At this point you’ve probably all seen the big front porch makeover that we recently completed for the 48-Hour Challenge with Better Homes & Gardens and Home Depot. And now we’re back with a super simple tutorial for anyone looking to spruce up an old timeworn wood deck or breathe new life into a seen-better-days front porch. Back when we decided to pull the paint trigger on our front porch, we actually opted to go with some subtle tan and cream stripes. Here’s how it all went down.
Step 1: Pick A Color… Or In Our Case, Colors. We took home a bunch of paint swatches and laid them out on the porch floor so we could look at them in the same natural light that the front of our house gets every day. Looking at a number of tan and cream swatches in place helped us to decide that Behr’s Harvest Brown (tan) and Ralph Lauren’s Greenwich (cream) were the perfect combination, so we had them both color matched to a gallon each of Behr Porch & Floor Paint (which is meant to handle foot traffic and exterior conditions). We were given the choice of a glossy paint finish or a flat one and we opted for the flat finish since we reasoned that it would be less slick in wet conditions so that’s definitely something to consider for your project as well (we’ve since marched around the deck in the rain and we’re happy to report that it’s the same texture as unpainted wood).
Step 2: Hose Things Down. You want your deck to be nice and clean before applying the paint, so you may want to scrub things down with a wood cleaner (available at Home Depot or Lowe’s) before you get down to the business of painting (especially if you have severe mildew or grease and oil stains anywhere on your deck or porch). Our deck was already pretty clean, so we just sprayed each plank down at close range with a hose and a nozzle that was set on “full spray” which blasted any pollen, old acorn pieces and other debris off of the deck for a nice clean slate. We also used a flat head screw driver to knock out any rocks or leaves from between the wood planks before we cracked open the paint. Here’s our porch right before we hosed her down:
Step 3: Protect The House. You’ll definitely want to use blue painter’s tape to tape off the side of the house that meets the deck or porch so you have no worries about getting any of your floor paint on the siding, stucco or brick facade of your home. This will give you a nice clean line when you remove the tape, and it’ll also make it a lot easier to paint each plank of wood without worrying about staying in the lines. At this point you can get out a good quality angled brush (it’s much better than a roller since it’ll get in the cracks between the wood) and your paint because it’s go time… as long as the deck is thoroughly dry from your hosing off session (the last thing you want to do is attempt to paint moist wood).
Step 4: Start Painting. In our case we had two colors of paint, so we opened them both and used two different brushes to apply each stripe of color (being especially careful not to mix up the brush and the correlating can of paint). Whenever you’re painting a floor you have to strategically start painting at a point that makes it easy to paint yourself out of the area, and in this case we started at one end of the deck and worked our way to the center where the stairs are:
Step 5: Keep Painting. I’m not gonna lie. The striped effect took a substantial amount of time, so just keep at it and paint each plank and listen to your iPod and get into a rhythm so you’re not constantly thinking “two down, fifty nine to go”- which can really kill the excitement factor.
Step 6: Plan Your Escape. I decided early on that in the case of our front porch, the best approach would be to paint myself to the front steps and then stop and restart from the opposite corner of the deck so I could finish by painting myself down the front steps and enter the house from the back door while the front dried. Due to the striped effect it meant one thing. It was IMPERATIVE that I correctly calculated which planks would be tan and which planks would be cream so I could accurately restart painting at the opposite end of the deck without messing up my pattern (I counted “tan, cream, tan, cream” down each plank three times just to be sure before I grabbed my brushes and went to town).
Step 7: Be Edgy. After I painted myself off the front porch, you can see in the picture above that I still had to paint the side of the wood planks all around the porch for a finished look. I opted to stick to tan on the sides of each plank instead of alternating so that only the top of the planks boasted alternating colors while the side/front of the decking was all tan for a crisp look (which was a lot easier to apply than alternating colors would have been).
Step 8: Dance it out. You’re Done! Once you paint the edge of your wood planks all around the perimeter of your porch or deck, you’re finished. Well, assuming one coat does the trick like it did with ours. We actually liked the subtly weathered look of one coat, but for a super solid and opaque effect you might want to apply a second coat 24+ hours later when it’s safe to walk on the deck or porch again.
