Young House Love

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How To Paint Exterior Siding

Remember back when we debated painting the siding on the front porch way back here in fall 2011? Hence the creepy Halloween wreath on the door.

Porch Paint 2 Old Test Swatches

We had picked a color and everything (Flagstone by Martha Stewart – the one on the right in the photo above) but before we got around to doing it, the temperatures dropped too much to paint. Then the test swatches – which lived on our porch for several months (sorry neighbors) got painted over when it was time to shoot book photos out there. The project literally became out of sight, and out of mind.

Book Us In Door1

Then we redid the columns. And when we did a few of you guys were all “wait, weren’t you going to paint the siding out there? what happened?” and we were all “oops, yeah, that never happened.” And then we added the pergola and a few window boxes and our paint-that-siding hankering returned. Initially we worried that painting just the porch siding would be weird without doing all the other siding on the side/back, but after rethinking it we decided it would be fine since the cream color of the other siding is still in the porch trim, so it all ties in.

So although you could literally describe us as being on the fence about this project since 2011, in the end we just didn’t want to leave without going for it. Especially because we thought the trim, columns, and that happy yellow door would pop a lot more from the street. And let’s face it, we’re going to be doing a lot of drive bys just to wave at her once she’s not ours anymore. #totallynormal

Porch Paint 3 Progress Start

So out came the paintbrush and roller. We had already bought the paint way back when we settled on the color in 2011 (Flagstone by Martha Stewart) so we didn’t need to spend any more loot to make this happen. Update: this is hardboard siding, which is like a wood composite material, so this method might not work on aluminum or vinyl siding.

Porch Paint 4 Progress Middle

And believe it or not, we whipped out the entire job (two coats!) during a Clara nap on the same day that we hung the window boxes (we were like little front yard tornadoes running around).

Porch Paint 5 Progress Done

And since the color ties in so well with the mortar in the brick (it’s nearly the same color up close) it’s a nice seamless addition. It helps the door and the trim and the columns feel a bit less flat from the curb, yet it doesn’t make the other cream siding stand out like a sore thumb since that relates to the rest of the trim.

The biggest difference that we notice in person is that the house feels less choppy since that big cream rectangle was a lot more broken up looking than the not-as-light new color. See how the before picture below looks like a house made of a brick box next to a white box next to another brick box and the after picture looks a lot more like one facade instead of three blocks sitting next to each other?

Porch Paint 7 Before After

Best of all the yellow door is one heckova happy guy now that he’s next to a slightly deeper tone than that former sea of cream.

Porch Paint 8 After Angle

Almost makes us forget that the house looked like this during our first walk through back in 2010…

IMG 2396

Anyone else painting siding? How did you tackle it? We just used a small foam roller and a brush (John used the roller to get along each length of siding and I used the brush to get into the groves and cut in around the edges). We were both shocked how quickly we got those two coats knocked out.

Comments

  2. Vanessa says

    I love this, what a difference. Your house has the perfect curb appeal. Ok I am about to tear up about the current house and having to say goodbye to it! So I am trying to look on the bright side and know we have so much in store with the new house! :)

    Reply

  3. Renee says

    I like white better, but I think it brightened it up under the porch. Good luck selling! The new house interior was built around the same time as ours. We update a little each year! btw: typo – “So sorry this is late guys! Internet problemz.” (problems)

    Reply

  4. Jenny says

    I’ve been debating doing something similar to this with my little ranch. It looks so good! It may have just pushed me off the fence . . .

    Reply

  5. Kate says

    I like it! Love how something that sounds like a huge project turned out to be quick.

    We have a gable over our front porch that we painted gray and left the rest of the siding in the back and sides white. Not there’s much siding (house is brick), but I never thought twice about it.

    Reply

  6. Alisa says

    Yup! We’ve been painting siding too! Decided to add some trim to the bottom of our siding for curb appeal (listing tonight! aah!) so we are thrilled there was justenough paint left from the previous owners to not have to worry about color matching!

    Reply

  7. Henna | HENNA BLOSSOM BLOG says

    SWEET! Looks great. It’s so great that you are still giving so much love and care to the details of your home even though you’re already moving on. By the way, I STILL have yet to hang the framed art I have for my son’s room and he’s 20 months already. AHH! So your procrastination ain’t nothin.’ haha. :)

    And speaking of laaate, I finally got around to posted our family trip to Venice, Italy. Let’s just say that our toddler did NOT find the city romantic at all…hahaha. But it was a great memory, and HEY, we captured a ton of great photos (and some hilarious ones of a grumpy boy). :) Loooove for you to stop by!!

    Venice with a one year old! http://hennablossom.com/?p=2649

    Reply

  9. JenB says

    Like you said, the door really stands out and looks even more terrific (terrificker–I like that word). The new columns really stand out more, too.

