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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

    • Donita says

      Oh one question!!! Do you think that your flowers would POP more, if your flower boxes were white? I LOVE the flower boxes, we had this same style house, with flower boxes. It brightens up things so much. We did paint ours white, just so that they flowers showed up more. Maybe you can see them better, then in pictures. The house looks amazing though!!! :-)

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think the boxes would pop more if they were white but I’m not sure it would change how the flowers look (maybe it would make the droopy ones pop in front of them more but the ones above the box would look the same since they’re just in front of the window/house?). We didn’t want to make things too busy, and we thought it was mid-century and ranch-ish to leave them unpainted so they blend with the brick, but painting them is definitely another way to go :)

      xo
      s

  2. Karen says

    Wow. It’s amazing to see the amount of work that you have done to the front of the house since you have moved in!
    Congrats. You did a great job!

    Reply

  3. Katie says

    Unbelievable! The change between then and now is unbelievable! You two are rockstars!
    Looking forward to all the changes on your new home!

    Reply

  4. Meredith Jones says

    Yeah! I’m loving the gray! It makes that awesome yellow door POP!
    As for driving by your old houses and such, I love driving by the houses I lived in as a kid. It’s part of my past and it’s just fun seeing differences (sometimes they’re really bad lol, sometimes cool to see!). It’ll be fun someday, years and years from now… to drive by our first house we bought that we’re in now and bring back all the memories we are currently making in it :D

    Reply

  5. Jessica says

    It looks great! Gotta love quick fixes. I kept wondering why you painted the center of four of your shutters gray, but I’m guessing from the last photo that it was a trick of the light.

    Reply

  6. GoBananas says

    Hmmm. I totally get making changes to increase curb appeal to sell a house. But as much as the gray helps the door pop, it darkens that area under the porch so much. It blends in with the roof and makes the columns look so spindly now. White is more attractive and brighter with the siding and columns, but I applaud your effort to make the change you set on 2 years ago!

    Reply

  9. Jennifer says

    I love the color! It makes the house look so much more modern. Who knew gray could make such a difference?!

    Reply

  10. K (Barking Babymama) says

    It’s amazing what a huge difference that makes! It looks AWESOME! Sidenote: I was watching DVR’d Modern Family last night, and have you guys ever noticed that Jay and Gloria have bright yellow window sashes inside? They looks so bright and happy and it totally made me want to paint all of our window sashes for an unexpected pop of color!

    Reply

  11. Kristin says

    We just moved back into our home after Sandy and after having a red front door, i needed a change. I borrowed your Full Sun front door color. We have a gray house and the yellow just pops. Love what you guys did painting the siding! Congratulations on your new home and all your wonderful success!
    -Kristin

    Reply

  12. Erik says

    Looks great! I was sceptical of the grey at first, because I really liked the crisp bright white, but once it was all finished and you took a pic from the street I thought it looked great!! It ties in very well with your roof color and black shutters.
    And about stalking your old homes, it IS totally normal! haha! We go by our past homes all the time. I’ve actually become pretty good friends with the people who moved into my grandmothers house.

    Reply

  13. Abby @ The Force of Happiness says

    Wow! Your front door looks so much happier now! :)

    We painted the siding on our split level ranch a shade of gray with the trim parts bright white. We even got super detailed and painted the underside of the soffit and ceiling of the porch gray, then went back and painted the trim and gutters white. It was really time consuming because it was such a complicated paint job with the two different colors, not to mention that we had to climb a 20 foot ladder to reach every inch of the siding. I think it took 2 full weekends of non-stop work. BUT on the plus side, it looks totally amazing! It gave the whole house a nice updated look and awesome curb appeal.

    Ah, the joys of home improvement! :)

    Reply

  14. Cindy says

    I think this is an awesome way to update the exterior without having to paint the whole house! Good job guys! You made the right decision to “Just Do It”!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      If you check out our Projects page there’s an outdoor category and we have a few posts about seeing for grass, overseeding for thicker grass, weeding, and even making compost tea!

      xo
      s

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Compost tea is a real thing! Isn’t that weird?! It’s essentially the runoff from a compost bin (the tea-like liquid) which is good for your yard! Gross, but good for it! Haha!

      xo
      s

  17. Kyle says

    WOW! Totally unrelated, but until those last two shots of the walk through and now I didn’t realize what a huge difference getting rid of the scalloped trim made. Wow.