Oh and you may have noticed two photos up that we’d previously painted the front of our steps and the wide plank of wood around the deck in the same tan tone that we used for our stripes. This is an excellent way to accent a front porch and break up a whole lotta wood, so if anyone’s on the fence about painting their entire porch or deck, painting just the fronts of the steps and the trim around it can be a super simple way to add a bit of crispness to your entryway (speaking about the fence: we’ve now a roller barrier). Here’s the before picture of the front steps totally bare last fall:
To keep the paint from getting on the actual planks of the stairs, you can tape things off or even use a piece of cardboard to block any drips or accidental swipes like we did below:
Here’s a picture of the front of the steps after we painted them tan along with the wood “front” that encircles the porch. It took less than an hour and we didn’t even have to use porch and floor paint since it didn’t need to withstand foot traffic (we just grabbed some leftover trim paint from the railings and went to town without spending a dime). The lesson? Whether you’re interested in adding a little bit of zing with some painted porch “trim”…
…or a whole lotta polish and personality with a painted (and maybe even a striped) porch floor, there’s really nothing hard about either process. If you can paint a wall, you can definitely paint a deck or a porch floor… and you’ll be doing the happy dance in no time.
Wanna learn more about floor painting? Check out two old tutorials to learn how to stain a concrete floor or even paint one for a more polished and finished effect.
Melissa says
It really does look so much lighter and airy with the newly painted front porch. We have to work on our front porch this summer and back deck as well. The spindles on our porch are blue and the back deck is a shade of light blue. The previous owners really loved blue as nearly every room in the house is a shade of blue as well, which is also on our to paint list.
JM says
Great tip with the painter’s tape. The homeowners before us painted their front, back and side steps without using a tape barrier and now we have splotches or gray paint all over our siding around those doors. It’s not so attractive and welcoming to guests :)
Great tutorial! I just wish I had a front porch to use it on.
Liz says
Love it! Makes me wish I had a deck to paint. :) Looks really beautiful.
heather s. says
For the best results you should have cleaned the deck with an actual deck/wood cleaner rather than just water before painting. I noticed you still had mildew on the steps after you sprayed it down with just water. One of my neighbors painted their porch and had stains seep through since they didn’t fully prepare the surface first. Preparation is the most important part of painting anything – whether it is a door, wall or deck. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Heather S- Great point! The mildew you saw on the deck stairs was actually something that we worried about seeping through the paint, but last fall when we painted the front of our steps and the trim around the deck we waited and waited for the mildew that we painted over to show through. And it didn’t. Using porch and floor paint gave us even more insurance that any mildew spots were a thing of the past (it’s a stronger formula built to stand up to wear and tear so it’s tougher than the normal exterior trim paint that we used last fall on the front of the steps). True to our suspicions, nothing has ever come through. But of course it never hurts to be extra thorough, so anyone with oil stains or severe mildew might want to scrub down their deck with wood cleaner before taking this project on!
Rev- Also a good point about the cream color holding up without looking dirty. We definitely had the same worry in the beginning of the project, but we reasoned that concrete is a light tan, gray or beige color (the floor of our garage is a pale taupe concrete) and it actually stands up pretty well to foot traffic and dirt. We also reasoned that people would just be walking up our slate walkway so it’s not like they’d be jumping in mud puddles on their way to the front door. We’ve actually had a pretty rainy spring and the front porch still looks flawless (no mud marks or foot prints) except for the thin coat of yellow pollen that’s covering everything (yuck!) which can easily be hosed off at the end of pollen season. Whew.
xoxo,
Sherry
Rev says
Great tutorial. Love the look, but I wonder if the cream is such a good idea fo r outside. It’s gonna be interesting seeing how that cream paint holds up under foot traffic – I think its going to look dirty very quickly! Either that, or your gonna constantly be cleaning it.
Lyndsey says
I love it! I wish my front porch was wood. It’s concrete. I will need your assistance in the future :)
Rachel says
I love the escape! Thanks for sharing your process, this is great information. I’ll be linking.
Rowan says
For peace of mind for keeping track of which plank is which colour when painting from each end, I would make a small letter mark using chalk to indicate if it were to be T or C before beginning painting.
Now if only I had a porch to paint!
Tanya says
I love the stripes. They are so fresh!
SSM says
Looks great.
JM-You can get graffiti cleaner type stuff at any home improvement store to help clean up paint spills. We have the same issue and I just bought some. I haven’t used it yet, but hopefully it’ll do the trick.