    Our ‘white box’ is on one end of the house where the previous owners enclosed the garage to make a family room. Alas, it is vinyl siding and I hear that’s really tricky to paint.

    Reply

  10. Jessie @ Cape 27 says

    Totally agree, makes the house feel less choppy. Love the gray, can’t go wrong! Also, we’re totally twinning right now. Just painted our entire house this week, thank you for finally showing up Spring! xoxo, Jessie

    Reply

  13. Jessica says

    Is that vinyl or wood siding? We have vinyl siding and would love to paint it, but I am not sure if you can/if it would come out nice.

    Reply

    • Mindy says

      We had our old vinyl siding painted with Sherwin Williams Duration Exterior paint and it turned out great! Definitely helped the curb appeal as we got ready to sell. Good luck!

      PS..Love the gray! Makes me want to paint the stucco on our current house.

    • Crystal @ 29 Rue House says

      We have old vinyl siding (from the 70s) over the whole exterior of our house that is about the same width of yours. I’ve never painted it but have contemplated it (it would be a big undertaking!). It has a nice matte surface to start with and I think it would hold up much like painting shutters would. But I haven’t tried it and then waited 5 years or so to see how it lasts.

    • Deb says

      Looks awesome! I’m in the process of painting the vinyl siding on our house – a project I started last year but it’s taking a long time because I haven’t had a lot of spare time to work on it. I’m using Behr “premium plus” outdoor paint from Home Depot; works like a charm. I only put one thick coat on, using a normal roller and a paint brush for the grooves, and touch up any missed spots after it dries. Still looks great after surviving a Canadian winter. The old siding colour was baby blue (yuck) and the new colour is a light grey. Makes a huge difference!

    • Jen. says

      I think I read painting on vinyl siding has to be the same color or lighter than the original, or you can get into trouble with shrinking and expanding at different rates. I heard a rumor that Benjamin Moore has a product that gets around that problem, but I haven’t investigated yet. Anyone know?

  14. Jeanna says

    It looks great :) It plays well with the yellow and looks great with the brick. Have you noticed how your cute wooden bench fades away in your before and after shots? It would look painted white……….. :)

    Reply

  16. Haley says

    Hi! We just recently purchased a Ranch style home and it is the yuckiest burnt yellow color. Our siding is the old metal kind so I’m not sure how to tackle it! Is yours vinyl?

    Reply

    • Shannon says

      We are getting our 55 year old aluminum siding painted for the first time. The painters added something to the paint for it to bond better to the aluminum. Sorry, I don’t know what they added, but it’s supposed to prolong the life of the paint.

  19. Shannon says

    It’s really funny that you are posting this right now. Our aluminum siding is being painted right now! It’s the original 55 year old siding that has never been painted.

    We hired a company, because I told my hubby that he is not going up a 2 story ladder to paint. So, the professionals are also using a brush for trimming and small foam rollers! They are doing 2 coats of white and it looks awesome!

    Reply

  20. Austin says

    Is it a testament to me being a crazy blog groupie or to how great y’all are that I clicked “refresh” in a rather panicked manner for like half an hour looking for the new post? Let’s go with the second one. Ha. The siding looks great! Can’t beat yellow and gray.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So sorry Austin! I think it’s the first time in over a year that we’ve been over 10 minutes late with a post. Naturally I handled it like a pro (picture me sweating bullets while wrestling with wires and whispering obscenities, haha!).

      xo
      s

    • Catherine says

      I didn’t do this At All, nuh uh, not me, nope. I was all dignified as I hit “refresh” every 5 seconds. I also did NOT check my modem (it’s crazy windy here at the mo & my net keeps disappearing in my defence!) nor did I question my move to the countryside aloud. Nope I definitely didn’t.

      On a side note (check me with the pun!) I love the grey. Didn’t think I would when I started reading but then I saw the pics and went “Ohhhh I seeeeee!”

      On a side side note, I want my summer & I want it now! Gale force winds in May?! Joke’s over people, I’m not laughing anymore! I want some sun in my Summer pretty please!!!

    • Tanya says

      Don’t worry Austin. Not only did I click refresh like a blog groupie but I checked timeanddate.com for Richmond VA to see if maybe daylight savings time had kicked in without me realising (I’m in Perth and its now 11.15pm)! Only now can I go to bed.

    • Austin says

      No, y’all are great! I just love the blog ha ha. No need to apologize! Y’all are always super speedy. [Sorry for all the y’alls, I’m from the South ha]

    • Katie says

      How embarrassing is it to admit that over my spring break I woke up on Saturday thinking it was Friday and panicked at the lack of YHL post? I refreshed for about 10 minutes before realizing my mistake….haha!

