Exterior Painting + Free Cheerful Porch Decor

Our house was the saddest brown color. When I first saw it, I knew that color had to go! Well today I’m sharing the massive project we took on- exterior painting of our house! Plus how to decorate the outside of your house for free while  staying home.  I probably should have made this a few posts, but here it ALL is!

First up, a before of the house with how it looked on move in day-

exterior painting of a stucco house

Let’s start with the video tutorial so you get an overview on what I did. Then, I’ll dive in with more details below:

If the video doesn’t work here, you can watch it on YouTube here. I’d be over the moon happy if you subscribed to my YouTube channel! Videos are actually released on YouTube first (usually the night before they’re published on the blog). Thank you!

SUPPLIES

• Behr Marquee Exterior Paint in Satin. Color- Ultra Pure White. I 5 gallon buckets
• Behr Marquee Exterior Paint in Satin. Color- Cupcake Pink (for the door)
• Paint Tray
• Paint Roller
• Extension Ladder
• Roller Extender
• Power Washer
• Scraper
• Exterior Caulk
• Caulk Gun
• Palm Sander
• 60 Grit Sanding Paper
• Paint Pail
• Paint Brush

step 1 prep

I am only going to briefly go into how to paint a house exterior because I have a super detailed post all about it here from our last house. But these are the basics!

Start by power washing the house to remove flaking off paint and mildew. Use a sander if needed to smooth down uneven patches.

Next, fill any gaps or holes with exterior caulk. My goal was to make the house as water tight and bug free as possible!

step 2 paint

For painting a house exterior, I prefer to use a paint brush and roller. It takes time (especially because going white over brown takes 3 coats), but I’ve found using a sprayer to be too big of a hassle to prep for. It took us two days to get the front of the house painted. We still need to do the sides and the back.

To paint the house, I first cut out the edges and corners with a paint brush. Then I used a roller to cover the big surfaces. It was amazing how quickly the house felt like a whole new place!!! The UPS man even told me that he drove past our house because he didn’t recognize it- lol!

Side note, I’m not in love with the stone that was used as an accent. It’s ok, but to me, it feels like it was added as a cheap way to upgrade the house to sell it. This is a 1950’s house and it doesn’t feel authentic to the era of the home. So what to do? I thinking about lime washing it or adding a German schmear so that the stone will be softer and all white. One day I’ll do one of those.

Still, this is major progress that I’m trilled with! My mind likes to think of what is possible and ALL the ways to make something prettier. I’m also considering adding columns to the porch and cute molding. I’d really like to add a window box on the right side of the house to even out the two sizes of windows. What would you add? Let me know in the comments!

door knockers

Last, I bought a new door knocker for my front door! To be honest, I completely forgot to put it up for these pictures. But I got #6 below because I like the subtle palm tree motif. I thought I’d share some in case you want to add some jewelry to your door too!

1 peacock / 2 seahorse / 3 palm tree / 4 beekman / 5 butterfly / 6 demeter / 7 monogram / 8 dragonfly / 9 pineapple / 10 bumblebee / 11 whale / 12 anchor / 13 lindy bird / 14 half moon / 15 basket / 16 shell 

ADDING SOME PORCH CHEER

With everyone home right now and the only glimpse to the outside world is from a walk or bike ride, I’ve been thinking of ways of how to cheer up my porch. I’ve heard of people using sidewalk chalk to make fun designs or to put a teddy bear outside so people can go on a bear hunt. I also love the idea of putting up art in the window to make it like an art gallery.

My friends on Instagram shared the idea of painting a rainbow on the window and sharing it on social media with the hashtag #letsallbewell. I’ve also seen people filling their windows with hearts cut out in rainbow color and sharing those with the tag #aworldofhearts. Finding connection now is so important, even when we’re isolated!

So my son and I brainstormed some ideas- maybe we could make some cardboard animals and put them outside with a happy sign? We have tons of cardboard on hand since we shop online pretty much exclusively right now, so why not?

how to make porch animals

First, I cut out a rectangle of cardboard. Then I googled “alligator silhouette” and then free hand drew my favorite image. To cut it out, I used heavy duty scissors.

Then I painted it with chalk paint that I had on hand. Any craft paint or latex paint should work too! Getting creative with what you have at home is key here :).

Last, I added on some details like eyes and teeth. No need to make it super fancy!

I repeated those same steps with other animals and hearts too. To finish them off, I taped on dowels I bought on Amazon. Though, if I were to do it again, I’d get longer dowels to add more height and variation. 12″ just isn’t tall enough. Remember when we could go to the craft store and get exactly what we wanted? Sigh.

porch sign ideas

For the porch, I really wanted a sign that shared an encouraging message. I wasn’t sure what to write so I asked my Instagram followers. They had such beautiful ideas- I might have cried reading them. I thought I’d share them in case you want to make your own sign too! All you need is cardboard or wood and paint!

• This too shall pass
• there is hope in love
• better days ahead
• we will get through this
• spread love
• rain before rainbows
• we’re in this together
• suffering is real, so is hope
• even flowers need rain
• smile my darling
• everything will be ok
• chin up buttercup
• we can do hard things
• you’re not alone
• don’t give up
• keep hope alive
• just keep swimming
• find silver linings 
• let’s hope for a better world
• Every little thing is going to be alright
• We are all connected
• we got this
• spread love
• be the good
• thank you health care workers
• this is only temporary
• heal the world
• waiting for the rainbow
• brighter days ahead
• have faith
• stay strong, stay healthy
• you are loved
• let your light shine
• hold on, the light will come
• happy day
• come together by staying apart
• have hope
• together
• you will be ok
• what a wonderful world
• the sun will come out tomorrow
• stay home
• you’re off to great places, today is your day
• You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think- Pooh
• keep the faith
• smile!
• We got this Florida (or your state or city name)
• hope isn’t cancelled
• There’s so much beauty and wonder in the world
• let’s all be well
• don’t worry, be happy
• distance makes the heart grow fonder
• Give love
• hang in there!
• this is temporary
• the darkness is at its deepest just before the sunrise
• see the beauty in everything
• one day at a time

Aren’t these the most beautiful messages of hope?! 

rainbow window

For my front window, I thought it’d be fun to paint a big rainbow in it. So I gathered by chalk paint and just went for it! Make sure to test your paint by putting on a bit and making sure it’ll scrape off first. I just free painted drew mine.

I do wish I had gotten the curve a bit better. So my advice is to paint on the first arch and then back up and make sure you like it before continuing on. I painted on the inside of the window because it’s so humid here, I was worried it’d wash off. Plus painting the inside is easier.

after

Ta da! Here’s the house decorated and all painted! Isn’t it cheerful?!

You can see that bigger dowels would have been better- the big sign especially needs more height. I might tweak it with time. My son says we need more animals and some dinosaurs too :).

While putting these decorations out, I got to chatting with a few of my neighbors (at a safe distance, of course). It was such a nice way to connect. One neighbor told me about the flower shop she owns and how it’s closed, but she still goes to do what work she can. A guy rode his bike past and waved and said “better day ahead indeed.” It made my day. 

I hope this project was fun for you to see! And maybe gave you some ideas if you want to add something to your yard or door or balcony. 

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