Happy April friends!!
It finally warmed up enough in East Texas that I finally tackled my front porch and prettified it. I did several inexpensive DIY projects that I wanted to share with you that are really easy but pack a big porch punch. If you’re looking for ideas and ways that you can instantly transform your front porch or patios, a great way to get started is with a can of spray paint!
I have a narrow front porch, so it’s really challenging for me to add furniture pieces without my porch looking cluttered or like the front porch of a Cracker Barrel restaurant. I wanted to add three rocking chairs this year, so I decided to paint the rockers and my old bench in the same color as my house trim and brick color. My goal was to have all of the pieces to sort of fade into the brick and not look cluttered:
I spray painted all of the furniture pieces and a couple of my planters in Rustoleum “Fossil”:
You can see the color a little better with this close up of the bench:
“Fossil” is a great neutral color that is really a combination or taupe and light khaki. I also love Rustoleum “Putty”, which is a similar lighter color but I couldn’t find it in my town, so I went with Fossil.
I have had that bench for more than 12 years and it’s been every color imaginable! I bought it at Hobby Lobby for practically nothing and it has held up so well and I only have to paint it about every two years! I do sand it down with a hand sander and prime every time I paint it, so that has helped as well.
I have been wanting to add rocking chairs to my front porch for years but I could never find ones that I liked. This year, I found these fabulous wood rockers from Lowe’s for only $99.00!!
Of course they didn’t come in the taupe color that I wanted, so I spray painted them as well. Knowing how to spray paint over factory finishes opens up a whole new world of furniture possibilities, especially outdoor furniture. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like the color of something, you can easily change it with spray paint.
The most important thing to know when it comes to painting over factory paint finishes is that the surface has to be roughed up and deglossed in order for the spray paint to stick and last. I always lightly sand with a fine grit sanding sponge and then I go over it with liquid deglosser.
Sanding sponges are the only way that I hand sand something because it’s so much easier than sand paper:
Sanding sponges do the same job as paper (even better) and you can easily curve it to get into hard to reach areas. It’s also a lot easier on your hands and they last a lot longer than traditional sand paper.
Liquid deglosser is also important because it helps prepare the surface without having to sand or to sand much:
I just lightly rough up my surface first with my sanding sponge and then I go over it with liquid deglosser and wait 60 minutes and then I prime the piece with Rustoleum Spray Primer:
For spray painting factory finished surfaces, I completely cover the piece with one good coat of primer. I then wait for the primer to completely dry (about 2 hours) and then I spray with my top coat (Rustoleum Fossil in Satin):
I also spray painted these fabulous fiberglass garden table/stools that I picked up for $59.00 at Home Depot:
I just lightly primed them and then sprayed them with Rustoleum “Indigo Streamer” in satin:
These garden tables are the best outdoor deal out there! I’m going back to Home Depot for more to use around my pool area in the back. I loved the stone look that the come in but I just wanted that pretty pop of indigo. I painted them in minutes and they turned out great!
By the way, I painted these old fiberglass planters two years ago in Indogo Streamer and I kept them the same this year:
I’m thrilled with how my little porch came together! I think I have earned myself a cocktail in one of my pretty rockers. My spray painting rampage has made me thirsty!
I hope one of these projects has inspired you to go on your own spray paint rampage. It still continues to amaze me how spray paint can dramatically transform a space.
I have another great spray paint project coming up on Thursday that I think will inspire you as well, so be sure and check back!
Thanks for hanging out with me today!!
Cheers!
Cyndy
Home Stories AtoZ {Tutorials & Tips Party}
Somewhat Simple {Thanksgiving Link Party}
Skip to My Lou {Made by you Mondays}
Savvy Southern Style {Wow Us Wednesdays}
Shabby Nest {Frugal Friday}
Tatertots & Jello {Weekend Wrap Up Party}
Under The Table Dreaming {Sunday Showcase}
Greta @ Project Momma says
This looks fabulous. I LOVE the indigo. I just want to come over with a few magazines and hang out. Do you have any lemonade? 🙂
Cyndy says
Thank you Greta!! Why yes, I happen to have some lemonade with your name on it! Come on over!!
Sheree says
I am new at this and researched paints. Would the outdoor decoart work as well as spray paint. I never do well with the overspray
melina buxton says
Looks awesome pretty easy, thanks for those painting dips,you do deserve that Cocktail 🙂
Cyndy says
Thank you Melina! Cheers friend and thanks so much for stopping by!
maria says
just started to follow you and love your ideas! will be “stealing” plenty of them!
Cyndy says
Thank you Maria!! So thrilled that you can use some of my project ideas! Thank you so much for stopping by!
katherine shauger says
Hi Cindy…like the dark blues and light cream rockers, the blue grounds your color palette, very nice. I have a question for you. Do large plastic pots w/no drainage holes, indicate for indoor use only. My husband says so. I will be sending you some pix soon as have new pc. Thinking wind may tip over also. Thank you Cindy… always enjoy your exchange, still my favorite…Katherine in Portland…
Cyndy says
Thank you so much Katherine! I always smile when I see your notes sweet friend! I didn’t get a chance to respond to you last time and tell you that yes, I adore Bruno Mars!! So my little rule with outdoor stuff is there are no rules! I put indoor stuff out and outdoor stuff in. If there are no holes and they are plastic, just drill a couple holes in the bottom or.. just keep flowers in the container they came in and slide in pot. Big hugs my Katherine in Portland!!