    • Catherine says

      Don’t be worrying about it at all, it just goes to show how clockwork-like you are normally! As for summer, we had a sunny six hours on Tuesday, it was really pretty for a while. I just hope that wasn’t Summer 2013 lol

    • Tanya says

      Haha no worries at all. It added a little interest to my nightly routine…. Now isn’t that just the saddest statement ever?

  21. Meg says

    Love the gray! It really finishes the space up nicely.

    What kind of siding do you have? (Wood, vinyl, aluminum?) We’ve got the old aluminum that if we power wash may end up all silver, so we’re considering whether to paint or not. (It’s a much bigger space than yours.) Perplexed!

    Reply

  24. Tracy says

    From a distance, the difference is negligible IMO. Up close, I liked the white better. I feel like the siding should match the columns OR contrast more. If I were looking to buy your house, I would maybe darken the columns now. Well, if I were looking to buy your house, I would be wondering why that section of siding even exists. Do you know if the entire front used to have windows or something? That’s the beauty of paint though – if the new buyers don’t like it, they can spent $15 and two hours and change it! I’m thinking black columns and black pergola actually… Haha not that I’m looking for a house :-)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yes, I agree that the brick half-wall thing is so odd! It’s just a very common ranch style from the 60s, so it’s all over our neighborhood and our first neighborhood too (some people call it the brick mustache, haha!).

      xo
      s

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think we’d be cool with it. Goodness knows we believe in making a house ours! Although we do know that the people who purchased our first house left everything almost identical, so perhaps the appeal of buying a turnkey house like ours is to keep things as-is for the most part? Either way, we hope whoever ends up here feels like it’s home – with new paint or exactly as we left it :)

      xo
      s

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’re holding back blogging about the sale process until things are more settled (there are a few checkpoints that we waited to get past before revealing we had sold our first house as well) :)

      xo
      s

    • Lynn @ Our Useful Hands says

      Yeah playing it close to the vest is best when it comes to real estate. I’ve learned that the rodeo of selling a home can never be assumed to work out until the ink has dried on that closing table contract. :o)

      My best, Lynn

  27. Rae says

    What kind of siding do you have? We have metal siding on our house and it is really needing some love. My husband and I were just talking about it last night wondering if we could paint it.

    Any tips?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Our siding is hardboard (it’s like a wood composite). Anyone know how to paint metal siding? Maybe just primer and paint made for exterior/metal?

      xo
      s

  28. Janel says

    You know, at first I thought, “Uuuuuhhhhhh, why would they paint it grey?!?!” But after looking at the before and after shots…wowza!

    I promise to never doubt you again, Sensei.

    #thatwouldmakemethegrasshopper

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, thanks Janel! It’s all a crap-shoot for us too, so we just thought “oh well, if we don’t like it we can repaint it in the course of another nap” – haha!

      xo
      s

  30. Sue says

    We’ve talked about painting our walls above the brick another color, but I’ve struggled with going away from white. This helps! Looks good!

    Reply

  31. ErinEvelyn says

    Wow. Wow. Wow. (I just typed that and now I hear Wubzy in my head. Anyhoo….) Amazing difference. It’s like a little extra gift to your neighbors.

    Reply

  32. Melissa says

    I painted my kitchen and mudroom Flagstone. LOVE the color!! It certainly makes a difference. I can’t wait to see what you do to the new house!!!

    Reply

  33. Whitney Dupuis says

    Wow, I didn’t think I would like that until I saw the after photos! I would never have thought to do that. Once again, you’ve knocked it out of the park.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks Whitney! It really helped to do those test swatches beforehand (waaaay beforehand, haha) and trying to go a similar tone to the brick (not too dark and not too light) seemed to un-box things and blend the facade more :)

      xo
      s

  35. Kelli Yeater says

    Love the grey! It’s not a huge difference but the contrast is very inviting and not so blah and “normal”. Great job!

    Reply

  36. christina @ homemade ocean says

    I swear to goodness….it is so funny because you guys are tackling all the projects we have up our sleeves for the next couple weekends. I have been wanting to take our dull yellow siding into a sweet gray, I just couldn’t decide on a color!!!

    This makes me so happy to see how well it goes with brick since our houses have a similar look (which I never noticed until now actually). So thanks for giving us the GUSTO to finally get her done!!!

    Reply

  38. Kathryn says

    Hmmm. If asked to think about finishing touches for the porch, I would have gone straight to ‘hanging baskets!’, but I grew up in a brick ranch and that’s just what springtime meant. Possibly Pavlovian on my part.

    Still, those columns look a little lonely now that they’re more of a feature, kind of like they got pushed out on stage before they got their costume zipped up.

