Front Porch Makeover

Ya’ll remember my craptastic front porch from those “before” pics, right?

I’m sure our neighbors were pleased when we finally tackled this project. Our house no longer looks like haunted cabin #8! The first thing to go was the old, torn, practically hanging-on-by-a-thread screens.

Hubby suggested we get new frames. You know what I said to that! Those old beauties had a lot of life left in them, and with a fresh coat of paint and new screens they are almost as good as new. They hinge at the top and have cool hardware which allows them to swing up and attach to the porch ceiling when they aren’t needed. Granted, in Mosquitoville (aka Clintonville) we ALWAYS need them.

These screens are the reason my days as a hand model are over. Someone put 5 bagillion staples on each frame when they lazily replaced screens over the years. (Have I mentioned my house is 98 years old??) I did a lot of cursing as I pulled the old staples out of these babies.

Once that was done it was patching, sanding, priming and painting for the frames. I chose a pet-friendly fiberglass screen in case any of our pooches join us on the porch. And with these frames it’s not like the newer style where there’s a rubber gasket that pushes the screen into a groove. These are old school all the way. I had to staple the screens to the frame and then cover the edges with quarter round. Miter saw required.

I already touched on the screen door in the last post. It’s this one from Menard’s and I stained it to match the other wood elements on the exterior. Take a look at what it replaced… 👇🏼 I know, I know. I said that I want to save ALL the old things. But I lied. I gave that old thing away and never looked back.

Now on to the interior of the porch. It had seen better days, let me tell you. The (what I think is original) white wall was dirty and flaking. I caulked all the seams and cracks before priming. Then a fresh coat of white paint made all the difference. The walls underneath the screens were painted a beige color, and I painted over it in a grey that we used in a few other places (I’m sure I’ll cover that at some point).

The floor was really torn up. I probably should have replaced some of the boards, especially near the front of the porch where the elements have been beating them up for years, but I didn’t. Just lots and LOTS of wood filler. Then I used this Dutch Boy paint to cover the floor. It has a little bit of grit in it to make the floor skid-proof, and is made specifically for porch floors. It was a STEAL at Menard’s because it was marked down to only $9. The guy said it was probably a mistake, but their loss is my gain. Ha!

There’s an old light fixture next to the door. Super cute, jelly jar style that’s old old old. I couldn’t part with it, but it was rusty and gross so it got hit with this oil rubbed bronze Rustoleum metallic spray paint. It’s primer and paint in one which always makes life easier, and I used it to refresh the railings on the two sets of stairs up to the house as well.

That pretty much sums of the actual porch remodel. Then it was on to the fun stuff — decor! I had a set I bought secondhand from Craigslist years ago. It’s a mix of wood and resin wicker, and the wood looked pretty sad. I sanded it all down and did a new coat of stain and varnish. I am so pleased with how they came out. Almost like brand new! I added few hanging lanterns (curbside finds), a hanging swag kit and drum shade from World Market, cushions and pillows (Pier One), garden stool (in green) and glass topped metal side table (which also got an oil rubbed bronze treatment courtesy of Rustoelum). Now it’s just such a cozy spot to hang out.

Check out my Instagram page @thisoldclintonvillehouse to see how I’ve decorated the front porch for fall! Would love for you to follow along over there as well…I do a few more updates on projects that are in progress in stories. As always, I appreciate your feedback and comments. See ya’ll next week!