    Reply

  18. alice says

    The before and after are striking, but as a plant enthusiast I am more struck with the lack of mature plants and landscaping. You guys really like the clean look, huh?

    Reply

    • Angie says

      I believe you guys removed all the mature plants and landscaping from the front specifically for the clean look, right?

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We removed the bush fence since our house is squat (only one level) and it blocked a lot of the house. Here are photos and a post about that (we kept the oak trees and the magnolia up front as well as all the big azaleas to the left and the large euonymous bushes along the carport on the right. There’s also a forest-y side yard and back yard, so we just wanted an open feeling close to the house so it wasn’t closed in :)

      xo
      s

    • Melissa L. says

      I’m a plant person too, but I don’t have a problem with the front clean-up. Many (most?) people overplant an area to get the immediate gratification of a mature landscape. When it grows out it eventually becomes crowded and scrappy-looking. That’s my take on the front yard here. You couldn’t see the house from the street and you couldn’t even see the front porch from the driveway. While I might have left a few more plants and put in some new things, a purging was definitely in order. Also, it looks like no unusual or important specimens were removed–the oaks are still there!

  19. Aimee says

    Actually I really like the grey (I felt unsure at the top of the post, ha!), but I wonder how it’s jiving with the selling process? If I were a potential buyer I think it would strike me as strange that 1/4 of the siding is grey and the rest white/cream. Can you talk a bit about what goes on re: decision making during this time? Some things I would think you’d do differently for resale vs. your personal style/”vision”.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We definitely wouldn’t have done this if we thought it would hurt resale, but since the cream color is everywhere (it was the trim and siding color, which are usually two different colors on most houses) we thought it would make the house look more unified if we used it on the porch and since the columns and trim were still cream, it ties into the rest of the house. As someone said in the comments, it’s almost like a front “accent wall” while the rest of the house still fits into the scheme :)

      xo
      s

  20. kristi@SimplePrettyThings says

    I think I like it either way! I’m used to ranches in our area having white but the gray is a really nice pick. Just curious, since you are selling, how many more things you are going to cross off the list to update this current house and does it really need the subtle updates?

    Reply

  21. Brooke says

    Just goes to show that small things can make a huge impact–it’s a subtle change but I think it looks fabulous–definitely adds cohesion to the front of the house but best of all makes that yellow door pop. Cheers for curb appeal!

    Reply

  22. Tammy says

    WOW! Such a subtle change with a HUGE impact….love it! Can’t wait to see what you do at the new place.

    Reply

  23. Meredith says

    Wow, such an amazing transformation since 2010! I want to go griege on the siding parts of our house (it has brick+siding like yours), right now I’m thinking Rockport Gray since it looks so good in your bedroom and sunroom! Gotta test it out tho.

    I know you’re trying to avoid going into “new house mode” on the blog, but I can’t wait to see what color you paint your new house front door! Maybe kelly green or sapphire blue? EEK! Can’t wait ;-) I’ve also been wondering if we’ll be seeing any colors from your Ben Moore 2013 collection… I know, I know, gotta wait and see! :-)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Ahhh, I can’t wait either! At first I was on the lipstick red train, but now kelly green sounds awesome! Can’t wait to play with swatches :)

      xo
      s

  24. Melissa says

    Wondering how power washer wielding John missed the front steps?! ;-)
    I don’t mind the “patina” though.
    I love the color change!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I KNOWWW! We couldn’t believe we missed those either. John might have to resist the urge to drive back here and do them next year or something! Haha!

      xo
      s

  26. Tracie says

    I LOVE it! It is subtle but makes a huge difference. The front seems much more cohesive. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed when you said you decided not to do it because of the other siding around the house.
    The before and after from the walk in to now are amazing! I’ve been reading since before you bought this house and I cant wait to see what you do with the new one (especially since the floor plan seems more like my house- I’m sure I’ll get some great ideas from you guys!).