Noelle says
Looks awesome. I paint a lot, and I’m a huge fan of the roller. Could you have, first, rollered every other plank, (without caring about getting it on the opposite planks). Then after those dried, could you have slid newspaper or something down each side of the plank, creased it so it lays flat, and then rollered away again? Then moved the paper over to the next one. The crease would protect the first set of painted planks, and hopefully, not fall through the crack. I’m a laaazy girl, so just a thought.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Noelle,
Your theory sounds totally doable except for one small detail. Our planks aren’t actually pressed together extremely tightly, so it was important for us to use a brush to actually get into the cracks between each board so when you stood up and surveyed the porch you wouldn’t see strips of unpainted wood peeking through each crack. By getting in there with a brush it really made the whole thing look expertly painted and polished (even from afar- there were no slivers of wood peeking through anymore). You certainly could have painted in between each beam with a brush first and then tried your rolling method once the areas between the beams had dried. I wouldn’t recommend newspaper though, since ink can rub off on you and your new paint job, but we love using cardboard to protect things from paint (as we did when we painted the front of the stairs last fall). Hope it helps! We’re laaaazy too sometimes so we totally understand!
xoxo,
Sherry
KK says
Question for my über fabulous friend: what type of paint do I use on my cement front porch? And do you have any tips on how to up the ante on style if there are no slats to work with?
YoungHouseLove says
Hi KK!
Good question! We painted our cement sunroom a while back so hopefully this old tutorial will help when it comes to selecting paint and materials. As for how to up the style ante, I love the idea of using a stencil for some seriously stunning results (check out the amazing stenciled cement patio in this house that we crashed a while back). Hope it helps! The last step of the project is sending us the before and after pics of course!
xoxo,
Sherry
BeverlyDesigner says
Painted floors rock! Wayyyy better than the unpainted version, great job. I would say that aesthetics need to take a back seat to functionality therefore two coats of paint is recommended not only for serviceablity but for continuity. I also recommend a primer coat to guarantee excellent adhesion. It’s been proven that the best combination for longevity is an oil based primer followed by two top coats of latex finish paint. My house has a painted kitchen floor and even though it is as busy as Grand Central Station, it has stood up like iron.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey BeverlyDesigner,
That’s so funny because our foolproof method when it comes to painting furniture and even kitchen cabinets is always oil-based primer followed by two coats of latex paint, but when it comes to flooring we definitely have experienced increased durability with a specially formulated “Porch & Floor” concoction (which we’ve used both outside on the porch and also on our concrete sunroom floor a while back- it’s held up gorgeously in a deep chocolate brown).
The perk of a specifically formulated Porch & Floor product is that it can hold up indoors or outdoors which really adds to the toughness and it sticks better, lasts longer, and goes on thicker (hence our departure from the prime, paint, paint method that we use for every other project we’ve ever done)! I would never have thought that regular latex paint on the floor would hold up at all (especially outside), even if it’s primed correctly and applied in two coats. I guess there’s more than one way to skin a cat- or paint a porch for that matter!
xoxo,
Sherry
coco+kelley says
LOVE that you went with subtle stripes!! so fun, but not overwhelming either… and just in time for some summertime front porch sittin! My teensy patio is the next project on my list!
megan says
I love your porch redo and the alternating painted boards. It makes it so fresh and lively!
Donna Rose says
So! you can use porch paint on treated deck wood? will this hold up in the North East,with our winters in New York State?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Donna,
If your deck is so treated that water beads on it you might have to powerwash it (or use a chemical wood cleaner/stripper) before painting it to create a less glossy surface for the paint to adhere to. As for how it will hold up to the harsh winters up north, I imagine it won’t be quite as durable if it’s taking a real beating, but deck and porch paint is made to withstand lots of foot traffic and outdoor conditions (hot, cold, rain, etc) so I’d imagine today’s formulas are great. Bottom line: you might have to touch things up every five years or so but I’d imagine you’d be happy with the result. Hope it helps!
