See how we refinished our front porch with new sealer, new paint and a little bit of work. [post contains affiliate links, which means we make a small commission, at NO additional cost to you, if a purchase is made. thanks for supporting north country nest!]
The evolution of the front porch.
Since moving into the house two and half years ago (I KNOW, where did it go?!) our front porch has been through quite the gamut of changes.
Need a little reminding? Now worries, we got you.
Here’s day one:
The first to-do was taking out the ramp, adding some stairs and moving the propane tank.
And then we stayed with that for awhile.
Until it was time for a change. Because, why not?
Since the near-completion of our deck, I started doing a little comparison and our front porch was lookin’ a little sad. I know, I know, parents are never supposed to pick a favorite… “they’re all special to us” and all that. However, it wasn’t even a competition in my mind – the front porch needed an overhaul.
For normal people, spontaneity looks like a tattoo or last-minute vacation or a new computer. For us, it’s an unplanned house project. 😛
To begin, all the chipped, cracked and discolored paint needed to come off. Surprisingly, it didn’t take as long as I thought or require as much effort – which is always welcomed! I just went over everything with an orbital sander and 80 grit sand paper.
After getting it all sanded – about three days – I tried my hand at the power washer…and lived to tell the tale! I had way too much fun washing all dirt off the house and going up against a small hornet’s nest. But seriously, if you’ve never power washed your house, it’s a game changer!
After waiting for it all to dry (and for the weather to cooperate) it was time to seal. The color is Honey Teak and it’s the other color we were going back-and-forth on for the deck.
Want to know a secret? We kind of like this color better than the one we chose for the deck. Of course, we sealed this one AFTER we did the deck so it was a little too late. But, that’s what happens sometimes and you just go with it.
After sealing everything, it was time for the posts. I wavered back and forth between painting and staining them. I went with the painting because I thought it would make the door and door trim really pop AND I was ready to be done sanding. The color is Sherwin Williams’ Alabaster.
If we had wanted to take the time and clean up the railing and posts a little, I think I would have gone with the stain, but I am banking on the fact that we’ll be tearing this all down next summer to do the wrap-around deck and it didn’t make sense to put all that work into it.
The white definitely pops. I am still getting used to it – but it’s growing on me 🙂 The more I am out there and looking at everything, the more I am enjoying the change. And if anything, it’s a heck of a lot better than before!
Overall, the entire refinishing process went a LOT better than I was expecting. It’s really fairly easy and changing up the color makes a huge difference.
All our best,
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