    Reply

  27. Megan says

    I actually like the white better. It looks cleaner and more crisp from farther away. But I am in LOVE with your yellow door.

    I hate the vinyl siding on our house, and I had no idea you could paint it. It might cost a fortune, but I gotta check that out.

    Reply

  28. Cara says

    Love it. And I’m so impressed with your attention spans. I’d so be off to the new house by now. But here you are with window boxes and not strictly necessary for resale value paint. You rock.

    Reply

  29. bethany says

    dude, what a cool difference that makes! Holy cow. And LOVE LOVE the before pic! The forest primeival!

    Reply

  30. SunshineGal85 says

    I love the gray! I didn’t realize I didn’t like the white until I saw it with the gray. From the street, the contrast with the white posts makes it actually look like you have a porch instead of a front face, and I love the way it blends so well with your gray roof. Have you considered painting the siding on the side of your carport roof and the front fascia boards above the carport pergola with the same gray color? Now that the front’s gray, that white really stands out against the roof, and you can see the side of the carport from the street. Not that it looks bad white — I don’t mean that at all. Please don’t be offended, I’m not trying to be offensive or critical. And now I feel bad. :(

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      No worries at all! We definitely considered painting the sides and even the back, but we like to think of the porch as sort of a covered zone that’s an “accent wall” of sorts, and since the trim for that porch area is still cream (which ties into all of the rest of the siding) we think it actually seems to work :)

      xo
      s

  31. Ruth says

    Looks great! I wouldn’t have anticipated such an impact. Good call, as usual. :)

    I wondered how or whether you are “staging” the interior of your home for viewings by potential buyers. From everything we see on the blog, obviously your home is beautifully decorated, organized, accessorized, updated, loved, etc. So I wouldn’t think any staging would be necessary! But from the perspective of the usual advice to “help the buyer visualize their own belongings in the space,” do you find that you’re doing more editing than usual?

    Reply

  32. Kelly says

    It’s been interesting to continue to watch what you’ve been doing to this home now knowing that you’re looking to sell. Rightly or wrongly when I knew I was close to selling it was hard to imagine putting too much time and money into it beyond what would make a meaningful difference in terms of resale value. But I know you’re in a different situation since projects are also content for your blog and an income driver in that way.

    I know you’ve mentioned some other places that some of these things are projects you’d wanted to do since you moved in and thus really wanted to check off your list, what are the other guiding criteria you’re using? Part of the reason I’m interested is because I know you’re doing A FSBO. When I sold my first place most of the changes I made were things suggested by the realtor based on specific feedback she was getting from buyers during walk throughs. I can’t imagine handling selling without a realtor, it would be interesting to try to play both roles since sometimes my realtor had to give me some honest advice I might not have given myself.

    I’m guessing the plan is to keep the yellow door? I only ask because I think colored doors definitely add pop but I also know it can be a polarizing color and that the advice I was often given was to neutralize things. (I had yellow walls in my living room that I thought were lovely but my realtor suggested they had to go.)

    Reply

    • Kelly says

      I should also add that re-reading my comment I hope it doesn’t come off as questioning or disliking your choices. I’m more curious about how you play both roles since I know in my situation I had an emotional attachment to all my choices and without someone external saying “Hey, x or y might be distracting the buyers.” I would never have thought to change them.

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, the yellow door stays since we hear from neighbors that they love it and we love it, so we hope whoever gets this house will love it (or just repaint it if they don’t). I generally think our guiding criteria has been “would ____ hurt resale?” (if it would, it’s a no-go) and then if it wouldn’t hurt and possibly could help, we just ask ourselves if we’d love to see it done or learn how to do it before we leave. Sometimes we’re cool with letting go of something since we’re not sure it would even help with resale and would be very expensive (ex: getting a mason/architect to double side our fireplace) but if something was an affordable afternoon project we were especially likely to get ‘er done (ex: window boxes or painting the porch). For something more involved like the pergola, it really came down to crunching numbers (it was much more affordable than we originally thought, and we really wanted the experience of learning how to do it). Plus we figured it left the house looking better and definitely wouldn’t hurt resale, so we dove in :)

      xo
      s

  35. Heather says

    Ohhh – you’re making me want to get out and paint my trim now! Previous owners used a light green color with light colored brick – ugh!