    Regardless, I think it’s very cool you’re still going at these projects, guns blazing! You’re future buyers are going to love you!

    Reply

  39. Erin says

    I think I liked the cream better too, but just a personal preference (not a fan of gray paint, usually!).

    But…I do have a question with changes to the house/selling?

    Have you listed the house yet? If yes – are you concerned about making this type of cosmetic change (and the window boxes, I suppose) while in the home selling process? Just curious, since I think I would notice it as a potential buyer (and then request you paint the front back to cream!).

    Also, I find it really interesting that you’d want to drive by the old house all the time. Do you do that with House #1? Just asking, since I have my house currently leased to a family (I moved overseas) and I’ve no desire to see what tthey’ve done to it in my absence. I went back over Christmas to look at my house and assure myself they weren’t ruining it, but it was just strange and hard for me!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, we visit our first house (not every day or anything, but maybe once a season and then if there’s a bad storm like a hurricane or something we’ll drive by to make sure no trees are on it). We’re oddly attached! As for selling a house and then making changes during closing, that’s not a cool move, so we don’t recommend that! We definitely could be forced to repaint things if we got an offer and then painted something afterwards :)

      xo
      s

  40. Crystal @ 29 Rue House says

    I think it looks great! Really makes the nice and made of hard-work columns and cargola (is that what we’re calling it? can’t remember lol) stand out.

    The original before and the now…you guys have made that house proud. Makes me picture it as some inanimate object turned to life in a cartoon where he goes all mistreated, ignored and sad to smiling (which the brickstache :) and happy again.

    Reply

  42. Kristin F says

    Wow, 100% better. Don’t you hate that feeling once you complete a put-off project that you wish you’d done it sooner? Just me? Looks great, I’m sure the house is very happy with its new makeup. :)

    Reply

  43. Silke says

    Weird question not very much related to the painting of the side paneling; sorry for that. But I was wondering if you now pay doubble taxes because you own two properties? In my country they are pretty steep. Just wondering if that applies to you and if you had thought of that.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So interesting! Here it’s pretty common to sell and buy separately (many of our friends and parents have done it) and thankfully the taxes are not steep at all in our county (especially when compared to annual taxes in places like NJ and NY, where a lot of my family lives). You also get reimbursed for whatever you don’t “use” – so for example if you overlap for 6 months, you’ll pay annual taxes on two houses, but then if you sell one house halfway through that year, you get half of the money back. We definitely factored it into the can-we-afford-this planning, but thankfully it was a negligible amount :)

      xo
      s

  44. DJS says

    Wow! The yellow door pops so much against the gray, its like you digitally enhanced the color! A lot of bang for the buck.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Ahhh, maybe we’ll switch our schedules around so we can work while she’s at preschool a few mornings a week? I don’t know! We also do a lot inside when she’s in bed (just can’t paint the porch at midnight as easily as an indoor room with lots of lights on :)

      xo
      s

    • Jara says

      My kids were both nappers at Clara’s age. And when they stiopped sleeping we put a “time in your room p,aying quietly in your bed ” rule. They went to their room and looked at books or payed with quiet toys every day for an hour or so. I know some kids wouldn’t do this but mine did and Clara seems like the type. The trick is to put the rule in place as soon as the sleeping stops. They did this til first grade!

  46. Brenda says

    Yikes, it’s crazy to look at the foliage from when you first moved in compared to now. It looks so cute!

    Reply

  47. Sarah says

    The house looks great and I love the color! This year our house is going gray! Though I am curious to know what kind of siding it was and what type of paint you used… Our siding is vinyl and I am a little scared to paint it…

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It’s hardboard siding (like a wood composite) and we used exterior siding since it’s meant for that job. It really depends on your type of siding I think though!

      xo
      s

  48. Rebecca S says

    Wow, looks great and adds nice curb appeal. We are just about to put our home on the market so these tips for sprucing up the outside are very timely.

    Reply

  49. Sara says

    We had our whole house painted a couple of years ago (we have the siding everywhere. We hope to save up our pennies for vinyl one day. We have to keep replacing boards every year it seems.) We need a new roof within a year and are going with a darker color so we’re going to take that as an opportunity to get a new door and paint it a fun color (aqua or turquoise) and paint our shutters a different color. It’ll look like a completely different house! Soon as our baby is born (due any day now) we are having some rooms in our house fixed up and painted. Can’t wait! I’m so tired of looking at the peachy cream in our kitchen and the white in our hallways. Ah.. (we are not painters so we are having someone paint them. Gotta pick your battles.)

    Reply

  50. Reenie says

    WOW!! What a diff ~ I love it. Y’all did a fab job on the curb appeal. I bet your neighbors walk/drive by and admire all your hard work.

    Reply

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