ORC Finale: Front Porch Refresh

These past 8 weeks have challenged me physically and mentally.  This One Room Challenge felt different. I know I probably have said this with each ORC I’ve participated in but this time, an outdoor project on a timeline taught me that working on the whim of the ever changing weather is unpredictable and frustrating to say the least. It has definitely been an experience that has taught me new things about myself and my DIY skills and knowledge. I am thankful to be a part of this challenge, making friends and being inspired by so many as well as being featured in Apartment Therapy for previous projects.

Vienna helping me as I power wash the porch by spraying Krud Cutter

One of the most difficult parts of this project like always is having to wait for reinforcements in order to work.  Vienna is now two and a half and does not take a nap anymore (maybe once in a blue moon if I lay with her in my bed and tell her a story before I fall asleep first). Without that precious naptime, the days are long and I rarely get a few moments to myself let alone work on a project. Thankfully, Brian has always been supportive of my DIY therapy, whether it was leaving teaching to start my own business, to now as a stay at home mom making our rental safe, pretty and functional. Once I hear Vienna and him laughing and playing, I know I have the green light to start working.

Weathered and mildewy porch floor boards

The plans to refresh the front porch came from the need to keep Vienna’s little feet and Arya’s aging paws safe besides wanting it to look fresh. Our landlord never sealed it before we moved in, so the wood became soft, splintery and mossy over the past three years. When we moved in to our home, Vienna was only three months old. Besides keeping up with the gardening, I never did anything to the front of the house except give the front door a new coat of white paint. It was time to give our small home a little curb appeal.

Even something as simple as a new welcome mat can freshen up a space.

The first thing I did to start the project was make a moodboard. I wanted colors that complimented the cream and dark brown on the house (colors that are not my favorite). I wanted to create a fresh new look with a flower bed, deck pots and planters, and a new door color with matte black finishes. Once I gathered my supplies from Lowes Home Improvement (Link to my Storefront), I was ready to begin. I am grateful and excited to continue as a Lowes partner. I was able to find everything I needed to make this project happen. It wasn’t the sourcing or delivery aspect that slowed down this process, it was the very moody weather that kept me from finishing in the timeframe I wanted to. Although the ORC lasts 8 weeks, there are touch ups I still needto do (that I wasn’t able to finish with the weather).

BEFORE: The stairs were slippery and needed a good cleaning

Freshly stained with Valspar’s Transparent Stain and Sealer

AFTER: The post was also loose and needed to be reinforced. We have a gate to keep Vienna and Arya safe and it needed to be secured as well.

I was lucky to have about two weeks of great weather in April before the rainy month of May came into play. After power washing the porch with Krud Cutter and letting it dry for a few days, I sanded the wood with 80-120 grit sandpaper and an orbital sander. It was a lot of work, but I was able to sand it in one day. I wiped

it down when it was done with a damp rag to get any sawdust and debris out of the grooves of the wood. This prepped the wood for the stain. I used Valspar’s All Weather Transparent Stain and Sealer in the Color Canyon Brown. It looked so much better and felt good under our feet. I wasn’t afraid of splinters and felt safe letting Vienna walk on it now. She loves to sit on the porch and bird watch with her binoculars in her bare feet. We have the magnetic window screen so she and Arya can walk in and out without bugs (most of the time) and the gate to keep them safe on the porch.

I partnered with Handy Paint Pail again for this project. Using the right tools really make a difference, while painting and staining I used the handy pro pail, angled trim brush and multi use tool to stir the paint and open the lid. They were so helpful in this project and really make the job easier.

Besides the weather, there was one thing I didn’t take into account, and that was the integrity of the wood itself. After three weeks of walking on the newly stained porch, it began to scratch. I was so disappointed and felt like all my hard work was ruined. I felt like a failure. I contacted Valspar and walked through my process with them. I prepped everything correctly and followed the steps to a tee, but because the wood was so damaged, the stain didn’t sit correctly. Here are some things I learned:

-transparent stain shows the natural grain of the wood, but cant hide imperfections

-solid stain sits on top of the wood looking more like a paint, sitting in the surface like a film to protect it (which I should’ve used)

-deck paint is a paint that sits on top of the wood to seal in any splinters or gauges in the wood (if solid stain didn’t work in the future, I would use the deck stain).

-No matter what I decide to do in the future, I would need to power wash, sand and repeat the process all over again; and that’s not happening anytime soon. For now when I have time, I will lightly sand the scratches and reapply the stain.

I had used Behr’s deck paint on a pallet table Brian and I made a few years ago for Behr’s Ultimate DIYer Challenge. The patio table has held up the past few years with the deck paint sealing in all the imperfections.

Even if the porch floor and treads have been scratched, it looks so good. It was an incredible transformation from the gray, tired wood to it looking alive and fresh ready to be walked on. For the door, I knew I needed a paint color to compliment the colors of the house. I wanted a neutral beige/cream that wasn’t too sad beige. I found Valspar’s Duramax latex exterior paint and primer in the color Touch of Sand HGSW9035 . It looked like a calming pale pink to brighten up the entry next to the cream and brown on the house (without being overpowering). I added a door knocker from Lowes in Matte Black. It was a perfect little touch to elevate the door and stand out against the color. The matte black matched the door handle and deadbolt from Stone Harbor Hardware that I added during Spring 2023 ORC.

The matte black finishes tied the entry all together

I partnered with Stone Harbor Hardware again (because I love them and their products so much) and was gifted these beautiful contemporary house numbers. I decided to DIY a new address sign. I used the same method as I used for the coffee table turned breakfast bench that was Brian’s and my favorite project together. I used paint sticks stirrers cut with a circular saw and laid them in a sort of organic running bond pattern. After gluing them with liquid nails, I stained them with the same stain I used for the porch. I mitered leftover trim to surround the numbers and painted it with Behr’s Limousine Leather. Attaching it wasn’t so easy. Brian and I used hooks, hanging wire and screws to attach it to the siding. We butted it up next to the doorframe and used the wire to secure it tightly. (Next time, I would drill straight through and then hide it with the numbers).

New DIY address sign to compliment all the black accents and feel cohesive with the wood tones.

For greenery, I added flowers in the flower box at the bottom of the stairs, added potted impatients and a deck planter from Lowes on the porch railing. It really made a difference by adding some pops of green to ground the space. I had cleaned up the landscaping and pulled weeds, trimmed the rose bushes and cleaned up the side gate with the same stain. Unfortunately, the landlord had to cut down the dying tree on the side of the house and is replacing our septic (which is a good thing) but it kind of ruined those photos.

Staining the side gate to keep it cohesive with the porch.

Having Vienna help me with so many parts of the project means a lot to me. It seems as if she was always here. Almost three years old now, almost as old as when we first got here…she is coming into her own as a beautiful toddler exploring and learning about the world around her. She gains new skills every day and never ceases to amaze me. When we drive up to the house she says “my home.” And that’s what our house is…a home (whether our name is on the deed or not). Giving your home a hug makes all the difference, putting your stamp on it as a renter and giving it love helps the house be good to you. Thanks for coming along on my journey. I hope I can inspire you to do the same.

Love,

Jacqueline xoxo

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