xo,
Sherry
Kirk says
Hello,
you mentioned that the paint used was Behr and was formulated to allow for foot traffic? I have a massive deck to paint and I must paint it as it was already painted by the previous owners. It was impossible to strip off all the old paint, but we did the best we could an its now ready… I was told by the person at the Sherwin Williams store not to Kilz prime the bare wood ares as the paint wasnt formulated to have foot traffic..so my question is does the behr paint have primer in it…
If so Ill be looking for it at Home Depot
nice job
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kirk,
What you need is oil-based porch and floor paint which is meant for foot traffic and is strong enough to serve as it’s own primer all in one application since it’s meant to stand up to bad weather and lots of walking. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Nancy says
I wonder if you have any ideaas about painting between the cracks. I have an enormous deck that I just changed from gray to the same color as my Brasilia Trex. I used a 7″ sponge brush on the end of a broom handle and it worked perfectly, but the thought of being on my knees to go back and paint all the cracks by hand is overwhelming. They must make something that would go between cracks and allow you to stand up at same time. Nancy
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Nancy,
We painted our desk sitting on our bottoms and scooting around so we don’t really have any experience with getting between the cracks while standing. I’d ask the paint professional at Home Depot or Lowe’s though because I’m sure there’s some pole contraption with an attachment that might just do the trick. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Laurie says
Looks great!! I have a question my patio is much bigger can i roll it?? and there in no cover so would i use a oil base also
or would i use deck and porch paint?
Thanks
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Laurie,
Definitely use something formulated for a deck & porch so it can withstand foot traffic (it also might be oil-based for maximum exterior protection). You can certainly roll it but you might want to use a paint brush to get into those cracks between the slats that the roller might miss. Feel free to ask the paint people at Lowe’s or Home Depot for help if you arrive and get stumped looking at all the options. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Emily H says
We actually did the exact same thing to our deck this weekend – it looks so good that we are thinking about duplicating it on our back deck! Thanks for the great idea!
Emily H says
Sherry –
Quick question, as I posted on Aug 4th, we did almost the exact same color scheme on our porch and it does look great, but we’ve noticed it gets dirty really quickly (and the light colors really seem to attract bugs) Any thoughts on how to keep it clean and/or keep the bugs away? Thanks for the advice!
Emily
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Emily,
We have a hose nearby that we use to water our plants so I usually give the deck a quick spray-down from time to time to get it looking like new again. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Sarah S says
Hey Youngsters,
I was just searching through your site to find your floor paintings tips and came across this post again. I noticed that the links at the end of the post both go to the staining tutorial (since I was looking for the painting tutorial!).
Thanks for all the work you showcase on the blog. I’m painting my porch floor and railing this week – here’s hoping it looks as good as your projects!
YoungHouseLove says
Fixed that link for ya. Thanks so much for the heads up! You can also find a whole bunch of our painting and decorating tutorials on our How To page. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Lindsay says
Hi guys,
I’ve been stressing over the worn look of our deck and I’m starting to think maybe painting it would be the way to go. The deck was already there when we bought the house, but unfortunately, the previous owners didn’t feel the need to ever stain it, so you can imagine what it looks like now. It’s still structurally sound and of course it would cost big bucks to rip up all the wood and start over, but most of the planks have some cracks. I’ve considered sanding it down and slapping some stain on it, but I’m afraid it wouldn’t camouflage the imperfections as well as paint. So what do you think, is painting a go?
IF you do think painting might be worth a try, I’ll need some help with colors. I love the colors you guys picked, put we have white siding so I think such a light color would look a little too washed out. We have a red roof and red shutters, but red is a strong color and I don’t want the house looking too monocromatic. I love blues and greys, so I was thinking something along those lines. Whatcha think?
You can see our house and deck on our blog: http://www.redshuttercottage.blogspot.com. Thanks in advance!!
YoungHouseLove says
I think painting it a nice blue-gray color is a great idea! Just visit your local home improvement store to look at colors (you might want to bring back the leaflet of swatches to hold them up against your house). Paint definitely hides flaws in wood more than stain would, but they also make some pretty saturated blue-gray stain that also might look weathered and lovely so you should definitely look at those swatches too and see what you think. Either way I’m sure it’ll turn out great. Good luck!
