Over the summer, we did a little front stoop makeover with porch paint, and it completely transformed the look of our front stoop!<\/h2>\n

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Hey friends! \u00a0I’m excited to share our front stoop makeover with you today! \u00a0I swear, the power of paint amazes me every single time! Transforming things with paint is one of my favorite ways to give something a makeover, but I honestly never imagined I would use paint on our front stoop. \u00a0You see, last summer we had our concrete resurfaced. \u00a0And it turned out to be kind of a disaster. \u00a0It’s a long story, but we ended up having to fire the first guy we hired and then start from scratch. \u00a0And it ended up costing us a whole lot more money than we budgeted. \u00a0In the end though, we still weren’t completely happy with the outcome. \u00a0Yeah, at least the concrete was no longer crumbling under our feet, but the guy sealed it, and whatever he used left the concrete splotchy and streaky. \u00a0Take a look below at what it looked like. \u00a0It makes me cringe even now.<\/p>\n

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It was so very disappointing to have spent the entire summer in the process of trying to improve our curb appeal, to be left with this eyesore. And at first, we thought the streaky, splotchy mess would wear off over the winter with the harsh weather, but no luck. \u00a0When Spring came, it was still ugly and messy looking. \u00a0So I started brainstorming ways to make it look shiny and new on a very small budget, because we didn’t want to put much more money into this project gone bad.<\/p>\n

We were in Charleston, WV one day last spring, walking around the cutest little neighborhood, and I saw a woman outside painting her stairs. \u00a0And it occurred to me that I could probably salvage our front stoop and stairs with paint! \u00a0Why hadn’t I thought of it before? \u00a0I guess because after you spend quite a chunk of change on paying someone to fix the concrete, the last thing you want to have to do is paint it. \u00a0But we were out of options for this one. \u00a0So I made the proposal to my husband. \u00a0After some discussion, we decided to give it a go, and good golly, are we ever glad we took that plunge, because it looks SO. MUCH. BETTER!!<\/p>\n

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We simply could not be any happier with the outcome on this front stoop makeover, and everyone who comes to our house makes sure to tell us just how much of an improvement it is. \u00a0Even neighbors walking by have stopped by to say how much they like it. \u00a0As a matter of fact our next door neighbor is preparing to sell, and she came over and wanted to know exactly what we did and how, because she wants to do the same thing at her house! \u00a0So I am counting this one as a big win, and I can’t tell you how much better I feel walking up those steps now, I smile instead of cringing and slowly dying inside.<\/p>\n

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Front Stoop Makeover | What we did<\/h2>\n

I started by going to Home Depot. \u00a0I don’t know if I have ever told you this, but there is a guy who works in paint at my local store, and he is the best. \u00a0He is a full timer, and I would be lost without him. \u00a0We are on a first name basis by now, because I go in there and buy paint so much. \u00a0He always wants to see before and after photos, and who am I to deny him? \u00a0He is so knowledgeable, and I knew he was the person to ask about exactly what I should do, and he did not disappoint me! \u00a0Honestly, if I go in there and he isn’t there, I have turned around and left before, so now, I know exactly what hours and what days he works, so I just make sure I go when I know he will be there. \u00a0Kudos to Home Depot for keeping him around! \u00a0Anyhoo, here is what I did to paint my front stoop.<\/p>\n

I started with a good primer, which he tinted for me to match my paint I used. \u00a0He stressed to me very strongly that I needed to prime the entire thing first. \u00a0And he also stressed to me that after I primed it, I needed to let it dry for 24 hours before I painted it. \u00a0So I followed his directions exactly. \u00a0I put on my short shorts and my tank top and got to work. \u00a0After all, I may as well get some sun while I worked, right? Don’t worry, I used sun screen, but let me just say, that sun was beating down on me the entire time, and I was miserably hot. \u00a0The primer I used was what he recommended and it was Glidden Gripper Interior Exterior Primer and Sealer<\/a>. \u00a0I used a brush to cut out around all of the edges as usual, and then I used a roller to roll the rest of the paint and primer on. \u00a0It was hard work because the surface had a lot of ridges, so I had to press pretty hard with the roller to get the coverage I wanted. \u00a0By the very end, I had to have my husband finish the bottom sidewalk because I completely lost the strength in my hand to get it done. \u00a0After the primer was finished, we did as he told us and waited for 24 hours to paint.<\/p>\n

