How to Give your Porch a Facelift

Repainting your porch does wonders for curb appeal, and it may not be as big of a project as you think. From a cost perspective, you need a power washer, scrapper, paint and brushes (as long as it doesn’t need any repair). If you already have these items, the total cost is really only going to be the paint and cost of water. So for $75 dollars and some of your time, you can bring new life to your home.

For starters…

1. Clear your porch: The first thing you will want to do is clear your porch. Remove any furniture, swings, mailboxes, or hanging baskets that may get in the way.

2. Power wash: Once the porch is clear, go ahead and powerwash away! This will remove any loose paint or dirt that is on the porch.

3. Scrap off any remaining loose paint so you have a good, smooth surface for paint to adhere too.

You’ll want to wait at least a day before you paint so you can give the porch enough time to dry from the power wash. You will also want to make sure that the temperature is at least 50 degrees before you paint. If the temperature is too cool it can have negative effects on the application. It may become very difficult to apply the paint evenly or smoothly.

4. Paint: Using a bonding primer first, you’ll want to put one coat over everything. Valspar bonding primer is what we used for this project and it works great. It goes on thick and provides good coverage.

Next you’ll want to use a porch paint. You will want to put on at least one more if not two heavy coats. We like to use Valspar porch paint. It holds up well, is a reasonable cost and goes on smooth. If you are painting the floor as well, use a roller to apply the paint. Once you’re complete, keep everything and everyone off the porch for a good 24 hours to ensure the paint has cured.