    Reply

  36. Kirsten says

    What an example of your great vision! I never would have thought that painting the siding would make that much [positive] difference. Kudos!

    Reply

  37. Sarah @ The Ugly Duckling House says

    A paint sprayer was the way to go for my house. I started painting the garage by hand to make sure I liked the new colors, but out came the sprayer for painting two stories. The trim still isn’t finished, but maybe it will be later this year!

    Reply

  39. Christen says

    Looks great! Unrelated question (sorry): where do you all find the free music for your videos? I’m having students make videos and wanted to find a better source for songs…

    Reply

  41. Joy says

    Wow! What a difference it makes! Love the contrast with the trim and the sunny door. Don’t you love it when the DIY gods shine down on you and let you finish a project in one nap?

    Reply

  43. Jacqui says

    The upgrades look great! Though, the one thing I noticed is the gutter downspout is very “I’m white and I’m here!!!” next to your beautiful pergola. Have you considered painting it the same color you painted your electric box? Good luck selling!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yes!! I hate that downspout! If we were staying I’d totally paint it. Just didn’t want to worry about it flaking off (not sure how paint would take to a metal downspout and wouldn’t want it to fade or flake for the next owner). I think getting a dark iron rain chain would be awesome though, and it would blend right in!

      xo
      s

  44. Lindsey says

    Looks great, guys! That color really makes the door pop, and it adds a missing dimension to the house. I wonder if the new owners will be interested in staining the concrete on the porch, or if that’s ever crossed your mind. :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I’d love for them to do that! I think a darker tone would be so nice. Especially with a white bench and some yellow planters or something :)

      xo
      s

  45. caroline [the diy nurse] says

    WOW! I cant believe what a small amount of paint does for that space- it looks fantastic! It works with the brick so well too.

    That darn Martha- we use her colors all over our house and love them. Just wishing my entire house wasn’t siding so I could do something similar!

    Reply

  46. Wendi Vostad says

    I don’t know if you ever thought of painting the brick, but we did it to our house and it is stunning!!! Might be too much work for a house you’re leaving but the curb appeal would be unbelievable-definitely sold!!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That’s definitely another way to go! There are some pretty painted homes in our neighborhood, although we hear the unpainted ones are more resale friendly since they’re lower maintenance (no need to scrape and repaint them from time to time, etc).

      xo
      s

  47. Valerie says

    Sorry guys. But the white looked better. The gray just blends with the roof color too much. But it is amazing what a difference you have made with the yard and exterior!

    Reply

  49. Sarah says

    This looks great. I really wasn’t sure about the grey on the siding, but it really does give the house a bit more dimension from the curb & a less boxy feeling. You guys are so smart sometimes… okay most of the time!
    Sarah

    Reply

  50. Tina says

    I’m another one who didn’t think I would like the gray, but I actually love it! It really does add a cohesiveness to the front of the house. Great call! I have a question, too. I know you all thrilled about the new house and about all of the wonderful changes you will surely make to it (that’s what you DO!)…but, is there any part of you that is like “Man, here we go again”…or “Shoot, I’m sure going to miss that awesome kitchen” because obviously, the improvements can’t all happen at once. For the record, I’m totally excited for you. :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, I totally think “whyyyy do I have to leave the penny tile!” or “let me just pet the fireplace and mope” but then a second later I’m thinking about the new house with this crazy amount of excitement. I think we’re just “a special breed of crazy” as someone described us when we announced the move! DIY is just what we love to do (we did it as a hobby for years before it became a job) so there’s so much possibility and promise that my brain just screams “this penny tile and fireplace are nothing yet, just wait for the new house and all of the fun adventures you’ll have there!” – sounds nuts when I type it out, but I really just think there’s nothing more exciting than the sheer promise and possibility of a raw, needs-love space to us :)

      xo
      s

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