xo,
s
Blair says
Hi guys- I just stumbled upon your brilliant blog last week as I was Googling how-to information on painting furniture. I was immediately addicted and shocked to find out you are located here in Richmond! How fun! Anyway, I have been truly inspired by your home improvements. My husband and I are getting ready to put our house on the market, but want to make some inexpensive improvements before doing so. One thing we are considering is painting the front porch, but I am terrified I will pick the wrong color. I would love to do a tan color, but am concerned that it will not look good with the white trim and columns. I love the colors you used for your front porch, but we have these three wide columns that are white and I am having a really hard time visualizing what the tan or cream would look like against them. The house is brick, the shutters and door are black and the trim is white. Do you have any suggestions on how to pick the best color? Or do you have any favorites that you think would work? I read the tutorial on Foolproof Paint and Color Scheme Suggestions, but am thinking the rules may be different for outside jobs. Congratulations on your two years! I wish I had discovered you back then! -Blair
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Blair,
I’m thinking go a bit deeper than cream for a more cohesive look with those pillars and trim. The perfect color? Mocha! It’s sort of a mid brown tone that will hide dirt and it won’t look like a mismatched off-white (which is a risk you run with cream). Try Ben Moore’s Ashen Tan or Baja Dunes for an example. Oh and it will still look great with the black shutters and door- especially if you bring in black planters and things so you have pops of black worked in with the mocha for a cohesive look. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
SHIRLEY says
I’M GETTING READY TO PAINT MY WOOD DECK. SINCE I HAVE A ROOF OVER IT, DO I NEED TO USE OIL-BASED PAINT? I NEED A PAINT THAT WILL DRY QUICKLY; I HAVE A DOG THAT IS ALWAYS ON THE DECK. ANY SUGGESTIONS AS TO HOW TO KEEP HIM OFF AND ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR A QUICK DRYING PAINT?
YoungHouseLove says
You’ll definitely have to use deck and porch paint that will hold up to outside temps and foot traffic so I would suggest asking the paint pro at your local home improvement store what will work outside but dry the fastest. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
R Raymond says
I loved loved loved your idea on the striping! So we did that with our backyard deck! I also had tons of red exterior paint leftover from painting our doors, so I used that to paint over our white planters! It looks AWESOME, if I do say so myself! Although at first I was a little wary. We chose colors that looked good on swatches, but a little brighter than we thought. It isn’t as subtle as yours is. But I still love it! I have a picture if you want to see!!
Thanks for the great ideas,
Sincerely,
R Raymond
YoungHouseLove says
So glad to hear that you went for it and are loving the results! Awesome job.
xo,
s (& j)
Mel says
Any suggestions on what color would work best on our very tiny concrete porch? Our house is white with black shutters and has a red door.
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
How about a classic tan tone? We don’t have a specific color in mind because we’re not as familiar with the porch and floor paint varieties, but anything that’s a medium sandy tan tone should look great. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Mel says
Thank you! :) I am all about classic tan tones! LOVE this site by the way. We have already found some great ideas for our first house on Lakeside!!!
Kristen says
Hey,
I recently stumbled across your website and love it! I have been thinking of painting our back deck for a couple years now but was never quite sure. After seeing what your porch looked like I’m going for it! I love it! The only question now is what color to go with. Our house has light tan siding, white trim, burgundy shutters & front door, and a brownish shingles. What would you suggest? And may I ask one really random question? I want to do some lanscaping around our deck and would really like to have some flowering plants, which color flowers would look best with the our house. I feel like pink would clash with the burgundy and yellow would be too bold. Any help would be awesome!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kristen,
We would go with chocolate for the porch paint and then use white and soft lavender flowers to punch up your landscaping. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kristen says
Thank you SO much! You two are truely an inspiration!
julia says
Quick question… our wood front porch needs help! We have a white house with medium brown trim. The front door is a warm oak wood color. We have a huge redwood deck (a dark reddish brown color) towards the back of the house that is visible from the front entrance and front porch. We also have a redwood picket fence that surrounds the yard (same color as back deck). I don’t think the dark reddish brown looks good with the medium brown trim on the house and don’t think the front porch should be this color (since it is right next to the house). Would it look wierd to do a different color on the front porch floor than the back deck or would it look mismatched? If a new color is ok, what would you suggest? Our deck slats are installed slanted – would the stripes look good or be two busy?
thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Julia,
We hesitate to suggest any specific colors without actually seeing your house in person since it seems to have a lot of variables to consider. We’d suggest bringing home a ton of paint chips to see which ones work best with your house and going from there. We don’t think it would look mismatched to paint the front porch without painting the back deck since they’re so far apart and never seen in the same glance, and we also think as long as you keep the color subtle between the stripes it would be lovely to add interest with them (just avoid anything too high contrast like dark brown and cream). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Dusty says
I will make one suggestion from a mistake I made last time I painted my deck. Let the cat in the house BEFORE you paint. I now have little kitty paw prints on my kitchen floor the same color as my deck!