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The next morning, I tried to get an earlier start so that the sun wouldn’t be beating down quite so much. \u00a0The primer was nice and dry by then, and I gave it two coats of porch paint. \u00a0I used Behr Premium Low Lustre Enamel Porch and Patio Paint<\/a>. \u00a0I can’t remember the color I had it mixed to off the top of my head, but I will come back and update this post with the color this evening. \u00a0 This is not your average wall paint, people. \u00a0This is porch paint. \u00a0It is made to stand up to harsh weather and rain. \u00a0I also noticed it has a thicker consistency. \u00a0After the sun beat down on it all day, it was dry by nightfall. \u00a0I didn’t place anything back onto the stoop until the next day.<\/p>\n

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We finally feel like we have a front stoop we can be proud of. \u00a0But it was a long road getting there! \u00a0We also replaced the railing last summer as well, so everything finally looks new, it just took an extra year to get there. \u00a0Now, let’s talk about the totally cool and retro grass rug I placed on the stoop. \u00a0I’m in love with it! \u00a0Do you remember back in the day when everyone put similar stuff on their porches? \u00a0Well, I never thought I would see the day when I wanted to mimic that, and I don’t want to mimic it exactly, but this is a new and more modern version, with a slight nod to the past. \u00a0At least, that is what I am telling myself. \u00a0It helps me sleep at night, ha!<\/p>\n

I ordered my artificial grass rug on Amazon<\/a>. \u00a0It is actually a runner. \u00a0And it was long enough that I was able to cut it down a bit and use a piece of it for a floor mat on our back deck as well. \u00a0I really like it a lot. \u00a0It is great for our dog, and it seems to trap dirt and debris so much better than our previous door mat did. \u00a0It is soft and comfy underfoot, and it looks like real spring grass!<\/p>\n

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Synthetic turf runner<\/a><\/p>\n

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I did decide to do something else a little unexpected out here on the front stoop. \u00a0I decided to paint the bottom part of the siding with the porch paint I was using. \u00a0It may seem extremely weird that I did this, but here is why I did it. \u00a0The bottom of the siding was severely stained, and no matter what we tried we could not get it to come clean. \u00a0It was like this before we ever moved in. \u00a0While I was painting, the thought occurred to me to paint that bottom piece of siding to blend right in with the front stoop. \u00a0I discussed it with my husband, and he said to go for it. \u00a0So I did, and I’m not sorry. \u00a0It isn’t something that most people would even notice at all, but it made it look more fresh and clean. \u00a0We both think it was a good move, so that is our story, and we are sticking to it.<\/p>\n

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In addition to the new artificial turf runner on the front stoop, I also purchased these cute LED lanterns<\/a> for out here. \u00a0I love them because they are substantial in size, they are made out of dark grey colored PVC, and the LED candle flickers like a real candle. \u00a0It can also be set on a timer, so I have it set to come on at dusk, and then it stays on for several hours. \u00a0I have been having it on at night all summer and so far have not had to change the battery yet.<\/p>\n

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LED Lanterns<\/a><\/p>\n

I made the DIY\u00a0strawberry wreath<\/a> on the front door. \u00a0It has been a cute little wreath for summer, but I’m starting to plan something different to change it to for Fall.<\/p>\n

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If you will notice in the photo below, I did not paint the riser right below the stoop. \u00a0Underneath of that concrete, there is brick that matches the house. \u00a0This was not something that I wanted the person who resurfaced our concrete to cover, but he did. \u00a0So I chose not to paint it because I plan to try to remove that thin coat of concrete at some point. \u00a0I didn’t want to make it more difficult by painting it.<\/p>\n

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This project was great for our curb appeal, and I am anxious to see how it holds up over the next few years. \u00a0I’ll keep you updated on that. \u00a0We are hoping it will last us until we decide to sell our house, which we think will happen sometime in the next few years. \u00a0This house was never meant to be our forever home. \u00a0And with our two oldest children being almost out of the roost, we will be moving on to different pastures at some point. \u00a0That is all quite up in the air right now.<\/p>\n

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If you like it, then you wanna put a pin on it!<\/em><\/h3>\n

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Thanks for stopping by today and reading about my front stoop makeover! \u00a0We are certainly happy with it. \u00a0Let me know if there are any questions you have. \u00a0I will be happy to answer them!<\/p>\n