Paint is a powerful DIY tool and gives a big impact for an affordable cost. In one week this front porch went from dull and worn after years of exposure and sun to bold and beautiful. Check out my front porch makeover.
Before 
After
What’s old is new again with a fresh perspective and coat of paint. We have been needing and wanting to refresh the front door on our Saltbox style home for years and finally put it at the top of the to-do list.
This project took one week starting with cleaning and prep, paint, decorating, and the reveal. I think it’s important to always share realistic timelines for projects and costs so you know what to expect when you start.
Started with a thorough powerwash session to get rid of all the dirt and spiderwebs. Let it dry for a full 24 hours to ensure it was completely dry. This is the powerwasher I have. Basic, but get’s the job done. If you don’t have one and don’t have a use for it around your house for other projects then a hose and a good scrub will give you the same effect.
Next, we filled in some cracks with wood filler and re-caulked the seal around the transom and side lights. Completed a light sand to make the surface smooth and prepare the door for paint.
In hindsight, I think I would have conditioned the door first since it is solid wood just so the door wouldn’t absorb so much paint and require additional coats.
Now for the longest and most tedious part of the whole process: taping.
This took several hours of tight taping lines between the white siding and where the black door was going to begin. Big fan of Frog Tape for all my paint projects. Prep work is always the longest part of any project but the results will be that much better if you take the time to do it right. It took 2 whole rolls of tape to get all the areas of this door completely covered. Then we used the ScotchBlue Pre-Taped Painters Plastic to cover the siding and ceiling so we could spray. This worked pretty well. We had a few areas over overspay we will have to fix because the air from the spray gun moved the plastic a little. So I recommend overlapping the sections of the plastic by several inches and securing with Frog tape so it doesn’t move.
If you’re going to brush and roll vs. spray – you may not need this level of taping and plastic coverage.
Benefits of spraying:
- Use less paint (especially if you thin)
- Quicker dry time between coats
- Faster overall dry time and less time you have to leave your door open
- Thinner coats
- More even finish
Benefits of brushing/rolling:
- Less prep work with taping
- Do not have to worry about overspray and plastic sheeting
- More control over where the paint goes
Let’s talk paint! We opted for Behr Paint Marquee Carbon in a Satin finish. We went through swatches at Home Depot and settled on this gray black color. Find more information on the color here along with corresponding colors. The walls and ceiling are Sherwin Williams Casa Blanca. We will be refreshing this color with a new coat. The entire exterior of the home is this color and we are not planning to change it.
Used the HomeRight Super Finish Max Paint Sprayer from Amazon. Have used it on a few projects already and really like the results. Highly advise you practice first to get your technique down. Additionally, test out the flow of the paint and adjust the spray pressure to ensure the right consistency.
Also, use proper PPE equipment: mask and eye protection. Follow the instructions on the paint can + the sprayer to ensure a good painting experience.
Overall, the time spent taping and prepping the area was well spent as we had pretty clean lines, only 2 small areas of overspray and a few small touchups around the windows.
There are a lot of opinions out there on whether or not to pull tape when the project is still wet vs still dry. We have done it both ways and had mixed results each time. For the front door, we pulled the tape after the 2nd coat was sprayed (still wet). This was probably 1 hour 20 minutes after it was first sprayed. Obviously, if you’re pulling the tape while it’s wet you have to be very careful not to touch the wet paint.
We let the door dry for a full 24 hours before we closed it. Now on to the next most impactful decorating or DIY project. New lighting.
We have had this builder grade light fixture since we moved in. It was time to upgrade.
Source: homedepot.com
Ordered the Blakeley Transitional 2-Light Black Outdoor Pendant with Beveled Glass from Home Depot. It was really easy to install. You just need another set of hands.
Really like the way it elevated the entrance. It’s subtle because it is also black so it blends a little bit. We hung it right at the bottom of the transom as to not cause any issues with visitors or deliveries.
Finally, the fun part. We decorated for the holidays at our refreshed front door.
Linking our front porch decor exact or similar items here:
Wreath linked here.
Tartan rug linked here.