YoungHouseLove says
Definitely a good tip! I bet those kitty prints are kind of cute though…
xo,
s
Angela says
I am purchasing an old white house with no shutters black roof and I’m painting the door red. The porch is concrete and previous homeowners painted it a battleship grey. Should I go with a grey I like better than current color or paint it black?
YoungHouseLove says
We actually wouldn’t paint it black since that’s such a harsh color and it will look a lot like asphalt. Instead we would suggest a soft grey color or even a medium sandy tan tone. They’re both extremely neutral colors that will work with the color of your house, roof and door. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jessica says
Hello there. My husband stumbled across your site maybe a year ago and I check in from time to time — you have so much! I’m really interested in this technique but I’m wondering how the paint holds up. Are there chips by now? And if so, do they have a charming effect or will this sort of project require some yearly maintenance?
YoungHouseLove says
We’re happy to report that our porch still looks great after lots of wear and tons of bad weather this winter (sleet and snow and ice). Really, there are no signs of damage yet, but we do assume that it’ll slowly wear down in certain high traffic areas (but hopefully in a charming and natural way so it looks broken in and sweet- not chippy and in poor repair). These days exterior porch and floor paint is really made well so it’s great about holding up to foot traffic for the long term. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Sharon says
Wow. I am in love with this site! You’re amazing. Our house is a light gray with black shutters (in front) and white trim. Any suggestions for a two-tone colors for the back deck keeping in mind that we might change the house color one day (perhaps to yellow)?
YoungHouseLove says
We would definitely go with the same light gray color as your house along with a slightly deeper gray. Gray always looks amazing with yellow- and of course works with black and white- so it’s the perfect choice. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
jessica says
My deck is the same exact color–Harvest Brown! But ours chips every year and now it’s become a major pain in the butt to scrape and paint spring after spring. I’m wondering if it’s just better for a covered porch and not an open deck? I love this stripe idea though–looks great!
YoungHouseLove says
Well the paint is made for any exterior area (deck or porch) so we would say go for it, but ultimately it’s up to you. Good luck!
xo,
s
Meg M says
I’m curious as to your opinions about matching to the roof color. We love our little house, which has white siding (which we’re keeping for now) but old, worn shutters that were green at one time and a similar green roof. While green is one of my favorite colors, this is between a primary green color and hunter green — not very fresh or “us”.
I’m thinking about using a glossy black on the shutters and doors with a tan (similar to yours here!) on the foundation, but do you think it’ll go with the green roof? (I’ve considered a red door after being inspired by yours, but I’m not sure how, again, it’ll go with the green.) Does a roof color MATTER?
Thanks for your opinion!
YoungHouseLove says
You definitely don’t have to have shutters that match your roof, but they should coordinate enough so that the house as a whole looks cohesive and inviting. We definitely think that the idea of glossy black shutters and a nice tan foundation will definitely work with the roof since they’re such agreeable neutrals. Go for it!
xo,
s
Meg M says
Thanks so much for the vote of confidence! I’ll share pics when we’re finished. :-)
Bob says
Great Article!
Remember, “Prep” is everything when it comes to paint lasting.
Linda Dozier says
Hi Just ran across your site and it’s great. Question:
we have a little white lake house with glossy black shutters, black window boxes, red door which we enjoy
our porch is white and we have recently built a deck
across the back of our home overlooking the lake.Any suggestions on how to pull the look together.If not painted should it be stained to protect the wood?It is pressure treated. Also, we have built a walkway to the lake and I just want to pull the area together so it will be neat and attractive to match the view.Thanks,Linda
YoungHouseLove says
Well there’s definitely not one right answer (any number of solutions would look great) but we think since your porch is white you might also love the look of a white (or whitewashed) deck, which would work seamlessly with your home’s color palette. Just visit your local home improvement store to find a paint or a whitewashing stain that’s made for protecting exterior decks. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Donna says
We have just moved into a home that has (unfortunately)robin egg blue siding and a robin egg blue painted deck. I am itching to paint the deck pronto. Will I need to strip off the old paint before applying new and would the striped effect look ok contrasted with the blue? Also could I power wash the old paint away? I would appreciate your input!
