Painting an Old Porch

Living in an old home is a joy but there are also different things that we have to do to preserve the old homes integrity. One of these things is repairing and painting the porch. The porch has undergone two color changes over time and was in desperate need of a new coat of paint.

In old homes, painted porches are all the rage. Two fashionable colors are a blue/gray and a dark green. Southern porches are a an important gathering place for family and friends. It's the place you sip lemonade and settle back into a rocking chair while watching the sun set. It's where you happily wave at neighbors. The porch is a reflection of your home and the first impression that people get of you and your style.

Having a beautiful and well managed porch is HUGELY important. Chipped or damaged paint give the porch a tattered and dirty look.

These are some old photos that we took on our porch before we painted it. As you can see the paint was severely damaged and chipping everywhere. The porch was in desperate need of a new coat of bright and vibrant paint.

The Process

We decided to keep the blue/gray color as it contrasted beautifully with the white and black that was already there.

After another round of pressure washing, we started with painting all of the railings again, giving another good coat of white paint. Paint helps to seal the wood and protect it from the elements, as well as add new vibrancy to a home. The columns were the hardest part to paint, we have over 10 columns on the porch!

After painting the railings, and columns we started on the porch.

The first coat of paint was already a HUGE change from the old. It was incredible how big of a difference it made!

Lots and lots of paint later the porch started to come back together. This was another three day project that required a LOT of tedious work. Fortunately my husband thrives in tedious work and enjoys painting.

As I said previously, painted porches are a huge part of old southern homes. It is a fashion trend as well as a way to preserve the old wood. When I was little my grandmother's home had a gorgeous painted porch that wrapped around her home. My grandmother's porch was painted the same blue/gray color that we have painted our porch. It's just another magical reminder of my happy childhood with her.

The Finished Product:

The porch is finally done, and we are so happy with the finished look. We've already been enjoying drinking lemonade on the porch rocking in our chairs.

There is just something about sitting on a Southern porch, waving at neighbors walking past while birds sing in the trees. The sun sets across the way and the church bell signals the end of the day. Life is good and peaceful on the southern porch.

What are your favorite things to do on your porch? Drop your answers in the comment section below. Remember to follow us on the majors of social media and to have an amazing day!