SwedishCornerDownUnder... Pernilla says
Love love love! Beautiful looking porch 🙂 Greetings from Australia♥ ~Pernilla
Cyndy says
Hello Pernilla from Australia!! So glad that you stopped by and thank you for your kind comments! I hope I get to Australia someday!
Deb says
I love all that you have done on your front porch. Those garden stools are a great find – and look awesome painted the indigo blue!
Cyndy says
Thanks Deb! Hope all is well with you friend! Yes, those garden stools are an awesome deal! They would be fun in bright yellow or red or even white. I am heading back to Home Depot this afternoon to buy all that they have for the back patio. Thanks Deb for stopping by!!
Christine says
Your porch is stunning and I’m jealous it is so wide. Mine is similar to yours but unfortunately for me it’s about 1/2 as wide. I love the colors you used and the deglosser is awesome. I also use it all the time.
Great job!
Cyndy says
Thank you Christine!! I know I really shouldn’t complain because at least I have a porch! I just wish it was at least twice the size. If I ever build a house, I will have a huge front porch! Thanks so much for stopping by!!
Mandi Smith T says
Cyndy,
It looks fantastic! The pops of blue in the things you painted and the trellis pillows were the perfect touch. When I saw the first picture, I thought it was a magazine shot for an outdoor area! Great job. PS: I bookmarked that fabulous post you did on your favorite spray paints and will be referring to it again and again! M.
Cyndy says
Thanks Mandi!! Yes, that chart has really come in handy for me. I should have done it a long time ago. Thank you for your comments on my pictures. I was thinking that they didn’t look all that great and really struggled getting with them. Your comments made my day, especially after thinking the pics didn’t really come out as planned. Photography is not my thing!!
Lisa says
Your porch looks gorgeous. Fantastic job with the spray paint. I’m jealous because it’s still absolutely freezing here in Montreal, Canada and it’s too cold to spray paint outside still. I have a few things lined up waiting to go when it finally does get warmer and appreciate all your tips on spray paint.
Cyndy says
Thanks Lisa! We had a cold snap today and it’s freezing!! I sure hope my pretty plants make it through! Ugh! Stay warm and thank you so much for stopping by!!
Mindy says
LOVE LOVE LOVE your porch!!!! May I ask where you got your rug?
Megan says
What a beautiful front porch, Cyndy! I love how you made everything look so pretty with the spray paint colors you’ve chosen. I especially love the blue you used on the stools. 🙂 Enjoy!!
Amanda - Cupcakes and Corndogs says
I love this porch!! Thanks for the inspiration!
Drop by and visit sometime!
Amanda
Jen - Once Upon a Time Creation says
Your porch is so beautiful. Just love front porches. Hopefully spring will come to the Northeast soon so we can all work on our Spring makeovers:) Thank you for the inspiration!
Cyndy says
Thank you so much for stopping by Jen! I sure hope it warms up soon for you all! Cheers!
brigitte bernard says
congrats
it’s beautiful, i love the combination with a indigo , i need to paint my outdoor furniture but in Michigan it’s not exactly the good time, in few more days…. if we are lucky
and i keep in my book project your color choice
have a good summer under this nice porch
Orlando says
I love everything! I love the cushions and the blend of those colors! I will be following!
Heather says
This porch is fantastic! Great job combining the muted furniture with the pops of color. Isn’t it AMAZING what spray paint can do? I have that same Target trellis pillow on my porch!
Christy@ plantedandbloominggirl.blogspot.com says
Love, Love, Love It! Really love the indigo! I think it’s a classic color, not one that will be “out of style” by next spring! Beautiful!
Cindy Schwerdt says
Love this porch and love the blue color! Where did you get the blue geometric pillows? And what kind of paint did you use on the garden stools?
thanks,
Cindy
Marianne Rojas says
did you put a top coat on after you sprayed on your color? I did this to my rockers and am trying to decide if I need a top coat to hold that color or not.
Gretchen Eisenhower says
Hi- Your porch looks so cute! Love it. I am going to try and replicate some of your items for my porch 🙂
Where did you get your big planters?
Cyndy says
I have had my big planters for years but had spray painted them a year ago in Valspar Indigo Streamer. You can see that old post and how I sprayed them here:https://www.thecreativityexchange.com/2011/08/my-50-00-front-porch-revamp-challenge-3.html. Thanks so much for stopping by Gretchen!
Lucia says
Hi, I want to subscribe for this blog to get
most up-to-date updates, therefore where
can i do it please help.
Have a look at my web-site :: gaming motherboard (Lucia)
Lorie vdZ says
Thank you so much for this post it was a project saver. I just finished painting a wood table and chairs for my patio using your tips. I had a nice blue paint picked out but after just one coat of paint on a thankfully small piece I knew it was not going to work. Back to the hardware store I went. I decided to take your advice and go with a neutral. Our store did not have Fossil but it did have Putty in stock so I went with that and I am so glad. Everything is still drying but it looks fantastic. I never would have gone for a neutral beige if it were not for your post. Three cheers for your post!!!
Jeri Atkin says
What a beautiful job you did! I was stunned by your comment that you painted the chairs the same color as the wall of your home so they would fade into the background . I too, am not a fan of clutter especially on a porch and that thought of yours is fantastic and it works. What a perfectly splendid idea you had. I like that it is rather hidden from the street, all you notice are the lovely
greenery. Your porch is so lovely , bet it’s wonderful to step out with a cool glass of tea, sit and relax on a spring evening. Thank you for sharing.