YoungHouseLove says
We think you can power wash the existing paint and then just paint right over it (and we think neutral stripes like ours will totally work with your siding). But just to be sure that power washing is the way to go we would suggest asking the pros at your home improvement center what they recommend. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Erica says
I have an old wood deck on the back of my house that was painted forest green that matches the house trim. We pressure washed it and a lot of the old paint came off the deck’s floor boards, but not much came off the railing. So we just finished painting primer on the floor boards, and other spots where the paint came off. We were planning to repaint it the same color, just to save us some time. But how do you think tan/brown color would look on the floor of the deck, if we leave the forest green on the railings. Would that be too akward? The main house color is an eggshell/ offwhite. What do you think?
YoungHouseLove says
We would just go ahead and paint the tan/brown on the deck and see how it looks. Then if you feel like you still need to repaint the railings to “go” with the new deck color just visit your local home improvement store for suggestions about easily painting those railings in a snap. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Lindsey says
Hello, Love your site… Question for you. The exterior of my house is tan with white trim, attached garage, and door entering garage. I just painted my front door from white to valspars toasted cranberry (deep orangy red) and now i have no idea how to blend the bold color with the rest of the house… I”m hoping landscape will help, but honestly the color scares me… my husband loves it… We also have a small cement stoop leading to the front door and a cement patio in the back that i was thinking of painting or glazing… what do you think? Thanks Lindsey
YoungHouseLove says
Bring in more pops of color in everything from flowers and landscaping to pretty ceramic planters on the cement stoop out front and the patio in the back. We would caution you against glazing or painting the patio and stoop anything too bright (you want the door to be the star with other pops of colors in the “accessories” – like the plants and pots). So something soft and subtle (like a soft tan) for the stoop and patio would be our recommendation. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
bonnie says
that looks great!!! What brand of paint did you use. I assume it is a exterior paint. Did you have to prime it. I have to large decks in front and back. The whole idea of staining it again is way too much for me. And not to mention costly.
Thanks
Bonnie says
P.S. Did you use a flat, satin or what kind of finish is the paint?
Thanks
Bonnie says
sorry, all my answers are already there. I just read it.
nanasewn says
Thank you for all this information. I love it. I have a related question. I found a nice window box at a garage sale. It is wood but I have no idea what kind. I know some wood does not take paint/stain well so is there something I can use that will guarantee a few years of color before it begins to peel like our small picket fence did (Outdoor house paint). Maybe you also have a color thought? Our house is almond color and back door is a deep rosy red. Thank you again for this get site!
YoungHouseLove says
We would assume that sanding it a bit and applying an oil-based primer (not a water-based one!) followed by a few coats of exterior latex paint should do the trick. As for the color, you have a ton of options, so just bring home a bunch of swatches and see what works for you. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Dan says
Are you kidding me, you got down on your hands and knees to paint this pourch, can you give me the name of your Back doctor. The porch looks fantastic. I have to ask if you were doing only one color would you still get down on your hands and knees or is the another way of going at this.
YoungHouseLove says
You could definitely use a roller and a roller extension to save your back if you were doing all one color, but it wasn’t that bad, I promise!
xo,
s
Dan says
Thanks for mentioning the roller however that leads me to another question or two, what type of roller would you use and what type of brushes did you use.
Thanks
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Dan,
We like Purdy brushes and rollers from Home Depot, so just grab a 2″ angled Purdy brush and a roller for slightly textured surfaces (also by Purdy). Good luck!
xo,
s
Sophia says
We purchased a home with a 5 year old deck which was painted a rusty red color.The paint has been chipping and we wanted to do something to improve the look but which didnt require too much time since we are working on other projects. Would we be able to just powerwash the deck, prime and re-paint with a matching paint color? How long do you think the paint would last?
YoungHouseLove says
That would definitely be our recommendation but you’ll want to check with the pros at your local home improvement center to see what they suggest. It should last anywhere from a year or two to over five years (depending on the wear and tear, the weather, etc). You might even get a range of time from the can of paint. Hope it helps!
xo,
s