning along each side armCream, two greens. Each frond's stem starts at the crossing; leaf strokes flick out toward the arm end. John 12:13.
Plant-pot cross with the lower foot left bare for the soilAny two colors. Paint from the top down and stop above the part that goes into the pot; one stripe marks the line.
Remembrance cross: a name down the upright, two years acrossSoft gray, white. The name reads down the upright; the first year on the left arm, the last on the right. Paint pen.
Team cross: plain front, every signature on the backOne flat color, white paint pen. The front in a single color; names fill the back of both beams, the year at the foot.
Wedding gift cross: a first name on each arm, the date belowWhite, gold. One name on each side arm, two linked gold rings on the crossing, the date lettered down the foot.
How it works
A plain wooden cross is a long upright and a shorter bar. Many of these 48 wooden cross painting ideas start at the square where the two meet, and each gives its colors, where the paint goes and the tool.
Read the full guide
Start at the crossing
The square where the beams meet is the center of a design. Dogwood bloom on the crossing, one white bract on each arm fits because a dogwood flower head has four bracts. Only the crossing square painted, the four arms left bare is one taped square and one color.
Painted wooden cross ideas for a gift
The keepsakes group holds 12, such as Baptism keepsake: the name down the upright, the date across and Wedding gift cross: a first name on each arm, the date below. Team cross: plain front, every signature on the back uses the side nobody paints.
Questions and answers
What kind of paint do you use on a wooden cross?
Acrylic is a fast-drying paint; most kinds are water-based and turn water-resistant once dry. For a cross kept outdoors, the paint and sealer labels say what each is made for; this list tests neither.
Which wooden cross designs are easy?
The Easy group marks 15. Four tips in one bright color, taped square to the beams and Four arms in four colors, mitered where they meet need tape and flat color; PEACE in five capitals from the top arm to the foot is five letters.
Which Bible verses fit on a wooden cross?
Short ones that follow its shape. WIDTH AND LENGTH AND HEIGHT AND DEPTH, a word on each arm is Ephesians 3:18, and IT IS FINISHED across the bar in plain capitals is John 19:30. The wording is the World English Bible's, read 3 October 2026.
What do you write on a wooden cross for a new baby?
A few words and a date. Nursery cross lettered I PRAYED FOR THIS CHILD takes its words from 1 Samuel 1:27 and puts the birth date on the bar.